ACC Preview: The New-Look ACC Is Stacked

The long wait will soon be over when the first full slate of NCAA basketball games of the 2013-14 season will tip-off on Nov. 8. Some of our favorite players have moved on the ranks of professional athletes, new recruits have been polishing their games in gyms with recognizable logos on the court, and schools have switched conference allegiances. Through a series of conference previews, the BDD crew will do its best to prepare you for the next 4.5 months of collegiate hoops.

Duke freshman Jabari Parker is a big reason why the Blue Devils are a favorite to win the ACC. (bigstory.ap.com)

Favorite: Duke
Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pitt are entering their first season in the ACC, but it is still Duke who is projected to be at the top of the standings. The Blue Devils received 50 first-place votes from ACC media in the preseason poll in large part thanks to freshman Jabari Parker and Mississippi State transfer Rodney Hood. Duke lost Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly, but Quinn Cook will take over at point guard and the Blue Devils have the talent to find themselves in first in the ACC at the end of the season. Go ahead and circle the regular-season finale between UNC and Duke in Durham to possibly decide the conference.



Dark Horse: Virginia
Virginia is ranked No. 24 in the preseason AP poll, yet with the star power of the teams mentioned above, it is quite possible Virginia gets overlooked. Still, the ACC writers have the Cavaliers finishing fourth in the conference, and with four returning starters (most notably the top to scorers from last season, Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell), Virginia could improve on a 23-12 record from a year ago. Virginia gets two key games at home at the end of the season against Notre Dame and Syracuse before ending the year at Maryland. This team seems poised to pull and upset or two at the expense of the conference elite.


Player of the Year: Jabari Parker, Duke
The ACC media picked Syracuse's C.J. Fair, who last year led a very talented team in scoring with 14.5 points per game and added seven rebounds per game. Fair very well may be the best player in the ACC this year, but it's tough to pick against another freshman phenom in Jabari Parker. Remember, Parker was on the cover of Sports Illustrated being called the next LeBron before Andrew Wiggins. Obviously any comparison between LeBron James and a player who has yet to record a minute in college is absurd. Still, it would be no surprise if the 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward burst onto the scene and dominated the ACC this year.  


Coach of the Year: Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
The natural instinct, after looking at who our favorite, player and newcomer of the years are, would be to select Mike Krzyzewski as coach of the year. Then we came across an interesting stat. Coach K has not won ACC Coach of the Year since 2000. That's not a knock on Krzyzewski. He's one of the greatest coaches of all time. Instead, it seems like the media like picking coaches such as Jim Larranaga of Miami and Leonard Hamilton of Florida State who have brought up surprising teams to the top of the conference. That's why if Boeheim can have Syracuse in competition for the ACC crown in the Cuse's first year in the conference, he seems like a strong pick for coach of the year. Also keep an eye on Tony Bennett from Virginia if the Cavaliers make one of those Florida State-like runs in conference play.


Newcomer of the Year:Jabari Parker, Duke
It seems like with many of our previews, the picks for conference player of the year are also newcomers. That's a credit to how strong this freshman class is, and tells you a bit about the culture of college basketball in the one-and-done era. Parker will be dangerous from all over the court and finds a way to score. His teammate, and Mississippi State transfer, Rodney Hood should also make a big impact on the Blue Devils this season and could be in the hunt for this award at the end of the year.

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Duke Lands No. 2 Recruit Jabari Parker

Jabari Parker announced Thursday he will play college ball at Duke. (bleacherreport.com)

Jabari Parker, the No. 2-rated recruit in the ESPN 100 and No. 3 Rivals recruit in the class of 2013, chose Duke Thursday over Michigan State, Florida, Stanford and BYU.

This is a big win for the Blue Devils, as Parker — a 6-foot-8 forward from Simeon Career Academy in Chicago — is the third ESPN 100 recruit to commit to Duke next year. Duke had already landed Matt Jones, guard and No. 36 recruit, and Semi Ojeleye, forward and No. 41.

Coach K has recruited Chicago pretty well in the past, including landing Jon Scheyer, Sean Dockery and Corey Maggette.

Parker will look to fill the shoes of senior Mason Plumlee, who is an early frontrunner for National Player of the Year. He'll have to stay healthy, as he fractured his right ankle over the summer, but if he does, Parker's ceiling is very high, especially with the way Coach K can build talent.

