UNC players top N.C. State's guys again

DURHAM - C.J. Leslie clapped in disgust late Tuesday night as Ryan Harrow's pass slipped through his fingers and out of bounds, the fumble preventing what would have been an easy layup.

It was that kind of night for N.C. State recruits Leslie, Ryan Harrow, Lorenzo Brown and Joseph Uchebo of Team McGladrey in the North Carolina Pro-Am Summer League at N.C. Central.

They ran out to an 18-point, first-half lead, but trailed by halftime and ultimately fell for the second time to Team Stackhouse, whose roster includes North Carolina freshmen Reggie Bullock and Harrison Barnes, Tar Heel sophomore John Henson, and Tar Heel commitment P.J. Hairston.

After defeating Team McGladrey 82-72 a week earlier, Team Stackhouse rallied for a 59-51 win in the rematch.

"We fought back," Henson said. ". . .That's what we always do at Carolina. It's a good preview of what we have to do this year, fight back from early deficits."

Barnes, the top-rated recruit in the Class of 2010, led Team Stackhouse with 18 points. Harrow scored 17 points to lead Team McGladrey, which played without N.C. State senior Tracy Smith. Leslie added 16 points, including two free throws that put his team ahead 47-46 late in the game. But Barnes answered with a 3-pointer and two free throws as the lead changed hands for the last time.

Leslie shot 4-for-12 from the foul line, missing seven in a row at one point. N.C. State fans, whose roars filled the gym as Team McGladrey built the early lead, exited quietly as Team Stackhouse ran out the clock.

Ken Tysiac

NCAA unveils complicated, new 68-team format

Cramming 68 teams into a bracket that’s ideally suited for 64 teams was bound to be complicated.

The NCAA - whose Division I bylaw manual for 2009-10 takes up 419 pages - has a new format for its Division I men's basketball tournament, which was announced Monday in a news release.

Sure enough, the 68-team field created by the Division I men's basketball committee features an unusual configuration. It has a catchy new slogan ("the First Four") for the four new first-round games that should play well on TV as the NCAA embarks on its new 14-year contract with CBS and Turner Broadcasting.

But when you look at which teams will play in those first four games, it gets complicated. Two of the games will feature the teams rated 65 through 68 in the field, which will go on to face No. 1 seeds in the second round.

The two other first-round games will feature the last four at-large teams selected for a field that includes 31 automatic bids and 37 at-large bids. The at-large, first-round teams will occupy the seed line where they would normally have been placed in a bracket in the past.

For example, one first-round game might feature two No. 11 seeds and the other could have two No. 12 seeds. The winners of those games would then advance in the second round to face their proper seeds in the bracket, with No. 11 playing a No. 6 seed and No. 12 playing a No. 5.

The schedule and location of the first-round games will be announced at a later date. Teams in the new brackets will continue to be assigned to the closest geographic location while avoiding regular season rematches and conference opponents.

Second- and third-round games will be played Thursday through Sunday, March 17-20 in 2011. That includes games at Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena set for March 18 and 20.

In April, the Division I men's basketball committee was charged with creating a new format for the tournament after it was decided that the tournament would expand to 68 teams from 65.

"With the new bracket essentially featuring four additional at-large teams, the committee determined it was appropriate to have the teams play in the first round," Dan Guerrero, the UCLA athletic directory and 2009-10 committee chair, said in a statement. "We believe this format provides an extraordinary opportunity for the championship's first-round games to be quality match-ups as March Madness begins."

The tournament had featured 65 teams and one first-round game from 2001 to 2010. From 1985 to 2000, the field had 64 teams. The expansion to 68 announced in April came in part as a response to a significant number of coaches who said the 65-team field wasn't large enough reward an appropriate number of teams for their successful seasons.

Ken Tysiac

Duke's Chelsea Hopkins transfer to S.D. State

Duke women's basketball player Chelsea Hopkins announced on Friday that she's transferring to San Diego State after two seasons with the Blue Devils.

Hopkins, a 5-foot-8 guard, said she's leaving to pursue more playing opportunity, having seen limited time as a point guard behind senior Jasmine Thomas. She moves closer to her hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Last season, Hopkins averaged 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 0.7 steals in 26 games. She played in 46 games during her career at Duke.

