2007-08 ACC Women's Basketball Preview

The 2007-08 Women's college basketball season is upon us and the ACC has several teams that are capable of making an impact. With six teams playing in the tournament last season, this year will likely be an encore of sorts. Many of the top teams in the ACC will return to the big dance and the ACC might even provide a couple of newcomers. The following is a team by team overview, and they are listed in the order of predicted finish.

North Carolina -- When a team loses a talent like Ivory Latta, the team undergoes a transformation that can go two different directions. Either the team picks up the slack by distributing the loss throughout the team, or they accept the loss as a weakness. The Tarheels are expected to share the loss, and compete once again for a national title. The Heels also lost forward Camille Little who was a key player for the final four team of a year ago.

The Heels so still have the ACC's top forward in Eriana Larkins. This senior will be asked to take on a much heavier load now that Latta is gone, and she should be up to the task. A tough scorer inside as well as outside, Larkins is an preseason favorite for ACC player of the year. The Heels also have a number of other scoring options such as Rashanda McCants and Jessica Breland. Center LaToya Pringle will lead the defense with her shot blocking ability.

The Heels also have a fine freshman class coming in lead by Italee Lucas. Lucas is an energizer bunny that will lay it all on the floor. Once she learns to harness that energy, she will be tough to handle. She will need to work her way into the rotation and contribute early to the Heels for Head Coach Sylvia Hatchel to get the depth that she needs.

North Carolina looks to have another banner season and if the freshmen step up and contribute and the team pulls together, the Heels may be cutting down the nets in 2008.

Maryland -- The Lady Terrapins are a team that has been a mystery all year long. Last season the Terps were expected to be the ACC power house but it just never materialized. A large reason for that was the fact that the fantastic duo of Laura Harper and Crystal Langhorne simply did not get the ball inside enough. Way to many perimeter shots were put up without need, as this powerful inside team went without touches. For the Terps to improve, they must use this inside presence, and feed it often.

The Terps are returning the entire core of a wonderfully talented squad and should be in even better shape with a great freshman class. Particularly incoming freshman Marah Strickland. Strickland is going to be a superstar and has WNBA talent written all over her. Expect her to be in the running for freshman of the year this season.

The upper class loaded Terps will certainly be in the running for ACC and national prominence this season, and if they gel as the did a couple of seasons ago, they just might win it all. They have the talent and the parts but it remains to be seen whether they can put those parts together correctly.

Duke -- What a season Duke had in 2007. First, they come out of nowhere to win every regular season game. Then they flop in the big tournament. Then they change head coaches. Drama was all around in Durham. Fortunately, the drama seems to have settled and the Blue Devils are loaded with some pretty awesome talent. Losing player of the year Lindsey Harding is a tough order for any team to fill, but Duke has done a great job of circling the wagons and reloading. The core of the team will remain the same with a few freshmen mixed in for good measure.

Jasmine Thomas will be a freshman to watch this season as she is an awesome talent. Her performance in the Mcdonalds All Star Game was unreal. She will step in and be a star right away and just might make the Blue Devils forget about Harding. She must show that her defense is as good as her offense to step to the top rung of ACC players, but the sky is the limit for this young lady.

The Blue Devils return several key players and have one of the best freshmen classes in recent memory. There is every reason to believe that Duke will compete for ACC and national honors this season, and if they line everything up right they might just cut down the nets as well.

Florida State -- FSU really grew as a team last year, and the win over Stanford sort of galvanized this team. The top tier of the ACC is clearly UNC, Maryland, and Duke but FSU could crack that group by season's end. Blessed with all the key parts to a national power, the Seminoles will need to use their depth and improve defensively to get there.

The only loss for the Seminoles from 07 is team leader Alicia Gladden. Gladden will be missed primarily on the outside as her defense was key to the Seminole's success. Gladden was one of those rare players that did everything well, and particularly on defense. The Seminoles will try to fill that void with a number of players, and their success in doing so is key. Outside of that the Noles have all the pieces in place to have a fantastic year.

Expect the Seminoles to finish fourth in the ACC, but to do very well in post season play. They should go deep into the NCAA tourney as the young players will then have time to gel and fill some needed gaps. It will be a big year for FSU women's basketball this year.

