ACC Preview: Put up your Dukes
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By Jonathan Ganz, CNN/SI
Maryland forward Laron Profit leads a Terps squad eyeing the Final Four.
(Doug Pensigner/Allsport) | |
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Projected Order of Finish
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| Team | Comment |
| 1. Duke * | '97-98 fab frosh a year older,
wiser. |
| 2.
Maryland * | Pieces are in place for Final Four
run. |
| 3. Clemson * | New coach Larry Shyatt inherits vet
team. |
| 4.
North
Carolina * | A rare Tar Heels youth
movement. |
| 5. N.C.
State * | Herb Sendek should Pack for
NCAAs. |
| 6.
Wake
Forest ** | Robert O'Kelley a scoring
machine. |
| 7. Florida
State
| Lost four starters, but have a nice influx of new
talent. |
| 8.
Georgia
Tech | Dion Glover out; Indiana transfer Jason Collier
in. |
| 9.
Virginia | At least Pete Gillen can
recruit. |
*NCAA Tournament lock;
**NCAA Tournament bubble team/NIT
bound. |
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| |
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All-Conference
Team
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Elton Brand , C, 6' 8", Soph., Duke
| | 1997-98 Stats: 13.4 ppg, 7.3
rpg |
|
Ed Cota , G, 6' 1", Jr., North Carolina
| | 1997-98 Stats: 8.1 ppg, 7.4
apg | |
Trajan Langdon , G, 6' 3", Sr., Duke
| | 1997-98 Stats: 14.7 ppg, 39.5%
3-pt | |
Terrell
McIntyre , G, 5' 10", Sr., Clemson
| | 1997-98 Stats: 13.9 ppg, 5.3
apg | |
Laron Profit , F, 6' 5", Sr., Maryland
| | 1997-98 Stats: 15.8 ppg, 5.2
rpg
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Player of the
Year
|
| Elton Brand,
Duke
| | A broken
foot derailed a promising freshman season. Fully healed, Brand
will dominate at both
ends.
| |
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Coach on the Hot
Seat
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Bobby Cremins, Georgia
Tech
18th year, '97-98
record: 19-14 (Lost to Penn State in NIT third round)
| | Cremins has taken Tech to the NCAAs just once in the past
five years. Adding injury to insult, minutes into the new
season's first practice, Cremins lost super-soph SG Dion
Glover to a torn ACL in his left
knee.
| |
|
Newcomer of the
Year |
| Steve Francis, G, 6'3", Jr.,
Maryland
| | A transfer from Allegany J.C.,
Francis has wowed nearly everyone who has shown up in
College Park to play pickup ball over the past few months,
including NBA players such as Chris
Webber.
| |
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Top Three
Storylines
|
| Young and
Restless
| | Duke will start up to four sophomores, including Brand, who
is back to full strength—with something to
prove.
|
| Rebuilding? What's
that?
| | Having lost four players from last season's Final Four
team, UNC faces a reloading year. The longer freshman guard
Ron Curry plays QB for the football team, the longer
suspect soph Max Owens will be on the
floor.
| | Going down
...
| | Things might actually get worse for Virginia (11-19 last
season; 3-13 in conference play). Gillen inherits a team
with just eight players on its preseason roster, none of
whom averaged more than 8 ppg last
year.
|
|
| The Bandwagon |
| N.C.
State |  |
Finally
injury-free
|
| Freedom | | Clemson's Shyatt promises no quick yanks for
shooters
|
| Ramblin'
Wreck |  | At least the football team is
good
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Games to
Watch |
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Maryland at Kentucky, Dec.
12
| | Better visit the water closet before this track meet
starts.
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Kentucky vs. Duke (in East Rutherford, N.J.), Dec.
22
| | Revenge is on the minds of all Duke fans for last season's
loss in the Southeast Regional
final.
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Wake Forest at Utah, Dec.
28
| | The Demon Deacons were shut out from the Big Dance last
season because they lacked quality non-conference wins.
Here's their chance to get
one. |
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