{"id":41314,"date":"2023-11-08T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swishappeal.com\/ncaa\/2023\/11\/8\/23951615\/ncaa-acc-women-basketball-va-tech-notre-dame-unc-louisville-fsu-duke-miami-nc-state-clemson-ga-tech"},"modified":"2023-11-08T13:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-11-08T13:00:00","slug":"acc-preview-will-va-tech-notre-dame-or-unc-come-out-on-top","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gamefootballmobileanimeiphone.com\/index.php\/2023\/11\/08\/acc-preview-will-va-tech-notre-dame-or-unc-come-out-on-top\/","title":{"rendered":"ACC preview: Will Va Tech, Notre Dame or UNC come out on top?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n \"NCAA
Viriginia Tech\u2019s Elizabeth Kitley warms up before a 2023 game as head coach Kenny Brooks observes. | Photo by Tom Pennington\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Virginia Tech, last season\u2019s tournament champs, and Notre Dame, last season\u2019s regular season champs, are looking to remain at the top of the conference, while North Carolina and others are aiming to take the crown.<\/p>\n

The landscape of the ACC looks very different than it did last year. With notable commitments and departures from some of the conference\u2019s best players which team will come out on top remains a question. Here is the ACC coaches preseason rankings:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Virginia Tech<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Notre Dame<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. North Carolina<\/li>\n
  4. Louisville<\/li>\n
  5. Florida State<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Duke<\/li>\n
  7. Miami<\/li>\n
  8. NC State<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Syracuse<\/li>\n
  10. Virginia<\/li>\n
  11. Clemson<\/li>\n
  12. Georgia Tech<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Boston College<\/li>\n
  14. Wake Forest<\/a><\/li>\n
  15. Pittsburgh<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Here are our thoughts on where the best teams stand and what tiers the remaining teams are in:<\/p>\n

    \n

    Virginia Tech<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n \"LSU
    \n Photo by Maddie Meyer\/Getty Images<\/cite>
    Virginia Tech\u2019s Georgia Amoore.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    With Elizabeth Kitley\u2019s decision to return for another year, the Hokies are poised to make another ACC championship run. Last season, she averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds per game. Kitley is the cornerstone of this Hokies team, but she\u2019s not alone. Georgia Amoore and Cayla King are both returning, but, for the most part, this team has a lot of transfers and inexperienced players. Six of the players on this roster are freshmen. <\/p>\n

    The biggest question is if this team will go through growing pains or if they can lean on the championship experience of the returners and dominate the regular season.<\/p>\n

    \nNotre Dame<\/strong> <\/h2>\n
    \n \"COLLEGE
    \n Photo by Erica Denhoff\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/cite>
    Notre Dame\u2019s Olivia Miles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Olivia Miles remains the focal point for the Fighting Irish. After suffering a season-ending knee injury at the end of last year, her health and availability is crucial to Notre Dame\u2019s success. With the departure of Dara Mabrey, Sonia Citron and Maddy Westbeld will be especially relied upon to step up.<\/p>\n

    North Carolina<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n \"COLLEGE
    \n Photo by Samuel Lewis\/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/cite>
    North Carolina\u2019s Deja Kelly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Much like the other teams in the conference, the Tar Heels have lost some talent but still have experience to rely upon. Deja Kelly and Alyssa Ustby are returning and will be the leaders of this team once again. Last season, the Tar Heels were the fastest paced team in the conference and were both a top-four offense and defense. Ciera Toomey was a top-five rated recruit in the 2023 class; if she can contribute right away, UNC will remain in contention for the ACC crown.<\/p>\n

    Louisville<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n \"Louisville
    \n Photo by Alika Jenner\/Getty Images<\/cite>
    Louisville\u2019s Olivia Cochran.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The Cardinals probably lost more talent than any other team in the conference. After losing Hailey Van Lith to LSU<\/a> and Morgan Jones, Chrislyn Carr, and Mykasa Robinson to graduation, the Cardinals will be turning to transfers Jayda Curry and Sydney Taylor to carry the torch.<\/p>\n

    Florida State<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n \"Florida
    \n Photo by Megan Briggs\/Getty Images<\/cite>
    Florida State\u2019s Ta\u2019Niya Latson.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The Seminoles will have the ACC scoring leader and the National Freshman of the Year Ta\u2019Niya Latson once again leading them. Even though Latson dealt with injuries at the end of the season, what she was able to do as a freshman was outstanding. There\u2019s no reason to believe she won\u2019t be even better this year. If Latson is healthy, I\u2019m very high on this team.<\/p>\n

    Tier 2: Duke, Miami, NC State<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n
    \n

    \u2014> career-high 28 points on 80% shooting<\/p>\n

    \u2014> 15 3Q points matched Becca Greenwell\u2019s record for most points in the third quarter<\/p>\n

    \u2014> \u201cThat\u2019s what I worked on this off-season is being able to step up into the bigger role that coach has put me into.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/soAnMHhJOm<\/a><\/p>\n

    \u2014 Duke Women\u2019s Basketball (@DukeWBB) November 7, 2023<\/a>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n