30 In 30: The ACC

Harrison Barnes gets all the attention in Chapel Hill, but don't be surprised to see John Henson rise above expectations for Tar Heels this season. (Photo courtesy of ESPN)

After a month of attempting to educate everyone (myself inclusive) on the institutions of Division I college basketball attempting to cut down the nets in New Orleans next April, it's time to wrap up the "30 In 30" series with a look at the 12-team (at least temporarily) Atlantic Coast Conference, a league in which two-thirds of the programs have changed coaches within the last four years, before the Big East gets profiled one team at a time leading up to the conference's media day on October 19th.

1) North Carolina - Each time Roy Williams has had all five starters return from the previous season when expectations have reached an all-time high, Carolina has delivered with a national championship. The Tar Heels were the last men standing in 2005 and 2009 under similar circumstances; and with a roster that may be stacked with greater talent than either of the previous two championship teams during Williams' tenure, the "national title or bust" feeling is back in Chapel Hill for the third time in the last eight years. Harrison Barnes comes back for his sophomore season as the favorite for national player of the year honors after a freshman year in which the small forward was a preseason All-American and finished strong following an inconsistent start to the year. Up front, John Henson will again be a double-double per night player as well as a freakishly gifted talent on both sides of the ball; and Tyler Zeller will not only reprise his role as Carolina's leading scorer from a season ago, but also look to replicate the lasting image from the last season in which a Carolina senior named Tyler finished his career when Tyler Hansbrough cut down the nets at Ford Field after defeating Michigan State for the national championship in 2009. Dexter Strickland returns at the shooting guard position while Kendall Marshall runs the point for a full season this year as a sophomore. Marshall has already been considered the best point guard in the nation, and it really is a thing of beauty to see just how well he elevates the play of everyone around him. Williams' bench is still solid, with mainstays such as Justin Watts, Reggie Bullock and Leslie McDonald, all of whom would be starters on mostly any other program in the country. On top of that, pay close attention to 6-9 freshman James McAdoo this season, a player that Roy Williams likens to Marvin Williams, who was instrumental to Carolina's 2005 national championship run as a sixth man. One of the highest rated recruits in the country who almost graduated a year early to join Carolina last year, McAdoo already has the lineage to be successful, as he is the nephew of former NBA scoring champion and Carolina alum Bob McAdoo.

2) Duke - It's not very often that you see the same conference possess the two best teams in the nation, but such is life going into this season. North Carolina returns nearly everyone from last year's team; and even though Mike Krzyzewski loses three starters, the Blue Devils once again return stronger and possibly better than ever. Krzyzewski, who will surpass Bobby Knight early in the season to become the winningest coach in college basketball history, has recruited a gifted point guard to replace the No. 1 overall draft pick with Quinn Cook arriving to replace Kyrie Irving; while Austin Rivers is even better in the backcourt, and could give Harrison Barnes and John Henson of North Carolina a run for their money in ACC Player of the Year voting. Seth Curry is the one incumbent to the backcourt following the departures of Irving and Nolan Smith, and Andre Dawkins is also still around to see his fair share of shots and minutes for a Duke team that was among the class of the nation all season, even through two crushing defeats to St. John's at Madison Square Garden and Arizona in the Sweet 16. The family affair grows even bigger in Durham this season with the arrival of yet another Plumlee brother, as Coach K welcomes 6-11 Marshall into the fold alongside big brothers Miles and Mason. Lost in the shuffle of the Plumlee trinity is 6-11 Ryan Kelly, whose presence on the roster and in the lineup gives Duke an unprecedented four big men who are each capable of dominating a game, something no other school in the country possesses.

3) Florida State - Looking at the Sweet 16 incarnation of the Seminoles, one would be hard pressed to believe that Leonard Hamilton could potentially come back with a better encore this time around after the loss of both Chris Singleton and Derwin Kitchen; but each of the other three starters returns with a reliable supporting cast in Tallahassee as FSU attempts to sandwich themselves in between the top two. Led by big man Bernard James and sharpshooter Michael Snaer, Florida State also brings back role players Okaro White, Lithuanian import Deividas Dulkys and sophomore guard Ian Miller, who could be an underrated sixth man off the bench.

4) Virginia Tech - The same question always comes to mind in Blacksburg after the Hokies' status as perennial bridesmaids every March: Could this finally be the year? Seth Greenberg and company are determined to answer a resounding "Yes!" to that question this year even in the absence of underrated big man Jeff Allen and scoring machine Malcolm Delaney, both of whom graduated last season after the Hokies' latest NIT appearance. After an assist to turnover ratio of over 2:1 as a sophomore, Erick Green comes back to run the point; and his skills will be enhanced with the return of senior Dorenzo Hudson from injuries that limited him to nine games a year ago. Victor Davila remains for the Hokies at the power forward position, and the 6-8 senior has come a long way from when I saw him up close and personal in the 2008 Holiday Festival as a freshman when Virginia Tech defeated St. John's in a game I called on WSJU. Davila, much like Green, will also get help from a familiar face, as senior J.T. Thompson also makes his return after a torn ACL forced him to sacrifice last season.

5) Clemson - In just one year, Brad Brownell took an also-ran Tigers program and showed its fan base and administration that the team could contend after Clemson won a First Four game and advanced into the round of 64. Demontez Stitt and Jerai Grant, who led that Tiger team in scoring, are both no longer around; but Devin Booker returns to lead the Tigers into his junior season, as does 5-9 senior point guard Andre Young. Booker may only stand 6-8, but has already carved out his own legacy in South Carolina after the memorable career of his older brother Trevor. Senior guard Tanner Smith is also back in Brownell's starting lineup, which will also feature forward Milton Jennings after the junior spent his first two campaigns on the bench.