"These last two years at Duke have been a great experience,” Hopkins said. “I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and everyone else in the Blue Devil program for making it such a wonderful time. I just think I will be able to maximize my potential at San Diego State to close out my career.”

Hopkins exits the program as Duke brings in what many are calling the top recruiting class in the nation for 2010-11 season, which includes the second-ranked high school point guard Chelsea Gray from Saint Marys High in Manteca, Calif.

-- Edward Robinson

ACC basketball preview: Wake Forest

Wake Forest

2009-10 record: 20-11 overall, 9-7 ACC (fifth)

Postseason: NCAA Tournament (1-1, lost to Kentucky)

Projected starting lineup: G Tony Chennault, G C.J. Harris, F Ari Stewart, F Tony Woods, F Carson Derosiers

Plus

• Size

In Tony Woods (6-11), Ty Walker (7-foot), Carson Derosiers (6-11) and Melvin Tabb (6-8), the Deacs have plenty of size to go around.

The quality of that size is debatable, but you know what they say, "You can't teach size."

Wake's still waiting for Woods and Walker to meet their potential. It wouldn't be surprising to see Derosiers, a freshman from New Hampshire, be a starter from Day One.

• Sophomore hope

C.J. Harris and Ari Stewart were being groomed as the leaders of this team by former coach Dino Gaudio. Jeff Bzdelik will likely keep Harris and Stewart in prominent roles.

Despite some bumpy patches, particularly at the end of the season, both were productive as freshman and should be better because of that experience.

Minus

• Guard play

Harris was a pleasant surprise last season, adding 9.9 points per game as a freshman, but his role is going to change dramatically.

Instead of hitting the occasional outside shot, handling the ball some in the halfcourt set and playing solid defense, he's going to have to be the best guard on the team.

Will he be good enough to be Ish Smith and C.J. Harris? He might have to be because it's possible Tony Chennault's not ready to be a starting ACC point guard (and it's possible that a new coach who didn't recruit Chennault doesn't want him to be a starting ACC point guard).

The other options at guard are limited. Senior Gary Clark is supposed to be a shooter but hasn't been a factor in three seasons. J.T. Terrell's jump shot should help but ballhandling is not exactly his bag.

• Unfamiliarity

You can bet if we (the media and fans) are asking, "Who's Jeff Bzdelik?" than the players are, too. Bzdelik has been in the NBA or out west in the college game for the better part of 20 years. The players recruited Gaudio likely felt some loyalty to him after experiencing the success that they did together in the past three years.

Problem for Bzdelik is this was going to be a transition year for Wake, who lost Al-Farouq Aminu to the NBA draft, a year after losing Jeff Teague and James Johnson, regardless of the coach.

He has been put in a tough spot, albeit with low expectations, for his first season.

Bottom line

Wake lost its best player, a four-year starting point guard and two other starters from an NCAA tournament team that won nine ACC games.

Wake AD Ron Wellman knew this would be a rebuilding year and instead of letting Gaudio burn, he decided to start over with a new coach. That's not a bad premise but he took a risk in hiring a 57-year-old with little connection, at least recruiting-wise, to the region.

Maybe Bzdelik, a coach well-versed in the finer points of the game's strategy from years as a scout in the NBA, can pull a rabbit from his hat. Maybe the freshmen are better than advertised. Maybe Harris and Stewart are ready to be leaders. Maybe Woods and Walker are ready to live up to their prep billing.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. It just sounds a lot like last place to me.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
G C.J. Harris	Soph.	9.9	1.8	1.2
F Ari Stewart	Soph.	7.3	3.2	0.3
F Tony Woods	Jr.	4.6	3.2	0.1
G Gary Clark	Sr.	3.2	0.6	0.2
F Ty Walker	Jr.	1.9	1.4	0.1

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
F Al-Farouq Aminu (NBA)	15.8	10.7	1.3
G Ish Smith	13.2	4.9	6.0
G L.D. Williams	8.7	5.6	1.8
F Chas McFarland	7.2	7.0	0.8
F David Weaver	2.6	2.1	0.2

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
F Carson Desrosiers	Fr.	6-11	225	41
F Travis McKie	Fr.	6-6	180	54
G J.T. Terrell	Fr.	6-3	175	65
F Melvin Tabb	Fr.	6-8	210	—
G Tony Chennault	Fr.	6-1	170	—
F Nikita Meschcharakou (transfer)	Jr.	6-7	215	—

Recruiting analysis by Dave Telep, scout.com:

Desrosiers: "This is Bzdelik's kind of guy. Carson's skilled, smart, tall and can stroke it. He'll be tougher inside in time and the offense should be an exact match to his talents. We feel he's a major ACC sleeper who went under-ranked by others."

