2017-18 ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Preseason Edition
Teams 7-9
Results against UNC: 0-1, Lost 96-83 at North Carolina
Biggest Loss: Jonathan Isaac, left early for the NBA Draft. Dwayne Bacon and Xavier Rathan-Mayes are two other former Seminoles who could’ve made this list, but I chose Isaac because of the intangibles he brought to the team.
At 6-foot-10, Isaac presented matchup problems on both ends of the court where he led the team in blocks and rebounds and was second on the team in three-point percentage. Of course, all those things were also enticing to NBA teams which is why he went sixth overall to the Orlando Magic.
Top Returner: Terance Mann. Mann did a little bit of everything for the Seminoles and will be a key contributor again this season. Mann finished with 8.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 rebounds for Florida State last year.
Key Freshman: M.J. Walker. Walker is a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who should help the Seminoles compensate for the loss of both Bacon and Rathan-Mayes. ESPN rated Walker as a top-100 player and the No. 5 shooting guard.
The Lowdown: Florida State broke out last season and finished second in the ACC. With the big losses, Leonard Hamilton will have his work cut out for him to repeat that success, though he does have another good class to help him out this year.
Results against UNC: 1-1, Lost 65-41 at North Carolina, Won 53-43 at Virginia
Biggest Loss: Marial Shayok, transferred to Iowa State. With the graduation of London Perrantes, the transfer of Shayok was a major blow for the Cavs as Shayok was second on the team in points last season.
Top Returner: Kyle Guy. Guy really came on strong late last season for the Cavaliers, having three of his best games in the last few weeks of the season. Guy finished with 7.5 points per game while shooting 49.5 percent from three-point range. He will be the main guy for Virginia this year.
Key Freshman: Marco Anthony. Anthony averaged 25.5 points and 10.2 rebounds in 32 games last season for Holmes High School. With the loss of Perrantes and Shayok, Anthony could have a big role this year for the Cavaliers.
The Lowdown: The Cavs play stellar defense and score efficiently. I don’t see that changing for Tony Bennett’s team this season, though the losses suffered may keep his team lower than most are accustomed to with this squad.
Results against UNC: 0-1, Lost 91-72 at North Carolina
Biggest Loss: Zach LeDay, graduated. Leday was one of the top players for a Virginia Tech team that made the NCAA tournament last season. LeDay led the team in points, rebounds, and blocks. He also received All-ACC honorable mention.
Top Returner: Chris Clarke. Luckily for the Hokies, they have a similar guy returning to Blacksburg this season. Clarke returns as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. He had the same number of rebounds per game and a higher assist rate and field goal percentage than LeDay.
Key Freshman: Nickeil Alexander-Walker. In 32 games for Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, Alexander-Walker averaged 16.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.2 steals per game.
As ESPN’s third-ranked shooting guard, he should be a big addition to the Hokies, who lost former guard Seth Allen.
The Lowdown: Under Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech has been a much more competitive team. The losses of LeDay and Allen will hurt, but with two top-100 players coming in this year, the Hokies should have a chance to return to the NCAA tournament.