6) Maryland - College Park loses a legend following the retirement of longtime head coach Gary Williams, who will have the court at the Comcast Center named after him, and deservedly so. In his place stands former Texas A&M head man Mark Turgeon, who will have the Terps competing for another ACC championship in time as he starts his maiden voyage in Maryland with the hardest act to follow in Division I college basketball. Turgeon will almost certainly build Maryland into a winner; and he has talented pieces to start right away in his guard trio of Sean Mosley, Pe'Shon Howard and Terrell Stoglin. However, Maryland will be a nine-man rotation this year; and the Terps' inside game is inexperienced to say the least following the departures of Jordan Williams and Dino Gregory among others. Former Lincoln High School standout James Padgett is Maryland's top returning forward, and will team with Haukur Palsson and Berend Weijs in what will be a United Nations frontcourt given the international diversity. Turgeon did secure a glimmer of hope for the future when highly touted recruit Nick Faust upheld his commitment following Williams' retirement.

7) Miami - Lost in the drama surrounding the Hurricanes' football program is the fact that their basketball team may be on the precipice of moving into contention in the ACC after former coach Frank Haith left a talented roster behind as he replaced Mike Anderson at Missouri. The players still on the hardwood in Coral Gables are now being coached by former George Mason boss Jim Larranaga, who finally moves into a BCS program after redefining the terms "mid-major" and "Cinderella" during his illustrious run with the Patriots. Larranaga should have no problem installing the system he executed to perfection at Mason with the roster he now inherits, even with Reggie Johnson missing the first half of the season due to injury. Guards Durand Scott and Malcolm Grant, the former a Rice product and the latter a Villanova transfer, could be all-ACC guards by the time they are through one season with Larranaga. Up front, swingman DeQuan Jones may be a sleeper both on the glass and from mid-range, while big man Julian Gamble will attempt to fill in adequately for Johnson.

8) North Carolina State - NC State is yet another ACC program turning to a new coach, as the Wolfpack welcome former ESPN analyst Mark Gottfried back to the bench as the coach attempts to do what former colleague Steve Lavin accomplished last season at St. John's, and that is go from talking about the NCAA Tournament on ESPN one year to coaching in it the next. Sophomore C.J. Leslie and incoming freshman Tyler Harris comprise a young and promising group of forwards that Gottfried could have on his roster for years to come, while Lorenzo Brown runs the point and sharpshooter Scott Wood serves as a hybrid guard/forward from the wing. If 7-1 Australian import Jordan Vandenberg can increase his productivity on both ends of the ball, NC State could be a sleeper late in the year.

9) Virginia - Tony Bennett enters his third year in Charlottesville with a boom or bust roster to his credit. The Cavaliers get Mike Scott back for the whole season after an ankle injury limited the 6-8 senior forward to just ten games, and Joe Harris returns to anchor the backcourt. Junior Jontel Evans displayed a steady hand at the point last season, and should take both himself and Harris to a higher level this season. KT Harrell and Sammy Zeglinski also return in the backcourt, while seven-footer Assane Sene shores up the middle alongside Scott, who averaged a double-double per game before the aforementioned injury.

10) Georgia Tech - The fourth ACC program to change coaches this season loses Paul Hewitt to George Mason and introduces Brian Gregory from Dayton. Iman Shumpert is gone after the guard was drafted by the New York Knicks, but Glen Rice Jr. is slowly starting to resemble his father on the court, which is a good thing for the Ramblin' Wreck. Brian Oliver is also no longer in Atlanta after transferring to Seton Hall, placing more pressure on sharpshooter Jason Morris after the reserve shot 40 percent from three-point range last season. Big man Daniel Miller was also one of the few bright spots for Georgia Tech a year ago, as the 6-11 sophomore averaged over two blocked shots and one steal per game a year ago.

11) Wake Forest - After an 8-24 campaign that indicated just how far the Demon Deacons had fallen behind the rest of the ACC, Jeff Bzdelik starts the uphill battle back into conference relevance by coming back with three returning starters, including sophomore swingman Travis McKie, who led Wake in scoring and rebounding last season. Junior point guard C.J. Harris can do a little bit of everything, but what Bzdelik and the coaching staff are hoping he does most is improve his ball control after 101 turnovers during his sophomore campaign. Up front, two seven-footers will help Wake win the battle of the boards as Carson Desrosiers and Ty Walker combine to form an effective platoon in the middle alongside former Georgetown transfer Nikita Mescheriakov, who is just effective inside the three-point line as he is outside.

12) Boston College - Steve Donahue picked up quite a lot from the departed Al Skinner when he took over as head coach of the Eagles a year ago. Unfortunately for the former Cornell head man, most of the players he inherited were seniors. This year is where Donahue's ability will be tested; as he will no longer be able to rely on Joe Trapani and Corey Raji up front, nor will he be able to trust former point guard Reggie Jackson in the clutch after all three have graduated. Sophomore guard Danny Rubin will be Donahue's focal point as he makes the jump from sixth-leading scorer last season to team leader this year. Fellow sophomore guard Gabe Moton will also be expected to be a major piece of the offense for a team featuring nine freshmen on its roster.