2017-18 ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Preseason Edition
Teams 13-15
Results against UNC: 0-2, Lost 80-78 at North Carolina, Lost 85-67 at Pittsburgh
Biggest Loss: Cam Johnson, transferred to North Carolina. Johnson would’ve been the star on an otherwise barren roster. Last year, Johnson averaged 11.9 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 41.5 percent from downtown.
Top Returner: Ryan Luther. After losing 89 percent of its scoring and 76 percent of its rebounding, Pittsburgh is in need of some help. Luther returns as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder.
He also hit 40.9 percent of his threes and should easily be the go-to player on this year’s team.
Key Freshman: Marcus Carr. Carr is a 6-foot-1 point guard from Canada who played at Montverde Academy last season. With all of the holes on offense, Carr should step in right away as the Panthers’ court leader.
The Lowdown: Pittsburgh loss its entire starting five from a team that went 16-17 last season. Kevin Stallings will have his work cut out for him in his second season as head coach. The Panthers will be lucky to win 10 games this season.
Results against UNC: 0-1, Lost 92-80 at Boston College
Biggest Loss: A.J. Turner, transferred to Northwestern. Turner was a starter for last season’s Eagles squad, appearing in all 32 games. He was second on the team in minutes and assists, and fourth in points.
Top Returner: Ky Bowman. This spot could’ve also gone to Jerome Robinson, but Bowman is the more dynamic player. As a freshman last season, Bowman led the team in three-point shooting and was second in points and steals.
He had 33 points and made seven threes against the Tar Heels. For his efforts, Bowman was named to the All-ACC freshman team last season.
Key Freshman: Luka Kraljevic. Kraljevic, who is from Slovenia, was rated the 56th best power forward according to ESPN. At 6-foot-10, Kraljevic provides height to a team that was 10th in the conference in rebounding last season.
The Lowdown: Boston College has not been very good, finishing under .500 overall the past six seasons. The Eagles do return their entire backcourt this season, and that experience could provide Jim Christian what he needs to get out of the ACC cellar.
Results against UNC: 0-1, Lost 89-86 in overtime at Clemson
Biggest Loss: Jaron Blossomgame, graduated. Blossomgame was one of the best players the Tigers had over the past few seasons. He almost went pro as a junior, but came back in order to try to help Clemson make the NCAA tournament.
The Tigers failed to do that, but not because of Blossomgame who averaged 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists while being named third-team All-ACC. Blossomgame was selected with the 59th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs.
Top Returner: Shelton Mitchell. Mitchell led the team in assists last season while finishing second in scoring. As a rising junior, this will be Mitchell’s season to shine for the Tigers with the loss of Blossomgame.
Key Freshman: Malik William. William is a 6-foot-7 power forward from Orlando, Fl. He was ranked the 26th best power forward by ESPN and should provide depth and help to the Tigers with the graduation of Blossomgame.
The Lowdown: Last season with Blossomgame, the Tigers finished 17-16 overall, and 12th in the ACC. Though they earned a trip to the NIT, it ended in a first round loss to Oakland. This season, Brad Brownell will be expected to get the Tigers to the NCAA tournament, albeit with less talent.