Around the ACC: Where does Louisville basketball’s frontcourt rank?
By Jacob Lane
Louisville basketball’s frontcourt shows promise.
As the offseason drags on, Louisville basketball fans are getting restless in search of signs of optimism as we (hopefully) inch closer to fall and winter sports resuming on time.
During the lay-off, however, it has given us a chance to take a look around the ACC basketball landscape and dissect what opposing teams have to offer. We’ve already looked at the backcourts of all 15 teams in the ACC, ranking them based on how they stack up against the rest of the competition.
Similarly to 2019-20, this could be a top-heavy season for the ACC. Duke and North Carolina reload once again, Virginia brings back the core of a squad that was the hottest team in the country to finish the season, and Louisville, Florida State, and NC State are among a solid grouping of quasi-top 25 teams.
Outside of the usual suspects, however, there is some roster and coaching turnover that will be interesting to pay attention to. Wake Forest let head coach Danny Manning go well after the season ended, leading to roster turnover and slim pickings on the recruiting trail. Virginia Tech and Pitt both saw their top two players transfer away from the program, and Boston College graduated its top two players.
The ACC is in a transition, especially on the bottom half of the conference, to a group of younger, less familiar up and comers. The blue blood programs are going to continue to bring in day one starters in every recruiting class, but how the middle and bottom of the conference play out goes a long way towards determining strength of schedule and overall competitiveness of the season.
Perhaps the most interesting story will be the frontcourt play across the conference. In a sport that is quickly moving away from big men in any traditional sense, there are a number of teams in the league who have budding stars down low as well as versatile veterans.
While it is still a given that the ACC, like any conference, will continue to feature a lot of spacing and three-point shooting, the play at the four and five spots could ultimately determine who rises to the top in the conference.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at where the ACC backcourts stand in 2020-21, and how Louisville basketball stacks up to the competition.