This season in the ACC

5 fearless predictions

North Carolina won't run the regular-season table: No team has gone unbeaten since Duke went 16-0 in 1999. Loaded as they are, the Tar Heels won't get through unscathed.

Tyrese Rice of Boston College will lead the league in scoring: The guard from Richmond finished second to Tyler Hansbrough last year. With more depth at Carolina this season, Hansbrough's average might actually drop, while Rice will again have to carry the BC offense.

The ACC will get six teams in the NCAA tournament: North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Miami and Clemson will dance. That's up from four teams a year ago.

Duke will be Duke again this year: In other words, don't look for a third straight early NCAA exit. Deeper, bigger and more experienced, the Blue Devils will advance to the Sweet 16, at least.

The ACC will win the ACC/Big Ten Challenge: It always does.

  

5 sophomores on the rise

Terrence Oglesby (Clemson): Sharp shooter averaged 10.5 points playing just 18 minutes a game last year. A league-high 75 percent of his attempts were 3-pointers.

Josh Southern (Boston College): Came on late last season, scoring in double figures each of the last four games.

Mike Scott (Virginia): Deep Creek graduate should be more comfortable moving from center to his natural position of power forward.

Nolan Smith (Duke): Has been challenging Greg Paulus for the starting point guard spot during preseason.

Maurice Miller (Georgia Tech): Thrown to the wolves as a freshman point guard, Miller should be sharper and less turnover-prone this season.

 

5 on the mend

Solomon Alabi (Florida State): The 7-foot-1 center missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his leg.

Farnold Degand (N.C. State): He started 10 games at point guard before a season-ending knee injury in December.

Bobby Frasor (North Carolina): The former starter returns from a knee injury, giving the Tar Heels enviable depth at point guard.

Tunji Soroye (Virginia): The 6-11 senior played just two games last year because of knee and back injuries. His defense inside was greatly missed.

Brian Zoubek (Duke): The 7-2 junior never fully recovered from a foot injury last season, leaving Duke thin in the post.

  

5 questions to consider

Will small ball work at Maryland? The Terps, depleted in the frontcourt, plan to use four guards at times. That could make them a tough matchup on offense, but what about defense and rebounding?

Will the departure of N.C. State's J.J. Hickson be addition by subtraction? No knock on Hickson, but his one-and-done presence last year seemed to harm fellow big men Tony Costner and Ben McCauley, who slumped from their 2006-07 form.

Will one of Dave Leitao's recruits step up? Leitao's first three U.Va. teams have been built around Pete Gillen's former players. No player he has signed has averaged in double figures in scoring.

Will Greg Paulus keep his job? The Duke point guard is being pushed by sophomore Nolan Smith. Still, it's hard to believe that when the dust settles, Paulus, with 95 career starts, won't be running the show.

Can Leonard Hamilton survive another non-NCAA season? Hamilton has been head man for six of the 10 years Florida State has not made the tournament.

 

5 quotes to consider

"He was a pain in the butt. To me, he was the best point guard."

Maryland's Greivis Vasquez, who said he was glad to see Virginia's Sean Singletary graduate.

"There's no quit, so people always find a way to get back in the game. Our league is a league where you've got to be good in the last five minutes."

Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg on the number of close games in ACC play.

"Expectations? Hmmm. That's a new one."

North Carolina forward Danny Green, talking about sky-high hopes for the Tar Heels this year.

"Kids don't shoot 3s. Our guys - and I scream at 'em all the time - they shoot 4s."

Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio, who says most players won't be affected by moving the 3-point line back a foot to 20 feet, 9 inches.

"It's fun to have freshmen again."

North Carolina coach Roy Williams, who had none on last year's team but added four this year.

  

5 numbers of note

.908 Career free-throw percentage of Miami's Jack McClinton, second in ACC history behind J.J. Redick's .912.

10 Seasons since Florida State has made the NCAA tournament, the longest drought among conference teams.

38.1 Minutes per game played by Boston College's Tyrese Rice last season, most in the ACC.

296 Increase in the number of 3-pointers Duke took last year over its 2006-07 season.

602 Number of points Tyler Hansbrough needs to pass Redick and become the ACC's all-time scoring leader.

  

5 dates to circle

Dec. 3, North Carolina at Michigan State: The marquee game of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge pits two preseason top 10 teams.

Jan. 17, Georgetown at Duke: Super frosh Greg Monroe and Co. visit Cameron Indoor.

Feb. 11, North Carolina at Duke: The first meeting of the annual two-game set usually brings the college basketball world to a halt.

Feb. 18, Virginia Tech at Virginia: The intensity of the Commonwealth clash has been raised since the Hokies joined the ACC.

March 4, North Carolina at Virginia Tech: Cassell Coliseum will be rocking for this late-season visit from the Tar Heels.

  

5 storylines to follow

The South Beach Revival: Miami made the NCAA tournament last year and returns four starters, including All-ACC guard Jack McClinton.

The return of Wake Forest: The Deacons brought in one of the nation's top recruiting classes to go with super sophs James Johnson and Jeff Teague.

The 3-point effect: Which teams, if any, will be hurt by moving the line back? Hint: probably not North Carolina, which scored just 18.8 percent of its points on 3s a year ago, the lowest figure in the country.

The health of Tyler Hansbrough: UNC's title hopes hinge on the health of the national player of the year, who'll miss the first couple weeks with a stress reaction in his leg.

The trio at Tech: Jeff Allen, Malcolm Delaney and A.D. Vassallo form the nucleus of what could be Seth Greenberg's best team.

Ed Miller, 446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com