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Jabari Parker To Announce College Choice Dec. 20

Jabari Parker will announce his college choice on Dec. 20. (espn.com)

Jabari Parker, the No. 3 prospect on the 2013 class Rivals 150 list, will let the country know where he will play his college basketball on Dec. 20.

Five schools remain in the race for Parker - Duke, Michigan St., BYU, Florida and Stanford - but Parker's father said he believes Duke and Michigan State have the best chance to land his son. Parker never took an official visit to Stanford, and BYU fans had the most creative recruiting tactic, but this looks to be a three-horse race, with Duke and Michigan State in the lead. Don't doubt a father's instincts.

Any of these schools would love to have the 6-foot-8 Parker on their team, but with both Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly being seniors, Duke might benefit most because they are in need of another forward.

Parker had fluctuated between the No. 1 and No. 2-ranked player with fellow recruit Julius Randle until Andrew Wiggins reclassified from the 2014 class and is now No. 1 in the class of 2013. Neither Randle or Wiggins have made their college decisions.


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BYU Fans Make Viral Video To Bring Jabari Parker To Provo

No. 2-ranked high school recruit Jabari Parker cut his list of possible college choices to five in October. BYU did not make the cut. But that didn't stop some passionate fans to create a video playing off of Psy's "Gangnam Style" called "Parker Style" with the hopes of luring the highly touted recruit to Provo.

The video is pretty good (for a parody song video about a high school athlete) and isn't as cheesy as some we've seen in the past, so the guys deserve credit there.

The biggest question I had was why the main singer wore a BYU football jersey for a video that is recruiting a basketball player. Do they not sell BYU basketball jerseys in Provo?

Parker will probably not wind up in Provo, but at least these fans did their part in the recruiting process.


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Newest Rivals150 Rankings: The Best HS Player Since LeBron No Longer Best In His Class

Jabari Parker (left) and Julius Randal (right) are two of the class of 2013's best talents. (hthoops)

Strong statements have been made about this 2013 college recruiting class. Many are about the depth of the class overall, with another about of the class' elite players.

So with the latest Rivals.com 150 rankings coming out this week, here is who climbed spots, who dropped off and who to watch out for. 

Let's start at the top, where Jabari Parker, the 6'8," 220-pound forward from Chicago, fell from his rank as the No. 1 player in the class. This came as a shock to many, especially after Sports Illustrated dubbed Parker the "best high school basketball player since LeBron James." Like I said, strong statements were made. The dubbed "best recruit" in nearly a decade is no longer the best in his class, which shows how quick we are to label. Parker hasn't even played his senior season yet.

Julius Randal, the 6'9," 240-pound forward from Plano, Texas, has argued SI's claim, as he drove past Parker for the spot as king of the class. Both of these players are great power forward talents — with Randal having a slight height and weight advantage over Parker — that any team would fight to have.

A large exclamation point should come up next to the No. 3 and No. 4 players on this list. Andrew and Aaron Harrison are twins from Fort Bend, Texas. Aaron, a 6'5" shooing guard, is the No. 3-ranked player while his brother Andrew, a 6'5" point guard, is No. 4. Both players have Baylor, Kentucky and Maryland at the top of their wish lists, and bringing the twins in together would be a monumental pickup for any of those programs. Successful twin combos have happened in the past; just look at what the Morris twins did for Bill Self at Kansas two seasons ago. Go a little further back and see what Robin and Brook Lopez accomplished at Stanford. All four players are now in the NBA after helping their college programs succeed nationally.

The 2013 class has been called the most talented since 2007, and is so because of its depth. The top 20 are all five-star recruits, and you have to scroll down to No. 111, Kevin Johnson, before you find the first three-star recruit. Although it's nearly impossible to predict a high school player's future at this point, there should be quite a few future pros high on this list.

If you're looking for player growth, a name you might want to know is Demetrius Jackson, a 6'1" point guard from Indiana, who jumped from No. 70 in the last Rivals rankings to No. 27 this time around. Florida State, Louisville and Notre Dame are among the schools high on his list, but with a jump like this, don't be surprised if others keep calling.

With an entire senior season remaining for all these players, it's hard to tell how the final rankings will end up, regardless of the order, don't expect a lack of talent.


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