Hey guys, so with Duke on deck on the football schedule and basketball season right around the corner, I wanted to get a little interest generated in hoops, so I decided to do a quick run-down of the ACC teams:

Boston College (22-12, 9-7 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Joe Trapani, Rakim Sanders, Reggie Jackson

The Skinny: Fresh off an NCAA tournament appearance, the Eagles will have to replace all-world guard Tyrese Rice.  However, they return all four starters besides Rice and Joe Trapani and Rakim Sanders both look to handle the scoring load with Reggie Jackson handling the ball.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 @Michigan, 2/6 Duke, 2/20 UNC

Clemson (23-9, 9-7 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Trevor Booker, Demontez Stitt, Milton Jennings (Fr.)

The Skinny: Oliver Purnell has led his Tigers to the past two NCAA tournaments, but replacing three key starters from those teams, K.C. Rivers, Terrence Oglesby, and Raymond Sykes, will not be an easy task.  Trevor Booker returns as an ACC POY candidate and Demontez Stitt provides some experience in the Clemson backcourt.  Look for freshman Milton Jennings to give some good minutes.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Illinois, 1/3 @Duke, 3/2 Georgia Tech

Duke (30-7, 11-5 NCAA Sweet 16)

Key Players: Kyle Singler, John Scheyer, Nolan Smith

The Skinny: Even with the loss of Gerald Henderson, this Blue Devils squad appears loaded for a tourney run.  Singler, Scheyer and Smith are now all upperclassmen who should be able to mentor the three McDonald’s AA’s from the incoming recruiting class.  Look for freshman Ryan Kelly to be the “go to” guy for the Blue Devils in the paint.

3 BIG GAMES: 1/9 @Clemson, 2/10 @UNC, 3/6 UNC

Florida State (25-10, 10-6 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Solomon Alabi, Ufe Echefu, Michael Snaer (Fr.)

The Skinny: FSU returns almost the entire starting lineup from a year ago.  The problem is the “almost” piece missing is one of the school’s best basketball players ever in Toney Douglas.  Besides Douglas, no Seminole averaged in double figures last year and only two players averaged eight points or better.  Solomon Alabi and Ufe Echefu return to form an experienced front court and superstar freshman Michael Snaer will look to replace some of Douglas’ point production, but the ‘Noles will ultimately need another player to step up if they want to get back to The Dance this year.

Georgia Tech (13-19, 2-14)

Key Players: Iman Shumpert, Gani Lawal, Derrick Favors (Fr.)

The Skinny: The only team to lose more conference games than UVa last year was the Yellow Jackets.  However, few teams enter the 09/10 season with as much confidence as the Ramblin’ Wreck.  Freshamn sensation Iman Shumpert returns along with talented forward Gani Lawal.  D’Andre Bell also returns for the Jackets after spending a year on medical reserve and should provide quality depth to a starting five littered with talent.  Paul Hewitt once again brought in a stellar recruiting class, landing 5-star all-everything Derrick Favors as well as top-100 player Mfon Udofia and Glen Rice Jr.

3 BIG GAMES: 1/9 @Duke, 1/16 @UNC, 3/2 @Clemson

Maryland (21-14, 7-9 NCAA 2nd Round)

Key Players: Grievous Vasquez, Adrian Bowie, Eric Hayes

The Skinny: The Terps return three starters including All-ACC guard Grievous Vasquez.  Adrian Bowie, who came on strong in the ACC and NCAA tournaments last year also returns as well as Eric Hayes, Sean Mosley and Landon Milbourne for the Terps.  This is a key season for Gary Williams and staff.  They have a player in Vasquez who can lead them back to the depths of the NCAA tourney, but is there enough talent surrounding Vasquez to take them there?

3 BIG GAMES: 1/16 @Boston College, 2/7 UNC, 3/3 Duke

Miami (19-13, 7-9 NIT)

Key Players: Dwayne Collins, James Dews, Durand Scott (Fr.)

