It's hard to explain this team. We have talent but we don't play smart basketball and that dilutes our talent. With that being said, our best all around player got hurt on January 30th and this team went 7-3 in the ACC after his injury to somehow finish 3rd in the ACC. In the third to last game of the regular season, we were down 14 points at home to a decent Boston College team with 5 minutes left. If we lost, we probably wouldn't have mad the tournament and somehow we came back to win this game and then at North Carolina and at home against VT to finish top 3. So in a year where it feels like we've underachieved, we have actually overachieved without our best all around player.
Starters vary but I"m assuming here are your starters:
Chris Lykes- True freshmen who is around 5'6. He is electrifying on the court. Can shoot, drive, and dish. Will be a legend here. His issue on offense is at times he tries to do too much and forces things and defensively he's a huge liability because of his height.
Jaquan Newton- Senior. Most frustrating player over the years. Was a big time recruit out of Philly. Is very good at driving and finishing but isn't a good shooter and dribbles way too much so he ends up taking a lot of bad shots while stalling the offense. Has been good defensively this year.
Lonnie Walker- True Freshmen. The most talented player we've ever had here in my opinion since Miami basketball came back in the 80's. He's 6'4 with a long wingspan. Super athletic, can finish with both hands, and he's got a good stroke but has been inconsistent this year. He injured his knee before the season so it has taken some time for him to get going. He has had game winning/tying shots against BC and Louisville. At times, he needs to insert himself more in the game because when he's clicking he's unstoppable.
Anthony Lawrence- Really a small forward who plays power forward for us. He can hit the open three. Not a creator but has shown that he can take people off the dribble and finish and he also developed a nice floater. He's an all around player for us who has to defend people much bigger than him but holds his own.
Dwayne Huell- Sophmore who was a big time local recruit who underwhelmed last year. This year he really stepped up his game and was our leading scorer for a while. Hit a funk in the middle of ACC play and has played better lately. He's an athletic big who isn't strong. He has touch and can finish around the rim and can also fly. We need him to step up his game which he is capable of in order to make some noise in the tourney.
Bench- Izundu is a center who can score down low and can rebound but makes a lot of dumb fouls. DJ is a 3 point shooter who on occasion can drive and score but is a huge defensive liability. Wardenburg is a stretch 4. He's a freshmen so is still coming into his own but he can stroke the 3, makes the right basketball play and is a solid defender.
All in all, this team hasn't really blown anyone out in ACC play but hasn't been blown out. They are in every game and they are battle tested. They really struggle against a zone because of their lack of ball movement and inconsistent shooting which makes them inconsistent. If they can move the ball effectively and not play one on one hero ball while picking up their defensive intensity they are capable of making a little noise. They also could very well play a bad game and lose in the first round. Time will tell. Hope this helps.