Duke basketball: Three key returners in the ACC

In preparation for the coming season, The Blue Zone takes a look at three returning players from ACC foes who will make noise this college basketball season.

C.J. Fair, Syracuse

Fair, a 6-foot-8, 215 pound forward, was chosen as the ACC Preseason Player of Year at ACC Media Day earlier this month. A senior, Fair has improved each of his first three seasons. Last year he led the Orange in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. A versatile player on both sides of the court, Fair shot 47.0 percent from the field and 46.9 percent from 3-point range a season ago—though he only attempted 1.6 3-pointers per game. Defensively, Fair and averaged 1.1 steals and blocks per contest, flourishing with his length in head coach Jim Boeheim's two-three zone scheme. He had a tremendous 2013 NCAA Tournament that culminated in a 22 point, six rebound performance in Syracuse's 61-56 loss to Michigan in the Final Four.

With the departures of Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche, the duo that comprised Syracuse's backcourt last season, and forward James Southerland, the Orange have lost their second, third and fourth leading scorers. Considering those losses, Fair will likely be even more of a focal point offensively for Syracuse as they try to incorporate new players like touted freshman point guard Tyler Ennis and former Duke small forward Michael Gbinije. With frontcourt players Rakeem Christmas and Baye Moussa Keita also returning for the Orange, expect Boeheim to take advantage of Fair's versatility even more than he has in the past and ask his senior to step out to the perimeter more to assist an inexperienced backcourt. Fair will also likely be looked to for vocal guidance and leadership much more than he has in the past. In Syracuse's two contests with Duke this season, the Blue Devils will likely focus heavily on defending Fair because of his ability to put up points in bunches. The defensive onus will likely fall on athletic wings Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood.

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Joe Harris, Virginia

Harris, a 6-foot-6, 225 pound guard, should be familiar to Duke fans after torching the Blue Devils and finishing with 36 points in Virginia's upset over Duke last season. He was beaten by the aforementioned Fair by one vote in the ACC Preseason Player of the Year race at ACC media day. This will be the senior's fourth season starting at guard for the Cavaliers and second season as the team's biggest offensive threat. A physical player, Harris averaged 16.3 points per game last season and set career highs in field goal percentage and three point percentage, shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 42.5 percent from long range. He led the team to the quarterfinals of the NIT last season.

Expect Harris to continue expanding his all-around game this season under defensive-minded head coach Tony Bennett. Known as more of a knockdown shooter, Harris was forced to keep defenses honest a season ago by attacking the basket more—he set a career high with 150 free throw attempts. Expect to see a similar number of free throw attempts this season and even more aggressiveness when he takes the ball to the basket. Look for Harris to improve as a facilitator this season to help make the players around him, like returning forward Akil Mitchell, more efficient on the offensive end so that the team can average more than the 64 points per game it did last season. When Virginia comes to Cameron this season, expect the Blue Devils to have revenge on their minds and for Duke to be keyed in defensively. At 6-foot-4, Rasheed Sulaimon gives up significant height to Harris on defense, which may result in Parker and Hood spending the majority of the game defending the Cavaliers' top threat.

Jerian Grant, Notre Dame

Grant is a 6-foot-5, 203 pound guard and the fifth member of the Preseason All-ACC Team, joining Fair, Harris, Parker and Hood. Also a senior, he led the Fighting Irish in points and assists last season, averaging 13.3 points and 5.5 assists per game while shooting 40.6 percent from the floor and 34.4 percent from beyond the arc. Grant's best attributes are his durability, consistent hustle and intangibles—he has averaged more than 36 minutes played per game each of the last two seasons because he epitomizes the ideal team player.

Considering Grant's backcourt mate Eric Atkins is returning, as is guard/forward Pat Connaughton, it is likely that Grant's numbers will not drastically increase this season—though someone will have to pick up the production that Jack Cooley accounted for a season ago. If the Irish are to advance deep into the NCAA Tournament this season, Grant will likely need to improve his efficiency from the field. Switching conferences from the Big East to the ACC will probably help him do so, as will his experience in head coach Mike Brey's offensive system and his familiarity with Notre Dame's other perimeter players—Atkins and Connaughton. Grant will likely be the team's primary perimeter defender and leader while continuing to excel as a facilitator who makes heady basketball decisions, passing and shooting when appropriate to help his team manage games. When Notre Dame plays Duke in South Bend in the conference opener for both teams this season, expect Grant to do a little bit of everything. A savvy veteran, Grant will likely look to play the role that former Maryland Greivis Vasquez did when the Terrapins beat Duke in 2010, balancing facilitating and scoring but taking over towards the end of the game.