The Skinny: Frank Haith’s squad looks to find out what life is like without the indispensable Jack McClinton suiting up every night.  McClinton averaged one fourth of his teams total points a year ago, so finding someone to replace him will be easier said than done.  The ‘Canes will also be breaking in two other starters to go along with McClinton’s replacement, as Brian Asbury and Lance Hurdle are also gone.  Even with all the losses from last years team, the ‘Canes were able to sign a top-20 recruiting class including guard Durand Scott and still have some talent left over in forward Dwayne Collins and senior guard James Dews.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Minnesota, 1/26 @Maryland, 2/17 Duke

North Carolina (34-4, 13-3 NCAA National Champs)

Key Players: Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard, Ed Davis

The Skinny: Gone from the Heels’ squad are the two winningest seniors in program history in Tyler Hansbrough and Danny Green.  Also gone are guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington.  The four combined for 66.2 ppg a season ago, and even though Roy Williams once again stuffed his cupboard full of talent, it will be hard to replace what the ’09 team lost.  Returning for the Tar Heels are seniors Deon Thompson, who started all 38 games last year, and Marcus Ginyard returns after a medical redshirt season.  Talented big man Ed Davis also returns and looks to be the primary scorer in the paint.  Freshmen John Henson, Dexter Strickland and twins David and Travis Wear could all make an impact this season for North Carolina.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/2 Mich. St., 12/19 vs. Texas, 3/6 @Duke

N.C. State (16-13, 6-10)

Key Players: Javier Gonzalez, Tracy Smith, DeShawn Painter (Fr.)

The Skinny: The Wolfpack lose three starters from a mediocre ‘09 team.  In Sydney Lowe’s time at N.C. State, he has proven to be a good recruiter and the ‘09 class was no different as he landed two four stars in DeShawn Painter and Richard Howell.  Javier Gonzalez returns and should get most of the minutes at point guard while Tracy Smith provides an experienced post player for the ‘Pack.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/23 @Arizona, 1/16 Clemson, 1/26 UNC

Virginia (10-17, 4-12)

Key Players: Sylven Landesberg, Mike Scott, Jeff Jones

The Skinny: The Hoos are coming off one of their worst years in their basketball program’s history.  New coach Tony Bennett has his work cut out for him in the ‘09/’10 season, but Dave Leitao didn’t leave the cupboard completely bare.  The Cavs return ACC Rookie of the Year Sylven Landesberg as well as talented big man Mike Scott, who will look for more of a feature role in Bennett’s offense.  Bennett was able to bring in the two Leitao commitments in Tristan Spurlock and Jontell Evans, both of whom could provide quality depth for UVa this season.

3 BIG GAMES: 11/24 vs. Stanford, 2/10 @Maryland, 2/28 Duke

Virginia Tech (17-13, 7-9 NIT)

Key Players: Jeff Allen, Malcolm Delaney, J.T. Thompson

The Skinny: The Hokies’ emotional leader from a year ago, A.D. Vassallo, graduated, but Jeff Allen and Malcolm Delaney return for a solid one-two punch for Tech.  However, Virginia Tech will need someone to step up and provide a third scoring option for the Hokies to have a successful season and make it to the NCAA tournament.  Look for junior forward J.T. Thompson to fill that role.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/1 @Iowa, 1/28 @UVA, 2/4 UNC

Wake Forest (24-7, 11-5 NCAA 1st Round)

Key Players: Al-Farouq Aminu, Chas McFarland, L.D. Williams

The Skinny: Dino Gaudio’s hopes of a second straight top-five league finish took a serious hit when underclassmen James Johnson and Jeff Teague left school early for the pros.  On the flip side, the Deacs still return an All-ACC caliber player in Aminu and Gaudio’s recruiting continues to improve as he signed top-50 player Ari Stewart who looks to contribute this year.  Chas Macfarland returns up front for Wake and guard L.D. Williams is also back to provide senior leadership in the backcourt.