Terrell: "A volume scorer in high school, Terrell's jump shot will bring back memories of bombers Archie Miller and J.J. Redick (and his range extends beyond both). The biggest transition will come in shot selection where he'll have to dial it back a bit. Wired up to score and athletic to boot, he's the ' X factor.' "

McKie: "It won't take long for him to be a crowd favorite. McKie has the smile, plays with bounce in the lane and spent the last three years worried about his ranking. All that is in the past and he'll be a leader and contributor from the start."

Chennault: "Fresh off a storied high school career, Chennault has the Philly edge to his game. He's going to play and challenge for minutes early especially if he can defend. Frankly, we aren't sure exactly how his game will translate but he's one of those guys that is tough to keep off the court. He's got a winner's background."

-- J.P. Giglio

ACC basketball preview: Boston College

Boston College

2009-10 record: 15-16 overall, 6-10 ACC (eighth)

Postseason: none

Projected starting lineup: G Reggie Jackson, G Dallas Elmore, F Joe Trapani, F Corey Raji, F Josh Southern

Plus

• New coach

After Boston College quit against Virginia in the opening ACC tournament game — four days after quitting in the second half against N.C. State — it was obvious the Eagles either had to get rid of the coach or their entire roster.

Boston College AD Gene DeFilippo took the path of least resistance and fired Al Skinner, despite seven NCAA tournament appearances in 10 years and a school-record 247 wins.

Enter Steve Donahue, who took Cornell to the Round of 16 in 2010 and three straight NCAA trips. And don't dismiss that accomplishment as "Oh, it's the Ivy League," because before Donahue got there, Cornell hadn't won an Ivy title since 1988.

Under Donahue, Cornell led the country in 3-point field goal percentage and ranked third in 3-pointers per game last season. Given how many coaches in the ACC attempt to win with defense and play at a glacial pace, Donahue gives BC a different and promising perspective.

• Reggie Jackson and Joe Trapani

With seven scholarship players on the roster, and zero freshmen as of June 29, Donahue's options are limited for his first team. In guard Reggie Jackson and forward Joe Trapani, he at least has two players who will excel in his up-tempo, perimeter-based system.

Given the transfer of Rakim Sanders, it doesn't take much imagination to project Jackson (12.9 ppg last year) and Trapani (14.1 ppg) to be in for big statistical seasons.

Minus

• Tough transition

It's not quite as jarring as Nebraska football going to the West Coast offense, but BC's in for a difficult transition with a roster of players built for Skinner's physical, halfcourt offense going to an up-tempo scheme.

Even Jackson and Trapani are inconsistent from the 3-point line, where Cornell made its living.

• Dry well

Skinner had a knack for finding and winning with players overlooked in the recruiting process (Craig Smith, Jared Dudley, Tyrese Rice). He understood how to develop players for his system but not necessarily how to coach within the 40-minute walls of the game.

He got lazy, beat or both on the recruiting trail in his final two classes, adding zero players in 2009 and having the one he signed in 2010 (Kevin Noreen) skip town with him.

It's tough to sustain a program's success when you aren't adding any players.

It's likely that Donahue will still add freshmen to this roster but he's obviously picking from the scrap heap.

Bottom line

DeFilippo made a good hire and it's going to work out in the long run but BC's in for some Steve Carell-hot-wax pain this season.

The Eagles are going to take a bunch of 3s and they have a roster built for a flex offense, which doesn't preclude good 3-point shooters, but it's not predicated on them, either.

