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

By Tristan Freeman

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 27: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts in the first half of their Sweet Sixteen game against the Houston Cougars in the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 27, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 27: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts in the first half of their Sweet Sixteen game against the Houston Cougars in the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Hinkle Fieldhouse on March 27, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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ACC Basketball Virginia Cavaliers (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

9. Can Virginia get better despite returning everyone?

The Cavaliers missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013 last season. And while an argument could be made that the collective weakness of the ACC hurt their odds, the Cavaliers also lost to both Navy and James Madison at home in the non-conference.

They do return the top six players from its rotation, including leading scorer Jayden Gardner and the backcourt duo of Reece Beekman and Kihei Clark. The defense will remain strong and there’s plenty of experience with this group.

But there are issues. The frontcourt doesn’t space the floor, while the backcourt is small when Clark is on the court. And the team’s starting wing and best shooter (Armaan Franklin), shot under 40% from the field. And while Beekman has been viewed as a “breakout candidate”, it’s hard to see his numbers get much better, considering the limited amount of possessions the team has based on their style of play.

Virginia does have several newcomers that could make an impact, led by Ohio transfer forward, Ben Vander Plas. He’s a 6’8 versatile frontcourt player that can shoot from deep and is a double-digit scorer. Can he play the three-spot or do he and Gardner have to split minutes? And among the freshmen class are Leon Bond and Isaac McKneely, a pair of shooting guards that should vie for minutes as well.

With head coach Tony Bennett around, you can expect Virginia to get back in the NCAA Tournament mix. However, it’s a bunch of pieces that may not fit well with one another so it’s trickier than expected. Let’s see what the new lineups look like.