Georgia Tech -- Four Seniors will lead the way for the Yellow Jackets in 08 and that could mean even bigger success than 07. That is big news in Georgia as the Yellow Jackets got the first NCAA tourney win in team history last year. They will be missing only high scoring guard Stephanie Higgs from last years squad and they have help on the way as well.

The Jackets are a team that will scrap and dig to win, and that is a great formula when you mix in the senior leadership the Jackets have this season. Chioma Nnamaka and Janie Mitchell will lead the Jackets to even bigger success this season as the core of a group of players that will not lay down for anyone. This is a team that you do not want to face come tourney time. They will sneak up on you.

Expect the experience to pay off with a trip to the sweet sixteen this season for the Jackets.

Virginia -- This team is all Monica Wrights and she should have a huge season. She will be the clear leader on a team that is sorely lacking on the inside. Virginia has some freshmen help coming to shore up this area, but they are probably a year away from being a real threat. Aisha Mohammad and Kelly Hartig will be two key players to Virginia's success this season and both will need to step up to the plate to give them the offense they will need in the tough ACC.

Expect this to be an up and down year for the Cavaliers as they adjust to new talent, and a lack of inside presence. They will be vastly improved by season's end and the Cavs should be ready to contend in 09.

Clemson -- Size and experience was the Tiger's problem in 07 and since the young Tigers got a good dose of experience last season they now only suffer from the former. Size is something that cannot be learned, and this will trouble the Tigers again this season. The good part is that they return all of the team that did better than expected in 07 and they will be better.

The Tigers will rely heavily again on freshmen and sophomores and they are loaded with some talented ones. Lele Hardy is one of the best wing players in the league and can play with anyone. She will lead the team, and get help from a number of sources. Clemson will actually have decent depth this year to draw on, which is a benefit that the TIgers are not used to.

Expect Clemson to be up and down throughout the year, but to ultimately secure a bid to the dance. They are quite talented and are still a player or two away from going to far in the tourney.

NC State -- The Wolfpack will be playing this season with inspiration once again from Head Coach Kay Yow, who is coaching in spite of her Cancer and chemotherapy treatments. It is amazing that she is able to do so, and is inspiring to us all. The Wolfpack as a team was hit hard with the loss of six seniors from 07, and they will feel that in 08.

Shayla Fields will be called upon to lead the team with her shooting ability and leadership. This team was absolutely decimated by graduation, and the team will not even resemble the one from 07. Yow is a magician on the defensive end of the floor, so expect her to be competitive. The Wolfpack are in for a long season however.

Expect the Wolfpack to win a few you do not expect due to the defensive presence that Yow demands, but the Wolfpack will not make the Tourney.

Wake Forest -- The Deacons are a team on the rise after returning every single player from 07. They should be improved right away, as the freshmen coming in will contribute. The problem is that Wake was not very good at all last year, and the same team returns. To be fair, the Deacons were a very young team last season, and have a year under their belts. They will show strides this season, but the talent level is very high in ACC country and another tough year is ahead.

Expect the Deacons to waver throughout the season but to show signs of improvement near the end of the year. They will be a much better team in 09.

Boston College -- Boston College is in for a tough year as the Eagles are very young. They have a decent nucleus with Mickel Picco and Ayla Brown providing some punch, but he Eagles simply do not have the players to compete with the upper level of the ACC this season. They will be well coached as always, but I would not expect them to reach the NCAA Tournament this season.

Miami Hurricanes -- The one bright spot for Katie Meiers Hurricanes will be Latoya Drake. Drake is a forward that can step in and have an impact down low on both ends of the floor. The rest of the Hurricanes are a mix of average and newbies that she will have to try to mix together into a team. The Hurricanes are clearly in a rebuilding year.

Virginia Tech -- In a year where the Hokies nearly made the NCAA tourney, 07 was a surprise year for them. 08 is going to very hard on Hokie fans as they will really have only one established scorer. Brittany Cook will have to score in record amounts to give the Hokies a decent chance to compete in the top heavy ACC. They are simply to small and have no depth at all.

The ACC will be a power house in women's basketball yet again this season, so the rest of the country needs to be ready. The talent level is astounding and the ACC should be well represented again in '08.