The Eagles will definitely finish with fewer wins than scholarship players. Four, maybe five, seems about the level best that anyone could in this situation.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F Joe Trapani	Sr.	14.1	6.4	1.3
G Reggie Jackson	Jr.	12.9	5.7	4.5
F Corey Raji	Sr.	11.4	5.8	1.0
G Biko Paris	Sr.	4.8	2.0	4.1
F Josh Southern	Sr.	4.4	3.2	0.8
G Dallas Elmore	Jr.	3.9	1.6	0.6
F Cortney Dunn	Jr.	3.2	2.7	0.5

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
F Rakim Sanders (transfer)	11.3	3.7	2.1
F Tyler Roche	7.2	2.4	0.7
G Brady Heslip (transfer)		DNP

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
None

ACC basketball preview: Virginia

Virginia

2009-10 record: 15-16 overall, 5-11 ACC (ninth)

Postseason: None

Projected starting lineup: G Jontel Evans, G Sammy Zeglinski, F K.T. Harrell, F Mike Scott, F James Johnson

Plus

• Tony Bennett can flat-out coach

Liked Tony Bennett before his first season at Virginia, liked him when he started 5-2 and even liked him when he finished 0-9. Dude can coach and in the ACC, that puts you in front of two-thirds of your peers.

Bennett had some success early, notably at N.C. State and UNC's expense, and then struggled after Feb. 3. In the ACC tournament, you saw Bennett's real value, getting a team, minus its best player, to win one game and nearly another, and the second games was against the national champions.

Now that he's thinned the weeds from the roster, Bennett's on the brink of making Virginia basketball relevant again.

• Recruiting bonus

UNC, Duke and N.C. State all landed higher-profile players but of the six that Bennett signed, two figure to start — K.T. Harrell and James Johnson — and the others all fit Bennett's pragmatic, hard-nosed style.

Minus

• Youth

With Sylven Landesberg, the team's leading scorer (17.3 ppg), failing out of school, Jeff Jones and Tristan Spurlock transferring, the Cavaliers are going to need their freshmen to play early and play well.

Senior forward Mike Scott and junior guard Sammy Zeglinski will provide veteran leadership but you get the sense from Bennett that last year was an audition and he found a bunch of "Solid Gold" dancers but no stars.

He will add the leading roles through recruiting and typically an overhaul of program takes more than two years.

• Talent

Even if Johnson and Harrell are good, there's just not a lot behind them. A roster with Mustapha Farrakhan, Will Sherrill and Assane Sene doesn't exactly scream "Final Four."

Bottom line

Be patient, UVa fans (and I know you have been), because there's going to be a payoff in Bennett but it's going to take some time.

This class was a great start and he'll mine more talent but in the interim, there's going to be a learning curve and it figures to bend at about five or six ACC wins.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F Mike Scott	Sr.	12.0	7.2	1.2
G Sammy Zeglinski	Jr.	8.9	3.8	2.6
G Mustapha Farrakhan	Sr.	6.5	1.7	2.0
F Will Sherrill	Sr.	3.0	3.0	0.5
G Jontel Evans	Soph.	2.4	1.5	1.9
F Assane Sene	Jr.	1.6	3.6	0.2

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
G Sylven Landesberg (NBA)	17.3	4.9	2.9
G Jeff Jones (transfer)	7.3	1.3	0.4
F Jerome Meyinsse	6.5	4.1	0.4
G Calvin Baker	3.0	1.2	1.9
F Tristan Spurlock (transfer)	2.4	0.8	0.1

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
G K.T. Harrell	Fr.	6-3	170	36
F James Johnson	Fr.	6-8	210	37
G Billy Baron	Fr.	6-1	185	—
F Akil Mitchell	Fr.	6-7	200	—
G Joe Harris	Fr.	6-5	200	—
F Will Regan	Fr.	6-8	215	—

Recruiting analysis by Dave Telep, scout.com:

Harrell: "UVA must replace its wing scoring and Harrell will get his chance to earn the shots Landesberg left behind. A late bloomer, he was a priority SEC recruit that got away."

Johnson: "We're higher on him than most and its because of his work ethic, developing frame, athleticism and scoring tools. He's an early starter and reports out of Charlottesville are that he's ready to impact as a freshman which is in line with our evaluation."

Baron: "When Tony Bennett looks in the mirror he sees a version of Billy Baron. An overachieving gym rat, Baron is the son of a coach, brother of a shooter and combo guard."

Harris: "Bennett recruited him to be a sniper and student. He's equipped to be both and he could be UVA's designated zone buster."

Regan: "He's blue collar all the way. The cerebral insider knows the value of hardwork in the paint and he's a max effort role player for the Cavs."