3 BIG GAMES: 12/5 @Gonzaga, 1/17 @Duke, 2/27 UNC

I thought I’d take a few minutes this morning to take a tour around the World Wide Web (don’t hear that term much these days …). Here’s what some other folks are talking about in recent entries:

• The bloggers at 7even Win Society are talking about redshirts: Why Plan for 2013 When You Can Go 5-7 in 2009?
• A pair of “from” blogs swapped thoughts on GT and Virginia. From Old Virginia answered questions about the Hoos – Guest Blogger: Zima, Sportscoat, and Wahoo Edition – while From The Rumble Seat talked about the Jackets – Q&A with From The Rumble Seat.
• Dear Old U.Va. has a two-parter up on the non-conference hoops schedule: I and II.
• Blair Capps is exclaiming about Bees on the Official Campus Correspondent Blog.
• ACC Now had a couple of interesting basketball posts up. One is about Coach K respecting UNC. The other is about Bill Guthridge looking back at pre-UNC Roy Williams.
• You know football isn’t what it used to be in Tallahassee when the ScalpEm blog is talking about hoops in October.
• Tar Heel Fan is talking about playing on Thursday night.
• Wake’s Blogger So Dear is looking at ACC basketball.
• And not least … Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel on BCS scheduling.

I thought the blog might be a good place to put some links of interest that don’t really work in the NewsLink model where we update as many regional beat media stories as we can find plus any hidden gems. Or maybe the links are too old to make sense in NewsLink, but we missed it before. Here are some interesting reads for a Thursday evening:

ESPN.com’s Andy Katz: Agents and coaches battle for prospects. Hat tip to dpc1994 for this one, which looks at the changing landscape for men’s basketball, agents, and recruiting. Some ACC coaches are quoted in there.

These articles from the Hindustan Times are a little older, but it’s always good to read about Somdev Devvarman. Super Somdev leads India to elite World Group and A new star is born. A great, great rep of UVa!

This Rivals.com roundtable of answers won’t make a Virginia fan smile, but it does give a peek at what outsiders are thinking about UVa’s situation right now: Which coach will be first to be fired?

And now for a trip around the ACC neighboordhod … Think Maryland and Virginia fans can buy each other drinks Oct. 17? (Turtle Waxing) … a league match-up that I haven’t seen mentioned once on our message boards this week is Wake Forest-Boston College but Blogger So Dear and Eagle in Atlanta have Q&A posts up … Tar Heel fan is talking defense.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a spin around the UVa-related blog world.

I thought I’d start linking some interesting stories from the ACC bloggers out there here on The Good Ol’ Blog. Please provide feedback on whether you like this new blog feature!

• N.C. State is close to hiring a new women’s basketball coach (Section Six).
• Remember the seating and policy woes for UVa this past football season? FSU fans aren’t too happy right now with some possible changes. (Scalp Em)
• Ed Davis is returning to UNC. (TarheelBuckeye) At Wake Forest, so is Al-Farouq Aminu. (Blogger So Dear)

… well, I think you know what probably happened. Same ol’ story: competitive, but not nearly enough.

Just messing around on the NFL’s site, and here are the number of ACC players at the combines by team (all invites were accepted by the conference’s players):

Boston College: 3
Clemson: 6
Florida State: 2
Georgia Tech: 5
Maryland: 6
Miami: 1
North Carolina: 5
NC State: 2
Virginia: 5
Virginia Tech: 2
Wake Forest: 5

So, feel free to be impressed with the Virginia coaching staff’s ability to develop NFL-potential talent while being unimpressed with its ability to win with said talent. Or feel free to conclude that the implosion at the quarterback position derailed what could’ve been a decent season. Or feel free to conclude nothing, since the list above isn’t exactly a perfect correlation for anything.

