Big Four face hoop questions

At Duke, fans are Counting Down to the Craziness. At N.C. State, they will Rally in Red. And at North Carolina, it's time, once again, to spend Late Night with Roy Williams.

College basketball practice officially begins this evening, meaning many schools across the country are holding their versions of Midnight Madness (albeit before midnight) events.

For the Big Four, the 2009-10 season is chock full of questions that won't be answered for at least five months: Can UNC repeat as national champion without Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green? Does Duke have enough firepower on the perimeter to return to the Final Four for the first time since 2004? Does N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe have enough talent to keep himself off the chopping block? Can Wake Forest, which will hold an intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 24 (no practice tonight) re-emerge after its March meltdown?

But as the scrimmaging begins -- after the Crazies Choice Awards in Durham, the 3-point contest in Raleigh and the dancing and skits in Chapel Hill -- fans will start looking for answers to questions that will help ultimately determine the success of the teams this season:

DUKE

1. Is the backcourt deep enough?

If Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith and Andre Dawkins stay healthy, the Blue Devils should have one of the ACC's best backcourts. But an injury to just one of those players might force walk-on Jordan Davidson into the rotation, and that would put Duke at a disadvantage.

2. How much zone defense will Duke play?

Kyle Singler said months ago that the Duke coaching staff was trying to figure out ways to incorporate more zone defense. But the fact that more ACC teams are playing taller guys at wing forward will help Duke defend that position and avoid the need to play a lot of zone, so it's more likely that coach Mike Krzyzewski will still rely primarily on man-to-man.

3. Is there a back-to-the-basket scorer on the roster?

Unless 7-foot-1 Brian Zoubek has radically improved, Duke doesn't have a player who's capable of parking on the block and putting up big numbers. But there's a good chance 6-10 freshman Mason Plumlee will operate from the high post or perimeter, allowing Singler to slash into the lane and receive passes for easy baskets.

4. Which freshman will have the biggest impact?

Dawkins will play a major role because he's likely to be the first guard off the bench.

But Mason Plumlee is the freshman Duke is counting on the most. He has excellent passing and ballhandling skills that could help him earn the starting center job. Forward Ryan Kelly probably is destined for a reserve role at times when the Blue Devils need another big guy who can score from the perimeter.

5. Can Singler handle the wing forward position?

Lance Thomas' defensive ability should make the transition from power to wing forward easier on Singler at one end of the floor. On offense, Singler will tap into a slightly different area of his significant skill set. As a power forward, he often used his perimeter skills to pull defenders away from the basket, where they weren't comfortable. Now, when he's playing against smaller guys, he will have a chance to muscle them near the basket. Singler's ability should be diverse enough for him to thrive after making the change.

Ken Tysiac

N.C. STATE

1. Without the top three scorers from last season, who's going to provide the offense?

The offense will work inside out, with junior power forward Tracy Smith as the main option in the middle. Guards Julius Mays and Javi Gonzalez and wing C.J. Williams will be counted on to provide perimeter scoring.

Freshman forwards Richard Howell and DeShawn Painter and senior Dennis Horner will be expected to help Smith, who averaged 13.8 points per game after entering the starting lineup in the last six weeks of the season.

2. Which freshmen will make an impact?

Coach Sidney Lowe signed six players, but guard Lorenzo Brown, the top-rated prospect, went to prep school to work on his academics. Of the five on campus, three -- forwards Howell and Painter and wing Scott Wood -- figure to get the most minutes.

State needs rebounding help and some defensive muscle. Howell and Painter are expected to add both. Wood is a wing forward, but his main role will be as a shooter. Given the amount of zone State will see, there's going to be plenty of opportunity, and likely room, for Wood to hit shots.

3. Is there one point guard or will it be point-guard-by-committee again?

Practice starts with the same three options as last season -- Mays, Gonzalez and senior Farnold Degand. Lowe has consistently praised the leadership ability of Mays, a sophomore, but he hasn't gone so far as to name him the starter.