Mitchell: "He's the guy who's going to have to work the hardest to crack the rotation. Mitchell has a nice touch to mid-range. To get freshman PT he'll have to find a niche and that means getting stronger from the perimeter and in the weight room."

-- J.P. Giglio

ACC basketball preview: N.C. State

N.C. State

2009-10 record: 20-16 overall, 5-11 ACC (11th)

Postseason: NIT (1-1, lost to UAB)

Projected starting lineup: G Javier Gonzalez, G Lorenzo Brown, F C.J. Leslie, F Tracy Smith, F Rich Howell

Plus

• Level playing field

With the addition of freshmen C.J. Leslie, Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown to a core of Tracy Smith, Scott Wood, Rich Howell and Javier Gonzalez, N.C. State has as many functional parts as any team in the league.

You could never write that sentence under Les Robinson and maybe only once or twice under Herb Sendek (2003-04, Julius Hodge's senior year, was arguably his best roster).

That means Sidney Lowe has put himself in position, in Year 5, to win games not by fluke but by simply being better than the other team. That's a major step up from any position he's operated under in his professional career, going all the way back to some bad NBA teams in Vancouver and Minnesota.

• Flexibility

Brown and Leslie have the ability to play multiple positions which adds a flexibility to the program. Brown can handle the ball, shoot and create his own shot. Leslie can defend the "four" and play the "three."

One of the freshmen guards can be on the floor with Gonzalez and move him off the ball, where he has proven to be an effective 3-point shooter.

Wood should get more space to do what he does best (hit shots) while not having to defend the other team's best forward (although he still could).

There are options for Lowe, which, of course, is both good and bad, because he has shown a propensity to do too much with his rotation for too long during the season, but at least he has options.

• Light bulb

It's dangerous to extrapolate too much from the end of one season to the beginning of another, but the way State finished 2009-10 — with six wins in nine games and an emphasis on defense and decision-making — suggests the light finally clicked.

A "Oh, so this is how we have to play to win" kind of epiphany for a group that returns three starters and loses really only one valuable piece (Dennis Horner).

It was not an accident that State went 6-1 down the stretch when it held an opponent under 70 points.

Minus

• Turning potential into reality

Lowe's in a delicate position because he needs to win now to keep his job but he also needs to tread carefully with this team.

For the better part of two years, we've all heard how good this class is — including the current players — so there's a natural tension between the returning players and the new ones.

That tension doesn't have to be combustible, the way the 2007-08 roster was, but the situation needs to be managed carefully lest it turn into the sequel of "Nightmare on Hickson-Costner-McCauley-Grant Street."

Gonzalez has given his blood and guts to the program, paying his dues early in his career in some trying and overmatched situations, and developing into a productive (yet still erratic) ACC player. How will he mesh with Harrow and Brown?

Wood was the only player to start every game last season, as a freshman no less. How will he handle coming off the bench, if that's how the lineup shakes out?

Smith was the center of this team's universe last season and had the numbers (16.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg) to prove it. How will he handle not being options 1 through 4? His touches are going to be reduced, is that going to be a problem?

• Schedule

This is both a plus and minus because with six games against Duke, UNC and Florida State, N.C. State's RPI certainly won't be lacking but the conference record could be.

The good news is Georgia Tech, in a similar situation last year, went 7-9 in the ACC and got into the NCAA tournament (they did reach the ACC tournament final, though, keep in mind) while Virginia Tech went 10-6 and watched the NCAA tournament on TV because it didn't have enough wins (or games) against the top ACC teams.

Bottom line

Lowe compiled a 79-229 record in parts of five NBA seasons. His ACC record is 20-44 at N.C. State. He has been quick to point out the discrepancy in talent between his teams and his competition.

That's no longer the case and if he doesn't win enough this season, it will be his last head coaching job for the foreseeable future.

That could be construed as pressure or a challenge. It's up to Lowe to decide which one it will be in what promises to be an entertaining season.

He will have to manage the roster, and egos, better than he has previously but the way the 2009-10 season finished suggests this team is ready to listen and continue its progress from March.

