Changes coming this ACC basketball season

Maryland coach Gary Williams was in the Triangle for a conference a couple of months ago when he summed up the coming ACC basketball season pretty succinctly: "It's going to look a little different, isn't it?"

As usual, there's a heap of incoming freshman talent - but some new faces are on the sidelines looking to mold it.

As usual, Duke and North Carolina will be among the teams to beat - although the defending national champion Blue Devils are decidedly No. 1.

Basketball practice doesn't officially begin until October, but it's never too early for a first look. A team-by-team breakdown will begin on blogs.newsobserver.com/acc now on Monday.

But for now, see the most notable ways the league will look different in 2010-11.

1. New coaches

With 25 percent of last season's head coaches gone, perhaps the ACC should hand out a Preseason Rookie Coach of the Year Award. Or nametags, for the first few games, at least.

In replacing Al Skinner with Cornell's Steve Donahue, Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo said he was also looking to replace the Eagles' banging, Big East system with a more exciting style of play. But it may take a while to get there; BC has only seven scholarship players on its roster.

At Clemson, former Wright State coach Brad Brownell looks to build on a program that has played in the past three NCAA tournaments under Oliver Purnell (who left for DePaul). The Tigers have back everyone except All-ACC forward Trevor Booker and David Potter, who started 30 games last season.

And at Wake Forest, former Colorado coach Jeff Bzdelik has made a career of taking tough jobs. This is no exception. Dino Gaudio was fired despite going 61-31 with two NCAA appearances in three years. And the Deacs have back only one starter, sophomore C.J. Harris.

2. New team at the top

Yes, Duke tied with North Carolina atop last year's All-ACC preseason projections. (And don't the league media still feel a bit queasy about that one, considering UNC's trip to the NIT and the Blue Devils' NCAA championship trophy?) But this will mark the first time since 2005-06 that Duke - which has back Final Four MVP Kyle Singler and five of its top eight players - vaults well above Carolina as the team to beat.

The Devils could open the season No. 1 not just in the league but in the Associated Press poll. That also hasn't happened since '05-06 and should light a fire under the Tar Heels (and the rest of the league).

"I think ... we have the greatest rivalry in college basketball; we both need to be good," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "It didn't bother them that we weren't any good when they were beating the dickens out of us at Cameron. But if we're both really good, I think it helps us."

3. New position to watch

Last season, the ACC was distinctively forward-looking. But with the losses of Wake's Al-Farouq Aminu, UNC's Ed Davis, Clemson's Booker, Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors and Gani Lawal, and Florida State's Solomon Alabi - all chosen in Thursday's NBA Draft - the focus of the league could return to the perimeter.

Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney, last year's leading scorer in the ACC (20.2 ppg), returns as the top point guard in the league, and Duke combo guard Nolan Smith (17.4 ppg) will be a scoring force again, as well. Hokies wing Dorenzo Hudson (15.2 ppg) will be out to prove that his junior season was no fluke.

Add in three new guards at UNC - including wing Harrison Barnes, the top-ranked recruit in the country - super-fast rookie ballhandler Kyrie Irving at Duke, and five-star incoming guards Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown at State, and there should be some entertaining showdowns on the perimeter.

4. Top rookies

The league, according to Scout.com's ratings, boasts seven five-star recruits this season - six of whom will play in the Triangle, and the other (FSU's Ian Miller) who hails from Charlotte.

Earning the top rating doesn't necessarily mean a freshman will automatically make the ACC's All-Rookie team; just ask UNC's John Henson and Clemson's Milton Jennings, who didn't have the instant impact last season that most fans anticipated.

But if you are looking to debate the early candidates for the league's rookie of the year, these seven five-stars are a good place to start:

Harrison Barnes, UNC, G/F

Lorenzo Brown, NCSU, SG

Reggie Bullock, UNC, SG

Ryan Harrow, NCSU, PG

Kyrie Irving, Duke, PG

C.J. Leslie, NCSU, PF

Ian Miller, FSU, PG