The 2009-2010 basketball season is slowly drawing closer. Every Tuesday and Thursday this fall, Crazie Talk will preview each of the twelve ACC teams in order of conference standings – from the bottom up.

Today, we’ll take a look at the Miami Hurricanes.

Photo courtesy of DukeBluePlanet.com

2008-2009 Record: 19-13 (7-9 in ACC)

Postseason Record: (0-1 in ACC Tournament, 1-1 in NIT)

Projected Starting Lineup: James Dews (Sr.), Durand Scott (Fr.), Adrian Thomas, (RSr.) Dwayne Collins (Sr.), Cyrus McGowan (Sr.)

Returning:

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Departing:

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Incoming:

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The Good: Durand Scott is by far Miami’s only legitimate recruit, having garnered a 5-star prospect rating from rivals.  Scott is an athletic shooting guard with an innate ability to get the basketball inside the bucket, particularly when he gets inside the paint.   He has the capability to start as a freshman, but much of this is due to the fact that Miami lacks experience at guard.  His scoring ability, while potent, lacks a solid foundation and consistency that is crucial to succeeding against faster, stronger, and smarter ACC defenses.  He has a very awkward jump shot, and he needs to work on extending his range.  He also struggles with creating his own shot, an area he will need to improve upon considering miami’s lack of a true scoring threat.  Overall, Scott reminds me a lot of a young Gerald Henderson- an athletic swingman has the potential to grow into a premier threat.

The Bad:  This isn’t football.  This team simply doesn’t have a the true scoring threat that they had last year in Jack McClinton.  Without McClinton and his 20 PPG, they will rely heavily on Durand Scott to provide an offensive spark from the guard position.  In addition, this team is incredibly inexperienced, a trait which will inevitably be exposed later on in the season.   Their backcourt, which is spearheaded by the combo of senior James Dews and freshman Durand Scott, does not contain a seasoned play-maker who can truly run the point.   In a conference as competitive as the ACC, having an excellent point guard who can bring the ball up and run an offense is key to any team that wants to be successful (unless your team is coached by Mike Krzyzewski).

The Crazie: While Miami will not be a major contender this year, this club will always be a threat .  Durand Scott, paired with Dwayne Collins, should provide a volatile offensive arsenal whose inconsistency can both help and hurt the team.   In games where both scorers are locked in, this team’s athleticism should prove a difficult hurdle to overcome for teams who lack quickness.   The Blue Devils need to watch out for their 2/17 game down in Miami- this team, while inexperienced, could definitely take a cheap one from Duke.

We Love to Hate… Dwayne Collins. Self explanatory.

The Bottom Line: Look for Miami to finish somewhere in the bottom 3 of the ACC.  Let’s face it- this team just doesn’t have the experience or consistency to contend in a conference as tough as ours.   Miami should have a tough time making it to the tournament, so look for this team to contend for the NIT.

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Crazie Talk’s ACC Rundowns:

Georgia Tech | Virginia | NC State | Virginia Tech | Miami (FL) | Maryland
Boston College | Clemson | Florida State | Wake Forest | North Carolina | Duke