Given the schedule, it will be difficult for this team to win 10 ACC games but a 9-7 record is there for the taking if the right buttons are pushed.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
F Tracy Smith	Sr.	16.5	7.3	1.1
G Javier Gonzalez	Sr.	9.5	3.3	3.7
G Scott Wood	Soph.	7.8	2.9	1.4
F Rich Howell	Soph.	4.9	4.6	0.6
G C.J. Williams	Jr.	4.3	2.6	1.3
F DeShawn Painter	Soph.	1.6	1.2	0.0
F Jordan Vandenberg	Soph.	1.0	1.8	0.2

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
F Dennis Horner	11.9	4.9	1.4
G Farnold Degand	5.5	2.4	2.5
G Julius Mays (transfer)	4.6	1.2	1.6
F Josh Davis (transfer)	2.6	1.7	0.5
F Johnny Thomas (transfer)	0.8	0.9	0.2

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
F C.J. Leslie	Fr.	6-8	190	11
G Ryan Harrow	Fr.	5-11	155	25
G Lorenzo Brown	Fr.	6-4	175	28*

Note: Brown's rank from the class of 2009.

Recruiting analysis by Dave Telep, scout.com:

Harrow: "A trickster with the ball and a major threat to find the bottom of the net. He has work to do in the weight room but what he lacks in strength he makes up for in swagger. The Pack needed a guy to get buckets and he's at the front of the line to provide the punch."

Brown: "Don't be surprised if he becomes the primary offensive decision maker. He's physically ready, can score it in his own right and may be most ready to handle the decision-making as a freshman. Either way, he and Harrow are a super 1-2 tandem."

Leslie: "End to end, he's as athletic as they come plus he gives the Pack a helpside shot blocker, above the rim player and forward who can create his own offense. He's the perfect complement to Tracy Smith."

-- J.P. Giglio

ACC basketball preview: Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech

2009-10 record: 23-13 overall, 7-9 ACC (seventh)

Postseason: NCAA Tournament (1-1, lost to Ohio State)

Projected starting lineup: G Moe Miller, G Iman Shumpert, G Brian Oliver, F Glen Rice Jr., F Kammeon Holsey

Plus

• Pain in the ...

With a four-guard lineup, Georgia Tech's going to be the most annoying team in the ACC. The Jackets are going to present matchup problems, pressure the ball, hand check, knock off screeners and play as physical as any team in the league.

No one will want to play this group of gnats.

Still, there's talent. Junior guard Iman Shumpert is the best of the group but he's not always engaged. You figure he should be more focused considering this is his team and his ticket to the NBA.

Brian Oliver, Glen Rice and Moe Miller are all functional players, although Rice needs to work on his on-court demeanor. The sophomore guard's body language is off-the-charts irritating (and that's not necessarily a bad thing).

• ACC schedule

A year after playing the toughest schedule, GT gets one of the easiest with Wake and Virginia twice and Duke and UNC once (with the UNC game in Atlanta).

Minus

• Where's the size?

A year after being the ACC's biggest team, the Jackets have turned into the smallest.

You can imagine coach Paul Hewitt weeping when Justin Knox chose to transfer to UNC over GT. At least UNC has Tyler Zeller and John Henson. GT, after losing Lawal and Favors early to the NBA, has nothing, at least in terms of experienced big men.

Kammeon Holsey, a top 80 recruit from the class of 2009, is the most talented forward but he hasn't played a game of college basketball after sitting out last season with a serious knee injury.

Daniel Miller also redshirted last season but that was by design.

That leaves Brad Sheehan, who may or may not decide to stay with the program for a fifth season. Given his career output, 1.6 points per game, it's telling that Hewitt cannot afford to lose Sheehan.

And that's it at forward, unless you want to label Rice and/or freshman Jason Morris one but really, you're just talking about a wing playing the "four" because there are no other options.

Bottom line

Only Hewitt could find a way to win seven ACC games with a pair of studs like Favors and Lawal. Without those two, it stands to reason the Jackets will freefall back to the 2-14 days of 2009.

