Notre Dame coach Mike Bray was out recruiting during the Peach Jam summer tournament.
“They said, ‘Coach, do you think the two new recruits at Duke and Carolina will do well?'” recalls Bray. “I said, ‘I hope not.’ But I think they’re pretty good.” “
Rivals North Carolina and Duke have long been in the spotlight at the Atlantic Coast Conference. First, in April 2021, he retired as one of UNC’s Roy Williams Hall of Fame coaches, followed by another of Duke’s Mike Krzewski after last season. has retired.
Still, Williams’ replacement, Hubert Davis, led the Tar-Heels to the NCAA Championship Game in his first season. – Ranked teams. Krzyzewski’s successor, Jon Scheyer, will continue his recruiting success and begin his tenure with his #7-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25.
And once again, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils were voted 1-2 as the league’s preseason favorites.
“I think Hubert proved himself last year. “And he worked it out all together. I have a lot of respect for John. He’s a talented young coach. ”
Krzyzewski and Williams together won 2,105 games and won the NCAA championship eight times, but two coaches still won the NCAA championship: Jim Boheim of Syracuse (2003) and Tony Bennett of Virginia (2019). doing. Florida State University’s Leonard Hamilton (entering 20th grade) and his two other coaches who have been coaching at Bray’s current school, currently 23 in his season, are at least his 20-plus years. .
It’s also a league that has a bit of an ‘I said so’ vibe. There was a lot of criticism of the league’s strength last season, with the ACC only earning five bids to the NCAA Tournament. However, the league turned into a strong postseason performance, with UNC reaching the title game, Duke advancing to the Final Four, and Miami reaching the first region. Last.
“We don’t do that when the league is down,” Hurricanes manager Jim Larranaga said.
It may not be, but the league starts the year with three ranked teams (18th place Virginia is another). It’s up to other members of the league to boost bids for these NCAA tournaments.
Predicted termination
After the top trios, Miami was voted 4th in the 15-team league, followed by Florida State.
Notre Dame leads the middle tier in sixth place, followed by reigning league champions Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Wake Forest and North Carolina State University. Clemson leads the bottom five in his 11th, followed by Louisville, Boston University, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.
top return
UNC big man Armando Bako was named preseason Player of the Year after tying the NCAA single-season record with 31 double-doubles last year. His teammates Caleb Love (First Team) and his RJ Davis (Second Team) were also preseason All-his ACC picks.
Three guards, Duke’s Jeremy Roach, Miami’s Isiah Wong, and North Carolina State’s Turkavion Smith, were also the first Team All-ACC picks for the season opener.
top freshman
Scheyer’s first team features 247sports’ top-ranked recruiting hole. Keep an eye on Cameron Indoor Stadium to find his rookie at the top of the league. 7’1″ Derek Lively II comes in as the #1 overall recruit.
Duke’s Dariq Whitehead, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell and Kyle Filipowski are other top names in its advertised recruiting class.
Notre Dame also has a freshman to watch in 6-4 guard JJ Sterling, a five-star prospect ranked 21st in 247sports.
transfer help
Miami had one of the top transfers in the nation with guard Nigel Puck averaging 17.4 points at Kansas State as a performer in all Big 12 conferences.
UNC also went to the portal in hopes of replacing lost production with a Brady Manek breakaway. The Tar Heels added Northwestern University’s Pete Nance, giving them another big man with the ability to get out.
Arrival at the sideline
Louisville’s Kenny Payne joins Shire as the league’s two new coaches this year. Like Shire, he leads a program that has resulted in him being part of a national title winner as an athlete (1986). Payne will replace Mike Peguez, who was interim coach when Chris Mack stepped down in January after his three-plus season.
