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2008 ACC Basketball Picks & Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The ACC will again be one of the elite conferences in all of college basketball. With programs like Duke and North Carolina, it’s hard not to be, but there are some other teams like the Miami Hurricanes, the Clemson Tigers, and the Wake Forest Demon Deacons that may also make a splash on the national scene. The North Carolina Tarheels are on everyone’s shortlist to win the NCAA Championship, in fact, they are by far the favorites with North Carolina at +200 odds at BetUs.com to win the NCAA tournament, but there are plenty of roadblocks for them this year, including a brutal conference schedule. (predicted finish in the conference provided above each team’s preview)

#1
The team to beat in the ACC, and likely in all of college basketball, are the North Carolina Tarheels. UNC returns the core of their team from a year ago and remain one of the deepest, most talented teams in the country. Head Coach Roy Williams has his job cut out for him. With so many great players on the floor, they’ll need to buy into Williams’s team philosophy and spread the ball around accordingly. Expect North Carolina to end up at the top of the ACC and to be the favorites to run the table in the NCAA tournament.

#2
Duke managed to fly a bit under the radar last year. What would be considered a great year for most programs, making the NCAA tournament and finishing the year ranked number sixteen in the nation was considered by many to be a failure by the Blue Devils. With North Carolina having most of the national coverage coming into the 2008-2009 season, Duke might be able to fly under the radar for a little while longer, but they will be an improved team and they will challenge North Carolina for the top spot in the conference.

#3
North Carolina State’s success was a big surprise to many in the 2007-2008 season, but this year expectations will be high for the Wolfpack. Likely to still be overshadowed by UNC’s dominance, North Carolina State is a team that could start to turn heads in the conference and throughout the college basketball community. This is a team that returns plenty of talent and a second-year coach in Sindney Lowe that has reinvigorated the program. Very good things should be in store for the Wolfpack this year.

#4
One of the better defensive teams in the nation, the Clemson Tigers will be in a position to make some major waves this year in the ACC. Offensively, they still have a lot to improve upon, but they have a solid group returning. Any improvement by this group offensively will make them just that much better. This is a team that didn’t get a lot of credit coming into the 2007-2008 season. After last year’s success they are no longer “sleepers” but they could still sneak up on some of the better teams in the conference.

#5
Maryland has some of the tools to be a good team in the conference, but will need to continue to play great defense. Offensively they lose some firepower from last year but should finish in the top half of the conference.

#6
Miami is a team that could have a big impact on the standings in the conference. They outperformed expectations last year and should do the same again this year.

#7
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are a team to watch in 2008 as they have a solid group returning to the court. There are still more questions than answers for this team, but a few key additions should help them win more games than you might expect.

#8
Wake Forest suffered a big loss with the death of head coach Skip Prosser in the off season. Expect the Demon Deacons to honor his memory with a gutsy season.

#9
One of the younger teams in the ACC is Virginia. It’s hard to predict how well they will perform this year, but talent on the offensive side of the ball isn’t much of a question. On defense there will need to be a sharp learning curve.

#10
Florida State has a very good back court, but may find it more difficult to score with the three-point line moving back this year. Their inside game on offense and defense are a big concern.

#11
Boston College is a well-coached group that should have some mild success in the conference and should pick up some decent non-conference victories. A solid group, they simply don’t have the talent this year to compete at the top of the ACC.

#12
The Virginia Tech Hokies lost several key players and will struggle in their conference schedule. They don’t have anyone to shoot from the perimeter and are probably the weakest all-around defensive team in the conference.

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Written by Steve Janus on November 10, 2008 · Filed Under NCAA Basketball Betting Articles, News & Previews