The problem with that logic is the schedule is too loose and their guards are too good. College ball will always be about guard play and there are enough parts, and enough breaks on the schedule, to float to 6-10.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
G Iman Shumpert	Jr.	10.0	3.6	4.0
G Mfon Udofia	Soph.	5.9	2.5	1.9
F Glen Rice Jr.	Soph.	5.4	3.1	1.7
G Moe Miller	Sr.	3.9	1.8	2.3
G Lance Storrs	Sr.	2.8	0.7	0.5
F Brad Sheehan	Sr.	1.2	1.6	0.2
F Kammeon Holsey	R-Fr.		DNP
F Daniel Miller	R-Fr.		DNP

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
F Gani Lawal (NBA)	13.1	8.5	0.4
F Derrick Favors (NBA)	12.4	8.4	1.0
F Zach Peacock	8.6	4.1	1.0
G D'Andre Bell	6.1	2.5	1.6

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
G-F Jason Morris	Fr.	6-4	190	84

Recruiting analysis by Dave Telep, scout.com:

Morris: "He would have fit in on the Final Four team Hewitt fielded a few years ago. He's a mega-leaper with major rise. His jumper is inconsistent but the athleticism is elite."

ACC basketball preview: Clemson

Clemson

2009-10 record: 21-11 overall, 9-7 ACC (sixth)

Postseason: NCAA Tournament (0-1, lost to Missouri)

Projected starting lineup: G Demontez Stitt, G Tanner Smith, F Milton Jennings, F Devin Booker, F Jerai Grant

Plus

• New perspective

Oliver Purnell was content to go into the 2010-11 season with basically the same roster that won 21 games and made a third straight NCAA trip. Oh yeah, with the exception Trevor Booker, the team's best player who was taken in the first round of the NBA draft.

Then Purnell left for DePaul and his one recruit, forward Marcus Thornton, opted to jump to Georgia. Point is, Clemson would have been stagnant this season without the coaching switch.

Of the three hires in the ACC this offseason, Brad Brownell's the youngest (41) and the one that will work out best in the short term and probably long term. Brownell has already taken two different teams (UNC-Wilmington and Wright State) to the NCAA tournament and has a chance to take a third this season.

• Defensive credentials

Guard Andre Young (54 steals) and forward Jerai Grant (54 blocks) are two of the best defenders in the ACC. Demontez Stitt and Tanner Smith both understand the concept of team defense, although Brownell's will surely differ from Purnell's full-court schemes.

Not all players fit every offensive system but defense is defense and Clemson has the parts to win games with its defense.

Minus

• Outside shooting

Clemson had a glaring need for outside shooters last season, after the losses of Terrence Oglesby and K.C. Rivers from the 2008-09 team, and still does.

Sophomore Noel Johnson has the best shooting stroke of the group but is inconsistent and was too one-dimensional to get more minutes for a coach like Purnell, who values defense.

Guards Smith and Stitt are also capable of hitting from the 3-point line but it's not their bread-and-butter. Young led the teams with 60 3s but one consistent shooter wasn't enough last season and it won't be this season.

• One less Booker

Brownell gets a Clemson roster with one Booker, sophomore forward, Devin, but two. Trevor Booker led the Tigers in scoring (15.2) and rebounding (8.4), while adding 2.5 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals per game.

There's no one player on the roster who can pick up his production, not to mention his toughness and leadership.

Bottom line

Purnell won 25, 24, 23 and 21 games in his final four seasons with three trips to the NCAA tournament. Relative to other Clemson basketball coaches, he's a genius.

But an 0-3 record in the NCAA tournament will also be on his epitaph along with "he once started a season 17-0 and missed the NCAA tournament."

Purnell clearly prefers the chase (building a program), to the happily-ever-after (making a program great). He left the Tigers in good enough shape, though, for Brownell, who'll be expected to win 20 games and extend the NCAA streak to four.

An 8-8 record probably hits both marks.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
G Demontez Stitt	Sr.	11.4	2.7	3.1
G Andre Young	Jr.	9.2	2.2	2.4
G Tanner Smith	Jr.	8.7	4.2	2.2
F Jerai Grant	Sr.	7.2	4.7	0.6
G Noel Johnson	Soph.	4.8	1.9	0.8
F Devin Booker	Soph.	4.5	2.9	0.3
F Milton Jennings	Soph.	3.2	2.7	0.5
G Donte Hill	Soph.	1.4	0.6	0.3

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
F Trevor Booker	15.2	8.4	2.5
F David Potter	7.0	2.7	1.4

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
G Cory Stanton	Fr.	5-11	165	—

Recruiting analysis by Dave Telep, scout.com:

Stanton: "The level is going to be an adjustment for him. The system will help him out but he's going to need to scrap and fight for everything. He's a strong kid who will go to the hole and make good decisions, so he's got that going for him.""

