Now that it's just 73 days to Midnight Madness, it's time to start
considering some of the questions the new season will bring.
Before we do
that, though, a tip o' the hat to a reader who read our article about Florida
State being a possible dark horse and reminded us that FSU also has Alexander
Johnson on board. At about 6-8 and 240, he brings some controversy - he
was not admitted at Georgia, and the SEC in general backed off of him - but he
could be a real force for the 'Noles.
Okay.
- State loses Josh Powell but gains Adam Simons and Illian Evtimov.
Evtimov can run the offense for Sendek, and Simon, whatever else he can do,
is supposed to be a dead-eye shooter. But a 7-0 guy is a bit out of
place behind the line. What to do? And can he help anywhere else yet? And
just how good is Engin Atsur? Can Julius Hodge keep his dissent to himself? - Maryland has an excellent class coming in, but they'll be painfully
young. And how quickly will Steve Blake's greatness become evident by
his absence? He was one of the most underrated players in conference
history. - Is Chris Duhon ready to take over? Last year, you could see him
worrying about his team rather than running it. - Is Luol Deng as good as the buzz says he is?
- Who's going to rebound for UNC? We never really got a feel for Sean
May as a rebounder, but he's their best big man and he'll have to do
it. Otherwise, it's likely to fall to Jawad Williams, David Noel, and
Rashad McCants. All three are very capable, but not exactly huge. - Who will get the first technical in a Duke-UNC game - Krzyzewski or
Williams? - As an aside, here's a proposal for a drinking game: every time Roy
Williams refers to himself in the first person, it's a shot. If he
says "Roy Williams" and "folks," it's two. If he
curses on national TV again, it's drink from the bottle. - How will Tech rebuild the middle? How will that change their
defense? Is Luke Schenscher ready? - Will Pete Gillen survive this season? People are not happy, and
given the nonsense which happened last year, it's hard to blame them. - Can Oliver Purnell get his Clemson team into post-season? NIT maybe?
- Will FSU's defense be among the best in the league? The betting here is
yes. - The temptation is to think that Wake's on the skids without Josh Howard,
but that backcourt...Justin Gray, Taron Downey, and Chris Paul? That's a
pretty potent backcourt. Can Eric Williams stay out of foul trouble?
If he can, those guys can get him the ball. - Will Shavlik Randolph be the player we saw in the early part of the season
before injuries and strength set him back? - Is JJ Redick potentially the best outside shooter in conference
history? He was erratic at times as a freshman, but they all
are. That ACC championship performance was one for the ages. - Could Raymond Felton have an Ernie DiGregorio/Jason Kidd type of a year?
- Will Rashad McCants rediscover his inner warrior? We're betting he's a revelation this season.
- How much UNC basketball will Matt Doherty watch?
- Will Shelden Williams be the dominant shotblocker in the conference?
- Will Sean Dockery rein his offensive game in? If he can curb his
recklessness, the kid has the potential to be one of the great on-ball
defenders in Duke history. - How much will Gary Williams' dry-cleaning bill be?