Keeping It Heel
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ACC Basketball: Preseason All-ACC team

By Brandon Griffin

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) celebrates after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) celebrates after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 18, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Bonzie Colson (35) grabs a rebound against West Virginia Mountaineers forward Esa Ahmad (right) as forward Nathan Adrian (11) looks on in the first half during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; Buffalo, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Bonzie Colson (35) grabs a rebound against West Virginia Mountaineers forward Esa Ahmad (right) as forward Nathan Adrian (11) looks on in the first half during the second round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

Power Forward

Bonzie Colson is the only returning member of the All-ACC first team from last season. He also finished third in ACC Player of the Year voting.

Colson is the only ACC player to finish last season averaging a double-double. If he does that again, while leading Notre Dame to another top-four finish, he will be hard to beat for the award.

With an experienced coach and some key upperclassmen, Notre Dame may be the dark horse in the ACC this year and that can only help Colson’s case.

Other Candidates: Luke Maye (North Carolina) and Anas Mahmoud (Louisville)

Luke Maye moves into a starting spot at UNC this season due to a lack of other options in the post. Since North Carolina post players often put up huge rebounding numbers, (Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks the last two seasons) Maye has a chance to get his name in the conversation.

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Killian Tillie (33) dribbles around North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye (32) during the second half in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Killian Tillie (33) dribbles around North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye (32) during the second half in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men’s Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

It also helps that Maye can shoot and hit big shots as he did against Kentucky in the Elite Eight this past season.

Mahmoud isn’t anything spectacular, but could make a jump like fellow teammate Adel did last season.

If he does that and improves on the ACC’s second leading block rate, he could definitely garner some attention while playing for a team that will be in the national spotlight early on this season.

Freshman Hopeful: Malik Williams (Louisville)

If not Mahmoud, maybe Williams will take that jump. He joins fellow freshmen Brian Bowen, Darius Perry, and Jordan Nwora. At 6-foot-11, Williams might push Mahmoud to the middle or play the middle himself.

That does it for our picks. Of course, as we saw this past season, the top players can come from nowhere. They could also come from any of the other top players in the ACC who just missed this list.

So enjoy the time off, because once the season starts, anything is possible, especially in the ACC.

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