ACC basketball preview: Miami

Miami

2009-10 record: 20-13 overall, 4-12 ACC (12th)

Postseason: None

Projected starting lineup: G Durand Scott, G Garrius Adams, F DeQuan Jones, F Julian Gamble, F Reggie Johnson

Plus

• Pieces that fit together

Durand Scott, as he showed by scoring 29 points against UNC and 21 against Duke in the final month, is going to be a star in this league. He's a big guard who can create his own shot and get to the foul line.

Miami coach Frank Haith ran a lot of high, ball screens for Scott at the ACC tournament and basically gave him the freedom to run a freelance offense.

The reason Miami was successful in the ACC tournament, though, beating Wake Forest and Virginia Tech before pushing Duke in a three-point loss in the semifinals, is because other players learned how to fill in the roles around Scott.

Reggie Johnson, at 6-10 and 295 pounds, was born to set screens and rebound. He did both with consistency, which was a revelation compared to the enigmatic Dwayne Collins, who is more talented but also prone to disappear.

In Johnson and Julian Gamble the Canes have a pair of "WYSIWYG" forwards to complement Scott.

Junior wing DeQuan Jones also had a coming-out party at the ACC tournament, with a pair of 14-point games and using his athleticism to get to the basket and score easy points in transition. His maturation will be the determining factor in how far this Miami team goes.

• Senior guard Adrian Thomas, who led the ACC in 3-point shooting percentage, got an extra season of eligibility from the NCAA. He did so because of injury issues, but when it comes to the NCAA's Forrest Gump-injury policies, it's a bonus that Thomas was given another season.

Minus

• ACC schedule

The Canes have four games against Duke and Florida State, which could be four losses, and another four with Clemson and Georgia Tech, which have a 2-2 split written all over them.

That doesn't leave much wiggle room, although, with the right wins, the Canes could pull a "Georgia Tech" (the opposite of a Virginia Tech) and parlay a 7-9 ACC record into an NCAA bid.

• Summer break

One of the big mistakes we (the media) make in preseason predictions, in any sport, is thinking that the way a team ends a season is how they'll begin the next season, like nothing happens in between.

Miami played well in the final two weeks, for the most part, because it had been humbled by such a bad ACC showing (4-12 and last place, as correctly predicted only here).

Truth is, especially in college, a lot changes happen in the offseason. Maybe Miami will miss James Dews and Dwayne Collins, I don't know, maybe they were a good influence in the locker room. Truth is, every season is different, even if most of the parts are the same.

Bottom line

Miami has talent, and more than just Scott, but the question is how focused and cohesive will this group be?

Scott will provide leadership, and will get a boost in the backcourt by freshman Rion Brown, but it's up to Jones, Thomas and Malcolm Grant to provide consistent support.

For a team that won four ACC games last year, a 7-9 season would be a good sign of progress and enough to keep Haith employed for another year.

Returning players	Yr.	PPG	RPG	APG
G Durand Scott	Soph.	10.3	4.0	3.4
G Malcom Grant	Jr.	9.6	1.9	3.5
F Adrian Thomas	Sr.	7.3	2.7	1.4
F Reggie Johnson	Soph.	6.4	4.6	0.4
F DeQuan Jones	Jr.	5.7	2.1	0.5
G Garrius Adams	Soph.	3.8	2.1	0.6
F Julian Gamble	Jr.	3.5	2.9	0.7
F Donnavan Kirk	R-Fr.	2.5	2.2	0.0

Gone	PPG	RPG	APG
F Dwayne Collins	12.0	7.8	1.2
G James Dews	11.5	2.9	1.6
F Cyrus McGowan	3.2	2.6	0.4
G Antoine Allen (transfer)	2.9	0.8	0.7

New	Yr.	Ht.	Wt.	Rank
G Rion Brown	Fr.	6-5	190	63
F Raphael Akpejiori	Fr.	6-9	230	—
G Erik Swoope	Fr.	6-4	210	—

Recruiting analysis by Dave Telep, scout.com:

Brown: "Brown's the headliner who is fresh off a big season. He an athlete with a jumper and propensity to score. Sounds like a big-time Miami contributor to us."

Swoope: "Is this Frank Haith's second coming of P.J. Tucker or Adrian Thomas? Time will tell but he drew positive reviews for his toughness, especially in the lane."