by Athlon Sports, Special to FOXSports.com

1. North Carolina

Can you say no-brainer? Tar Heels are even more of a favorite than they were last year. Four key pieces of UNC's puzzle — Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green — pondered their NBA futures. But one by one, the pieces for the 2008-09 campaign fell back into place for UNC coach Roy Williams. The trick for the Tar Heels now is to go from preseason No. 1 to postseason No. 1. "Everybody says, 'On paper, you're the best team,'" senior guard Bobby Frasor says. "But the game isn't played on paper."

2. Duke

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All of the attention, and expectations, in the ACC in 2009 will fall on UNC. That's just fine with a certain Tobacco Road neighbor eight miles away, which will return four starters on a team that won 13 ACC games last season. "We think we're going to be a very good basketball team," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says. The key for Duke is to be a very good team in March, where the Blue Devils have stumbled early on in the past two NCAA Tournaments.

3. Miami

The Hurricanes are coming off one of the best seasons in school history and their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2002. But there's an inclination to view Miami's dramatic turnaround as a fluke, according to coach Frank Haith. Those critics may want to reconsider. With their top five scorers returning — including first-team All-ACC guard Jack McClinton — and the addition of heralded recruit DeQuan Jones, the Canes appear well-stocked to flex their muscles near the top of the ACC standings again.

4. Wake Forest

With the top nine scorers returning, including the entire starting lineup, and a three-man recruiting class that ranks among the best in the country, there's a different energy to Wake Forest basketball as coach Dino Gaudio enters his second season. Gaudio believes the Demon Deacons, who were ranked No. 1 in the country as recently as December 2004, can return to the top third of the ACC and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Chris Paul's last game in 2005.

5. Clemson

When Oliver Purnell proclaimed the national title his team's goal entering last season, there was surprise and even a few snickers. No one was chuckling, though, before the NCAA Tournament, when Clemson was being mentioned as a threat to reach the Final Four. The Tigers suffered a first-round upset loss to Villanova, but there's no doubt Purnell has made this program more formidable and more respected entering his sixth season.

6. Virginia Tech

With four of five starters back — including leading scorer A.D. Vassallo — expectations are high in Blacksburg once again. There's no way around it: After barely missing the NCAA Tournament last season, the Hokies should make the field this season. They bring back enough talent that anything less would be a disappointment. The future looks bright for coach Seth Greenberg.

7. Georgia Tech

For a coach who has never been shy about playing a lot of players, Paul Hewitt does not seem overly concerned that he will only have nine scholarship players at his disposal this season. The Yellow Jackets have plenty of questions. If they get the right answers, and the injury bug does not bite, Tech could get by with an eight-man rotation. No matter who plays, the Jackets must improve defensively and on the boards.

8. Maryland

The Terrapins enter the season undermanned and under scrutiny. If coach Gary Williams can will Maryland into NCAA Tournament consideration, it will be one of the more impressive accomplishments of his career. If not, he will be forced to answer questions about the direction of a program that cut down the nets following a national championship in 2002.

9. N.C. State

Coach Sidney Lowe's first team had low expectations and pleasantly surprised. His second squad had high expectations and floundered. What will Act Three look like? The best guess is that the Pack will finish closer to last place than first. There is some talent, but there are also some key questions. The only certainty in Raleigh right now is uncertainty.

10. Boston College

The Eagles will rely on senior guard Tyrese Rice to score (21.0 ppg in 2007-08), but they will also need him to be more of a facilitator of BC's flex offense. Coach Al Skinner expects solid contributions from a seasoned sophomore class and some interesting freshman newcomers, but the fact remains that this is a young group in search of an identity.

11. Florida State

Veterans Toney Douglas, Uche Echefu and Ryan Reid — who have felt the sting of untimely injuries and defections, costly, narrow defeats and the scorn of the NCAA Tournament selection committee — must bring Hamilton's touted six-man signing class up to speed quickly for the Seminoles to improve on last year's finish (a loss in the NIT opener), or better yet, end a 10-year NCAA drought.

12. Virginia

The Cavaliers took a major step back last season. Even with All-ACC guard Sean Singletary returning for his senior season, Virginia plunged to 10th place in the conference. With Singletary no longer around to keep the Cavs in games, and with most of the players from coach Dave Leitao's first two recruiting classes yet to develop, there is little reason for optimism in Charlottesville this year.

Conference Superlatives

Player of the Year: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
Best Defensive Player: Toney Douglas, Florida State
Most Underrated Player: Dwayne Collins, Miami
Newcomer of the Year: Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

All-ACC First Team

Tyler Hansbrough, Sr., C, North Carolina
Ty Lawson, Jr., G, North Carolina
Jack McClinton, Sr., G, Miami
Tyrese Rice, Sr., G, Boston College
Kyle Singler, So., F, Duke

All-ACC Second Team

Wayne Ellington, Jr., G, North Carolina
James Johnson, So., F, Wake Forest
K.C. Rivers, Sr., G, Clemson
Greivis Vasquez, Jr., G, Maryland
A.D. Vassallo, Sr., F, Virginia Tech

All-ACC Third Team

Trevor Booker, Jr., F, Clemson
Toney Douglas, Sr., G, Florida State
Danny Green, Sr., F, North Carolina
Gerald Henderson, Jr., G, Duke
Greg Paulus, Sr., G, Duke

Recruiting Roundup

1. Wake Forest — Three top 50 talents can only help a team already on the rise.
2. North Carolina — Ed Davis and Tyler Zeller deepen an extremely talented frontcourt.
3. Duke — Elliot Williams will help replace DeMarcus Nelson's slashing offensive game.
4. Florida State — Chris Singleton leads one of FSU's best-ever recruiting classes.
5. Clemson — Andre Young is good enough to make the top 100 even at 5'9".
6. Miami — DeQuan Jones is the Canes' highest-ranked signee since Darius Rice.
7. Virginia — Sylven Landesberg put up 29.6 points per game as a prep senior.
8. Georgia Tech — Iman Shumpert is the fifth-highest rated incoming ACC freshman.
9. Maryland — Sean Mosley will be an unassuming but consistent scorer from Day 1.
10. Boston College — Reggie Jackson is versatile and extremely athletic.
11. Virginia Tech — The Hokies strengthened their frontcourt by signing Victor Davila.
12. N.C. State — Julius Mays will be another backcourt option for the Pack.