ACC Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2022-23 season

When it comes to comparing and contrasting ACC Basketball teams, Clemson is the complete opposite of Boston College in that they have a returning reliable frontcourt, versus a backcourt that has a lot of questions. However, there’s currently a question as to the healthy of PJ Hall, the best player from the Tigers last season after averaging 15.5 ppg and 5.8 rpg to lead them.

Hall had offseason surgery on his right knee in July and there’s a hopeful timetable to return around November and potentially not miss any games. But any time there’s a lower-leg injury that a big man has to deal with, it may take them a while before they’re 100%. And Clemson can’t afford that because they don’t have a lot of scoring options. One is power forward Hunter Tyson, who also had health issues but did average 10.0 ppg last season, as well as 10 double-digit scoring games.

Assuming that Hall can avoid missing time and looks like he did last year, then all eyes will be on the completely new backcourt. All three double-digit scoring guards are gone and the lone transfer coming into the program was Brevin Galloway, the 4th-best guard on Boston College (8.3 ppg on 31% shooting). The 5th-year senior is a solid defender and can provide some scoring but he’s best for depth purposes.

Among the guards to watch are sharpshooter Alex Hemenway, redshirt freshman Joshua Beadle and four-star freshman Dillon Hunter. At least two of these guys have to break out and have a big impact to balance out the offense and be competitive in the ACC. Coach Brad Brownell has shown he can make any roster a threat but outside of an injured Hall, there are question marks on where the scoring will come from.