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2018 ACC preview: Notre Dame, Louisville battle for top

By Arielle Chambers

COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw and her team pose for photos after winning the National Championship game between the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on April 1, 2018 at Nationwide Arena. Notre Dame won 61-58. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - APRIL 01: Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Muffet McGraw and her team pose for photos after winning the National Championship game between the Mississippi State Lady Bulldogs and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on April 1, 2018 at Nationwide Arena. Notre Dame won 61-58. (Photo by Adam Lacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Projected finish: 8th

Last year’s record: 20-14, 6-10 ACC

Key returners (last season’s stats):

G- Francesca Pan, 6’1, (Bassano del Grappa, ITALY), JR- 14.3 PPG; 32.6 percent three-point shooter; 2016-17 ACC Freshman of the Year.

G- Kierra Fletcher, 5’9, (Warren, MI), SO- 7.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 78 assists on the season; All-ACC Freshman Team.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images) /

Biggest losses (last season’s stats):

F- Zaire O’Neil, 5’11, (Newark, NJ)- 2018 ACC Sixth Player of the Year; 9.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 20.2 MPG.

Newcomers:

G- Elizabeth Balogun, 6’1, (Lagos, Nigeria), FR – 2017 McDonald’s All American; 2018 Jordan Brand Classic honoree; Naismith Trophy National High School All-American Second Team; 2017 American Family Insurance All-USA Tennessee Girls Basketball First Team.

F- Liz Dixon, 6’5, (Memphis, TN), FR – 2018 McDonald’s All American; 2018 Jordan Brand Classic honoree; USA Tennessee First Team.

G- Kondalia Montgomery, 5’7, (Tacoma, WA), FR- 2018 MVP for her high school’s league; South Ben All-Star Game participant.

F- D’asia Gregg, 6’2, (Florence, SC), FR- 2017 WPDE All Hoop Zone team member; 2016 Florence Morning New All-Area honoree.

G- Lotta-Maj Lahtinen, 5’7, (Helsinki, Finland), FR- U19 Finnish Championship team member (2016); 2017 Basketball Without Broders Global Camp MVP; 2017 Nordic Championship participant.

G- Jasmine Carson, 5’10 (Memphis, TN), FR- 2018 Naismith High School Honorable Mention; Adidas All-American; 17.0 PPG, 3.0 SPG senior season.

Head Coach:

MaChelle Joseph, 16th season

  • Winningest coach in Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball history
  • Overall record: 294-191
  • 10 20+ win seasons
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images) /

Key games:

Nov. 8– Georgia: 2 pm ET

Nov. 29– @  Maryland: 6:30 pm ET; ACC/Big Ten Challenge

Outlook:

Georgia Tech is going to be good this year. The problem is, they’re always good. Good enough to have a winning record and good enough to have a postseason. Last year, they went on to compete in the WNIT during March Madness. The real test will be to see if Georgia Tech can be more than good and finally push the edge and break into the NCAA.

Seven lettered players return for the Yellow Jackets, including four out of five of the starting lineup.  Standout Francesca Pan, who averaged 14.3 PPG last season, will return with Kierra Fletcher by her side.  In addition to the returning starters, Tech will add six new players to the roster, including McDonald’s All-Americans, Elizabeth Balogun and Lix Dixon.  This year’s recruiting class is among the top 10.

Best case scenario:

Georgia Tech is continuing to grow because their freshman standouts are turning into veteran leaders. Because they bring in a strong freshman class and suffer no major losses, Georgia Tech finally makes it into the NCAA Tournament.

Worst case scenario:

Georgia Tech falls to the lower half of the conference. They have glimpses of good moments, but they are still not able to figure out the key to beating the teams in the top tier. They miss post-season by a hair as a result.

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