Duke should coast to ACC title in 2010-2011
Is the ACC Duke’s to win again in 2010-2011? It appears so.
ESPN.com’s Andy Katz revealed his preseason top 25 and unsurprisingly, the Blue Devils found themselves at No. 1. The defending national champions return four of their five starters, including dynamic scorers Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith. Singler was thought to be a lock to leave for the NBA Draft following Duke’s title run, but made the surprising decision to return to Durham for a shot to defend the crown.
Additionally, forward Mason Plumlee is expected to have a breakout season for the Blue Devils. Easily the most talented and athletically gifted player on the team, he was just a role player last season but should be a force if he develops as expected. And incoming freshman Kyle Irving was one of the most highly-touted players in America, a dynamic point guard who can do it all. But the story isn’t just about Duke’s greatness; it’s about the ACC’s lack of contenders. The only other ACC team in Katz’ top 20 is North Carolina, which faces major turnover following the losses of Ed Davis, Deon Thompson, Marcus Ginyard and the Wear twins. The Tar Heels add Harrison Barnes, the top prospect in the nation and the likely No. 1 pick in next year’s draft, but this is still a very young, inexperienced team with no proven player to carry them.
Virginia Tech and North Carolina State could make some noise, but no one expects them to play with the type of consistency needed to win a championship. As a result, it looks like it will be another banner or two for Duke this season.
Sunday, July 4, 2010 at 12:35 pm by Raj Sethi
Tags: acc tournament news, acc tournament schedule, acc tournament tickets, duke blue devils