Gonzalez emerged as the team's best 3-point shooter last season, which means Lowe could use both Mays and Gonzalez in the backcourt together. Degand, who has worked his way in and out of Lowe's doghouse, is also an option at the 2-guard, where Brown was expected to get heavy minutes.

4. Coach Lowe said this season is about progress. What constitutes progress?

Lowe's first three teams went 5-11, 4-12 and 6-10 in the ACC, so there's plenty of room for progress in the win-loss column. The previous two teams did not reach the postseason, so an NIT bid would also qualify as progress.

The record aside, the ability to develop players and a foundation for the program going forward will be the biggest measures of progress, something that hasn't happened in the first three seasons.

5. Is the nonconference schedule more interesting?

Yes and no. After sitting out the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, State is back in the made-for-TV showcase but hosts Northwestern. There are other marquee games, but two of them, Marquette and Arizona, are on the road.

Florida does come to the RBC Center on Jan. 3.

J.P. Giglio

NORTH CAROLINA

1. Who is going to score from the outside?

The Tar Heels lost 88.2 percent of their 3-point scoring from last season's national title team and are hoping someone (or two or three) will emerge as a legitimate outside threat. The best candidates are junior Will Graves, who was suspended for most of last season; freshman Dexter Strickland, who will be competing for a starting position; fifth-year senior Marcus Ginyard, who is known for his defense but has been working on his offense; and sophomore point guard Larry Drew II.

2.Who is going to start?

Senior Deon Thompson returns at one starting forward position, Ed Davis should start at another, and Drew is the only true point guard on the roster. Look for Ginyard to start at either shooting guard or small forward, with Graves, 6-foot-10 John Henson and Strickland competing for the final starting slot, at either shooting guard or small forward.

3. Who is going to back up Drew?

Ballhandling is going to be at a premium, with Ty Lawson and Bobby Frasor gone. Strickland, a combo guard, appears to be the best candidate, although Ginyard -- who has played four different positions during his career -- worked plenty on his ballhandling over the summer, too, just in case.

4. How is Roy Williams going to play so many big men?

One of them -- Henson -- will probably spend a lot of time at the '3,' and coach Roy Williams said Thursday that David and Travis Wear have the ability to play small forward, too. All -- including Thompson, Davis, and sophomore Tyler Zeller -- will be battling for minutes. Might somebody redshirt? Stay tuned.

5. Is Ginyard healthy?

The fifth-year senior says so -- and that's key. After lingering foot problems forced Ginyard to redshirt last season, his leadership and defense will be key to UNC's hopes of trying to advance to a third straight Final Four.

Robbi Pickeral

WAKE FOREST

1. How do you replace point guard Jeff Teague?

With Ish Smith. The senior may not have the scoring prowess of last year's starters -- although he says he has worked on his shot -- but he does have experience. Remember: He started his first two seasons at Wake (and was once projected to be the "next" Chris Paul), making him one of the few point guards in the league this season with starting experience.

2. How do you replace forward James Johnson?

With Al-Farouq Aminu. Expect the sophomore to slide from the post to small forward, giving the Deacons a skyscraper lineup to match the rest of the league. Also expect him to be THE go-to guy in Winston-Salem. Had he gone pro last summer, he probably would have been the first ACC player selected in the NBA Draft. Instead, Wake benefits.

3. Can Dino Gaudio rally?

Athletic director Ron Wellman showed his faith in the coach by announcing a two-year contract extension Wednesday. Now, Gaudio has to regain the fans' faith. Wake's first-round NCAA collapse last season after a 16-0 start still rankles.

4. Can Wake improve from beyond the 3-point arc?

The Deacons made only 32 percent of their 3-pointers last season, second-to-last in the league. Teague, Johnson and Harvey Hale were their top three scorers from behind the arc, and they are gone.

5. Can Chas McFarland finally emerge as a quality contributor?

The senior has started for the last two seasons but has yet to average double figure points. The Deacs need him to score in order to make up for the losses of Teague and Johnson.

Robbi Pickeral

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