After a close first half, the #15 ladies blasted some unknown Pennsylvania college for their eighth straight win. They now gear up for their first conference battle by facing Wake on Sunday.

It’s nice to write a blog post about a win by a Virginia program on the rise. Forgot what that felt like.

Just a mind dump ….

– First off, I never expected to win this game. Not when before the season, not while the season was circling the drain, and not while the season was rebounding. What I expected was a classic Virginia road performance: close enough to be competitive, but never in any position to take the lead. Let’s call it Madison style, in honor of Al Groh’s first game.

– Having said that, I was a more than happy to see some fight in this team. They could’ve quit and waited for the game to run out. Instead, they clawed their way back into a position to make things interesting. In fact, if it wasn’t for that interception-turned-touchdown by Wake and that missed chance at a touchdown after Covington’s catch at 1 yard line, this game could’ve ended much differently.

– I think it’s now more than obvious that this defense’s biggest weakness is getting gashed up the middle. A tough, stout D should not be giving 4+ yards through its heart, especially against an unaccomplished running team like Wake. But all season, including during the winning streak, opponents have been able to run almost at will at times into the teeth of the 3-4. Something, anything, needs to done to address this weakness. Maybe cheat up a safety like Glaspy, who apparently doesn’t know how to cover a guy downfield anyway.

– Can we stop with the stupid rollout plays now? Did Mike Groh lose a bet with someone that requires him to call a bunch of destined-to-fail plays where Verica tries to look like Jameel Sewell but either gets sacked or throws a pass for almost no gain to John Phillips? I don’t get it. Marcus has been complaining about attempting to pass to Phillips out of this set for weeks (to no avail), but every single rollout play that I’ve seen attempted — passes, designed runs, whatever — have failed. Just because they worked for Jameel doesn’t mean they’ll work for Marc, no matter how much Whiteout gets dabbed on the playbook over Sewell’s name.

– Verica played okay. Some mistakes, but still some more-than-solid accuracy. If this was an “off day” for him, we might want to start thinking about other places to deploy Sewell next year. I can’t think of any, unfortunately.

– Given how important the Clemson game is now for bowl eligibility purposes, thank goodness of the bye week.

I’m battling back from the stomach flu — which apparently infected the entire team yesterday — and should have some thoughts up soon. In the mean time, do you have any thoughts on the Wake game? Drop me an email at mahini@thesabre.com.

This week, we have the preeminent Wake Forest sports blog stopping through …

1. Wake seemed to be surging earlier in the season, but has stumbled a bit lately. What gives?

Well as you said we have kind of hit a skid. I think part of the reason we started out so strong was because of our Defense. Really the only game our offense was truly successful was the Baylor and Ole Miss games, which were the first two of the season.

A lack of offensive rhythm, in my opinion, is the reason for the lackluster performance of the team in recent weeks.

2. What should the Hoos do to game plan for the Wake Forest offense.

I think UVA would well served if they attacked the Wake o-line with a lot of blitzes. Skinner has been under pressure a lot lately, and the O-line isn’t exactly in tip-top shape.

We really haven’t had a run game all year, so if you can get to Skinner with pressure, chances are you will do quite well.

3. Do you think there’s revenge factor for this week’s game based on the close outcome last year?

Well, I think there that’s always a motivator for the players. Obviously both teams have a lot at stake this week. I think that will be more of a factor than revenge will be for the Deacs, but of course it will be on there minds.

4. Who are the defensive MVPs? How should the Hoos attack the Wake D?

To be honest with you, the Defense has a whole has played absolutely fantastic throughout the season. I think they should all be commended for how well they have played, despite being put in tough situations frequently.

Obviously Alphonso Smith is having quite a year once again, along with our other big name players such as Aaron Curry, Chip Vaughn, Stanley Arnoux, Boo Robinson, and some others. I don’t think you can point to one guy and say “Wow, he is the reason this defense is so good.” The way these guys work together is what makes them so solid, and it’s a pleasure to watch them.