As Duke was conducting its unprecedented 19-0 romp through the ACC regular season and conference tournament last year, the prevailing opinion was the leagues eight teams were simply too young to give the Blue Devils a proper challenge. Other than Duke, only one other ACC school, North Carolina, boasted an RPI within the nation's top-39.
One year later, the rest of the ACC have certainly improved, but whether they gained any ground on the Blue Devils, who graduated just one reserve while adding the nations No.1 recruiting class, remains to be seen. Teams are certainly more confident, however, and coaches both new and old have repeatedly voiced their determination to not let Duke one more slice through the rest of the league like a buzzsaw.
The issue at hand is not simply pride, but rather postseason opportunity. According to coaches around the conference, Duke's dominance limits what success the rest of the conference can achieve.
"It's good for one team but not for anyone else, because the more balance the more teams you're going to get into the Tournament," North Carolina head coach Sylvia Hatchell said. "As far as this year, I think the league will be stronger, without a doubt. Now, will teams be able to knock Duke off? We'll just have to wait and see."
MiddleTier
Four teams have a realistic chance at taking out the Blue Devils: North Carolina, Virginia, North Carolina State and Clemson. Each squad can field the athletes to compete with Duke, athletes whose with long memories concerning Duke's dominance in 2001-2002.
The Tar Heels should be able to mount the sternest challenge, particularly if its returning players make the leap forward that their coach expects of them.
The player most well-known to the rest of the league is probably Coretta Brown, a talented wing player who averaged 17.1 points per game last season. The 5-foot-8 Brown plays bigger than her height, due mostly to her impressive strength; the off-guard boasts an impressive 160-pound bench press.
Brown's accomplishments notwithstanding, North Carolina's most important weapon, particularly when matching up against the Blue Devils could very well be center Candace Sutton. Sutton has not athletic equal within the conference, and possibly not even the country. At 6-6 she towers over most defenders and boasts a lean, athletic frame. She can run, jump and move laterally extremely well for a player her size.
As a sophomore last season Sutton averaged a respectable 12 points and 6 rebounds a game. But so often, she appeared on the verge of the spectacular, sometimes missing repeatedly from point-blank range. After attending the nationally famous camp held by Pete Newel for post players over the summer, Sutton could very well break out and dominate.
Complementing the impressive duo of Sutton and Brown are sophomore point guard Leah Metcalf and freshman La'Tangela Atkinson. Both are terrific athletes, and the Tar Heels are so high on the incoming Atkinson that they are predicting she will easily be one of the best to every wear Carolina Blue.
North Carolina's confidence matches its talent, particularly since the Tar Heels nearly defeated Duke in the 2002 ACC Championship final.
"We blew it, we had a 12-point lead," Hatchell recalled wryly. "We learned something from that. I look at that game and I think 'what does Carolina need to do?' [Develop] consistency."
The other three teams won't be able to match the Blue Devils' or Tar Heels' wealth of talent, but do possess impressive weapons. Virginia boasts Brandi Teamer, who last year emerged as the best low post forward in the ACC even though she was just a freshman. The sophomore is a good bet retain her 2002 conference rebounding title and improve upon her 14.3 points per game scoring average.
Whether or not the rest of the Cavaliers can follow Teamer's example remains to be seen. Virginia coach Debbie Ryan has guided teams to the Final Four in years past, and should be a safe bet to take the Cavaliers higher than last year's RPI ranking of 39th.
N.C. State struggled to just a 14-15 record last year, mainly because of crippling injuries to star players Terah James and Carisse Moody. Fresh off a summer induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Wolfpack coach Kay Yow is brimming with confidence.
"We have a great blend of experience and youth," Yow said. "We're at a good point in blending the two. We're not too young, and not just older and experienced. The younger players bring an enthusiasm that everybody has when you start something, and the older players bring that experience with them that we have to have. When you blend those two together every day in practice, you can get the best."
Clemson fought hard last season to finish in a tie with Virginia for third place in the conference. Although a perennially hard working team, Clemson hasn't been able to rise over the conference's dominant programs Duke and UNC. The Tigers will feature Chrissy Floyd, the conference's second leading scorer last season at 18.2 points per game.
"This league's going to be as competitive as it's been maybe in my sixteen years in the league now, from top to bottom," Clemson coach Jim Davis said. "I don't think there's an easy win, a gimme win in the whole conference. There will be 16 games that Clemson will be involved in, and any game can go either way."
Bottom Tier
Leading the ACC's second wave will most likely be Maryland and Georgia Tech. New head coach Brenda Frese is the reigning Associated Press coach of the year after leading Minnesota to a 22-8 record in her first year with the team. The feat was all the more impressive because the Gophers were just one season removed from a dismal 8-20 showing.
Frese will bring tenacity and competitive fire to the Terrapins who slumped badly last season with to an eight place finish.
"Coach Frese brings a lot of energy, she's very motivational," Terrapin guard Renneika Razor said. "She has an uptempo style, and that really fits us."
The Yellow Jackets will be more experienced then Maryland, especially with senior center Sonja Mallory leading the way. Georgia Tech will also try to implement a frantic style of play, the currently en vogue mindset of the conference, particularly after Duke's success last season.
"We want to use the entire court defensively," head coach Agnus Berenato said. "If there's a miss we will always want someone on the ball. We have certain presses after dead balls, free throws, etc. And we want to run the ball offensively as well. We'd like to score in the first six seconds, if at all possible."
Wake Forest, Florida State round out the conference's bottom tier. Each believes itself to be a possible upset threat for the league's prominent programs.
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