University of Virginia Library

ACC Basketball Strong,
USC Ranked Number 1

Basketball took over the ACC
spotlight last night as seven of the
eight member teams opened their
'69-'70 seasons. Although North
Carolina seems to have lost their
grip on the conference, title hopes
are all but non-existent for many of
the other teams.

The Tar Heels will be defending
their championship without the
services of three regulars for the
past three years. Gone are Bill
Bunting, Rusty Clark, and
"Groovy" Dick Grubar, but head
coach Dean Smith still has All-American
Charlie Scott, thy slick
Lee Dedmon, and a group of highly
talented sophomores who led the
Carolina Freshmen to a second
place finish in the league last year.

Favored to take both ACC and
NCAA championships, South Carolina
will have their whole team back
from last year. Led by
ACC-player-of-the-year John
Roche, the Gamecocks received
every first place vote in a recent
poll taken of conference writers
and sportscasters. Finishing
strongly last year, they have sold
out for all home games this season.
So basketball crazy are they down
in Columbia that last Wednesday
night twelve thousand people paid
two dollars a head to watch an
inter-squad scrimmage between the
Varsity and the Freshmen.

Wake Forest is a surprise pick
for third place in the ACC,
followed by N.C. State, Duke,
Maryland, Clemson, and finally
Virginia.

Losing only starting guard Jerry
Montgomery and little-used Jay
Randall through graduation, the
Demon Deacons shape up to be a
sharp, experienced ball team. Behind
All-ACC guard Charlie Davis
this should be a banner year, their
best in three seasons under head
coach Jack McCloskey.

So much has been said about
Maryland this year that it hardly
merits further discussion. Lefty
Driesell, after three Southern Conference
titles at Davidson, faces a
rebuilding year with the Terps, led
by captain and high-scorer Will
Hetzel. Much like Virginia, they
have given the season up as a
catastrophe and are concentrating
instead on recruiting. More power
to them.

Lacking the services of the
amazing Mr. Vie Bubas, one of the
winningest coaches in collegiate
basketball, Duke will take a long
slide this season after years and
years of national prominence. Under
new coach Bucky Waters the.
Blue Devils will have three returning
starters in Rick Kathermman,
high scorer Randy Denton, and
Dick DeVenzio, 15-13 last season,
they are expected to suffer through
another 50-50 year before returning
to their former greatness.

N.C. State could make their own
breaks this year. Coach Norm
Sloane thinks that the Wolfpack
will be vastly improved over last
year's team. Led by guard Vann
Willford. State will be a more
versatile squad.

Fighting over the scraps will be
Virginia and Clemson. The Cavaliers
have never finished in the first
division of the ACC and neither
have the Tigers. It should be
another one of those years for both
teams.