Duke picked # 16 by Rivals

[ACCBBallFan]

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/...146&CID=718831

First time I had seen that proposed lineup of

Paulus-Scheyer-Nelson-Henderson-Lance with Singler not starting.

[Ramblin' Man]

It looks like rivals is trying not to project freshman as starters where possible. They had Hickson as a starter for N.C. State at first but have since taken him out and replaced him with McCauley. But they do mention:

Look for Singler, the No. 5 prospect in the class of 2007, to move into the starting lineup by midseason and make a run at ACC Rookie of the Year.

[JasonEvans]

The race for ACC Rookie of the Year should be an interesting one between Hickson and Singler. Kyle has the advantage of playing a position where there is less competition for minutes versus Hickson playing the one positions where State is already fairly comfortable. That said, State wil find a way to get plenty of minutes and touches for Hickson.

There are a few other guys who may be in the mix.

Gani Lawal at Ga Tech is a stud but plays on the inside, which is where Tech is already loaded. His teammate PG Maurice Miller may be a better candidate as Tech is desperate for someone at PG.

I think Edwin Rios may step in and start right away at PG for Florida State. He's a guy who was ranked much higher earlier in his recruitment and looked like a sure-fire Mickie Dee at one time before his rankings fell a lot his senior season.

On most teams Nolan Smith would figure to have a major role but Duke is so loaded in the backcourt. Still, if one of the other backcourt guys gets injured or really struggles there is no question that Smith has the talent to be a ROY contender if he gets the minutes.

Florida State has minutes available and 7-1 C Solomon Alabi has a ton of potential, but he is probably too raw to be a huge force right away. Beefy PF Julian Vaughn is more ready to contribute. I figure one of those two will see major minutes for FSU.

And then there is Va Tech. They have brought in as full a class of solid recruits as any team in the land. They have 6 recruits and 3 of them are considered top 100 prospects while a couple others are just outside the top 100. I am not sure which of them will step up. but you can bet that one or two will make a real impact. I'd be on the lookout for G Dorenzo Hudson and F Jeff Allen. They played together at the elite Hargrave Military Academy and so they will know each other's games quite well, which may help. It hurts taht Hudson is out academically for the first semester, but he may come on strong when he returns in late December.

For the first time in several years, there is no one at UNC worth a damn among the freshman class... unless redshirt frosh William Graves really surprises a LOT!

--Jason "I am not sure why I bothered with all this in this thread, it just sorta happened" Evans

[jimsumner]

I would be very, very surprised if it takes Singler till midseason to crack the starting lineup. I was thinking more along the lines of about 15 minutes into the first practice.

Hickson may well have to split time at the 4/5 with Costner and McCauley (unless Lowe decides to go with a jumbo lineup), which should diminish his PT and stat line.

[Olympic Fan]

before this turns into yet another debate over the most likely starting lineup (I predict we'll see A LOT of starting lineups through the end of December), let me add another preseason Top 25. The Blue Ribbon Yearbook will be ranking Duke No. 14 (second in the ACC). This is their top 25:

1. North Carolina
2. UCLA
3. Georgetown
4. Tennessee
5. Memphis
6. Michigan State
7. Kansas
8. Louisville
9. Indiana
10. Marquette
11. Kentucky
12. Washington State
13. Oregon
14. Duke
15. Arizona
16. USC
17. NC State
18. Wisconsin
19. Texas
20. Stanford
21. Clemson
22. Gonzaga
23. Syracuse
24. Arkansas
25. Villanova

[SilkyJ]

I would be very, very surprised if it takes Singler till midseason to crack the starting lineup. I was thinking more along the lines of about 15 minutes into the first practice.

Agreed. Especially now that he is up to 220lbs...I recall him being around 200 during his senior year of HS.

[Classof06]

Agreed. Especially now that he is up to 220lbs...I recall him being around 200 during his senior year of HS.

Well, like Lebron, Kyle did play football through his junior year of HS, so I'm sure he isn't a stranger to the weight room. I remember him saying in an interview that he really struggled with the decision to give up football. This kid is tough and that's one of the reasons I'm so excited to see him play for us.

[ACCBBallFan]

I think Edwin Rios may step in and start right away at PG for Florida State. He's a guy who was ranked much higher earlier in his recruitment and looked like a sure-fire Mickie Dee at one time before his rankings fell a lot his senior season.

--Jason "I am not sure why I bothered with all this in this thread, it just sorta happened" Evans

Jason, know what you meant but you accidentally typed FSU instead of Miami for Rios.

[ACCBBallFan]

http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/...146&CID=722270

Rivals' Elite 8 is determined now, just not the order yet:

1-671.01 UNC
2-665 UCLA
3-661 Memphis
4-633 Kansas
5-604 Louisville
7-580 Tenn
8-533 Mich St is #8 on Rivals countdown of top 64
9-504 Indiana

Georgetown who placed 6th overall in average of all the pre-season polls I could find was # 10 on Rivals countdown and USC was #9

10-481 Wash St
11-461 So Cal
12-455.03 Duke
13-452 Marquette
14-403 Stanford
15-349 Oregon
16-344 Texas
17-314 Arizona
18-305.04 NC St
19-295 Gonzaga
20-287 Kentucky

Duke overall was #12 and NC St #18.

It does not appear that the remaining 7 Rivals picks will make a difference in the overall results.

I do not think Miami finishes last in ACC as these results show due mainly to one writer's ACC choices sown after the decimal

UNC ACC 671.01
Duke ACC 455.03
NC St ACC 305.04
GA Tech ACC 175.02
UVA ACC 119.05
Clems ACC 118.06
B C ACC 67.09
MD ACC 55.07
FSU ACC 12.08
VA Tech ACC 1.10
Wake F ACC 0.11
Miami ACC 0.12

http://www.charlotte.com/456/story/74764.html