ACC Basketball: 10 biggest storylines to watch for 2022-23 season

1. All eyes on Jeremy Roach for Duke

There might not be a returning player in college basketball with more pressure to play well than Jeremy Roach. The junior guard started 45 of 63 games in two seasons, averaging 8.6 ppg and 3.0 apg. The former five-star ball-handler has had his fair share of ups and downs and each year had to be benched due to inconsistent play.

Last season, Wendell Moore became a breakout star, becoming the defacto point guard of the Blue Devils. Roach played more off-ball and focused on scoring, which paid off in the NCAA Tournament, scoring a season-high 19 points against Syracuse in the ACC Basketball Tournament, as well as 15 points versus both Texas Tech and Michigan State in the Big Dance, including a couple of key baskets at the end of the respective games.

Those performances created a belief that Roach is ready to lead Duke’s offense, which once again will be young and filled with five-star freshmen. Guys like Dereck Lively, Kyle Filipowski, and Dariq Whitehead (once he’s healthy), could easily be the leading scorers and best players on the team overall but the most important player may end up being Roach, who if he struggles at times, would force the team to play freshman guard Tyrese Proctor more at point.

New head coach Jon Scheyer may have the most talented team in the ACC and country overall but needs a solid point guard to make it all work. That responsibility now lies with Roach this upcoming season and how he handles it may single-handedly decide the fate of the Blue Devils.