It's looking like another interesting year of college basketball in the Triangle
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Cooper Flagg dunks during a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Oct. 27. Photo: Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Perhaps the most hyped freshman in a generation; the return of the ACC's Player of the Year; a follow-up to a remarkable run to the Final Four — the college basketball storylines in the Triangle this year are full of reasons to clear your schedule and make it to a game.
Here's what you need to know about each of the Triangle's three men's ACC schools heading before they all tip off Monday night:
Duke Blue Devils
Jon Scheyer's third team as Duke's coach might be his most talented yet, with a mixture of returning players, transfers and yet another crop of five-star recruits.
But the centerpiece of it all will be Cooper Flagg, a 17-year-old freshman from Maine whom many consider the best incoming recruit since Zion Williamson, Anthony Davis, or Kevin Durant — and a lock to be the first pick in the 2025 NBA draft.
- An expert in a recent ESPN story referred to Flagg as "a basketball savant" and noted his game combines elite size (he's 6'9") and feel (he can both initiate the offense himself or play off the ball).
What else to know:
- Flagg is not the only high-impact recruit. Incoming freshman Khaman Maluach, who is 7'2", will give Duke rim protection that it sorely missed last year. Kon Knueppel has scored at a high rate in Duke's two exhibition games.
- Guard Tyrese Proctor is a rarity in that he's a Duke five-star who has stuck around. The Blue Devils hope to get much more out of the Australian, who's entering his junior year.
No. 7 Duke will give Flagg a chance to play his mother's alma mater Maine in Durham at 7pm.
North Carolina Tar Heels
A lot has been made about how much the Tar Heels will miss Armando Bacot, who after five years finally exhausted his eligibility in college basketball.
- But it's true, this will be about as guard-heavy a UNC team as we have ever seen, with returning ACC Player of the Year R.J. Davis, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble all featuring prominently in the team's offense.
What to watch for:
- While Cooper Flagg might be getting all the pre-season hype, there's a chance that R.J. Davis (now in his fifth season after deciding to return to school) could be the best player in the country. He will have a chance to become the Heels' top scorer of all time.
- When it comes to replacing Bacot, the Tar Heels will have to do it by committee. Many will be looking for Jalen Washington, a 6'10" junior, to take a big leap, but Jae'Lyn Withers and Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin will also have to fill in the gaps.
- The Tar Heels will have to find a reliable second scorer to complement Davis. The team will be hoping that Belmont transfer Cade Tyson can reliably hit threes, that Elliot Cadeau can provide more consistent output on offense and that Seth Trimble might be able to blossom into a scorer — such as his 33-point explosion against Memphis in pre-season.
- Wild cards for UNC this year: The freshman wings of Ian Jackson and Pittsboro native Drake Powell, who both have the talent to be first-round picks.
No. 9 UNC will start its season hosting Elon in Chapel Hill at 9pm on Monday.
N.C. State Wolfpack
How do you follow up one of the most surprising and memorable runs to a Final Four in generations? Kevin Keatts — presumably no longer on the hot seat — will be tasked with finding magic again within this Wolfpack roster.
Task No.1: Replacing the huge impacts that D.J. Horne, D.J. Burns, Casey Morsell and Mohamed Diarra brought last season — especially in the ACC and NCAA tournaments.
What to watch:
- Can returning players Michael O'Connell, Ben Middlebrooks and Jayden Taylor all improve their scoring and grow their roles within the team? All three made key plays in the State's postseason but none of them were the focal point.
- More importantly, though, can the Wolfpack's transfers make a smooth transition into the program? Louisville transfer Brandon Huntley-Hatfield, a 6'10" senior and Dontrez Styles, an athletic forward who has previously played at UNC and Georgetown, will hope to fill in the giant hole left behind by Burns and Diarra.
- And can the team's newcomers replace the large amount of scoring that both D.J.s provided last year? Transfer Marcus Hill was a prolific scorer at Bowling Green (averaging more than 20 points a game) but can he do that in the ACC? And Louisville transfer Mike James showed the ability to score in bunches last season, but will he be able to do it consistently in Raleigh?
N.C. State will tip off its season on Monday at 7pm in Raleigh against USC Upstate.
