College Basketball 2011-12: MVPs of Every ACC Team

2011-12 will be an interesting season for the ACC top to bottom.

It has been a long time since so many teams were heading into a new year searching for their next "go-to" guy.

But, one thing that time has told: The teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference are talented and end up being some of the best in the country.

Here is a ranking of the potential most valuable players of every ACC team for the upcoming season.

Ryan Anderson: Boston College

It will be hard for Boston College to duplicate their record (21-13, 9-7 ACC) from a year ago.

The reason why is that their top five scorers and rebounders from last year's team were all seniors.

That means that the Eagles are going to be putting a completely new starting five on the floor when the 2011-12 season begins this fall.

Second-year head coach Steve Donahue will field a team comprised of one graduate student, one senior, one junior, two sophomores and eight freshmen.

The best player on the BC team very well could be incoming freshman Ryan Anderson from Long Beach, California.

Anderson is a 4-star power forward who loves to face the basket and spot up.

He was the 2011 California Gatorade Player of the Year.

Michael Snaer: Florida State

If Michael Snaer starts next season anything like he finished 2010-11, the Seminoles are in good shape.

Snaer was lethal in March, hitting a truck-load of big shots that helped FSU come within a point of making it to the Elite Eight.

Snaer has averaged 8.8 points per game in both of his first two seasons in Tallahassee.

As a junior, he will need to step up into a team leadership role, especially with the departures of Chris Singleton and Derwin Kitchen.

There's little doubt that FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton will get everything he can out of this California native.

Joe Harris: Virginia

Third-year head coach Tony Bennett has had a challenging beginning to his coaching career at Virginia, going 31-31 in his first two seasons.

He will depend significantly in this upcoming season on Joe Harris, who may be one of the best pure shooters in the ACC this coming season.

Last year, as a freshman, Harris, a 6'6" wing, led the Cavaliers (16-15, 7-9 ACC) in three-pointers with 65.

That ranked as the second-highest total by a first-year player in UVa history and his 41.7 percent accuracy from beyond the arc was the best by an ACC freshman since 2000.

Harris, who averaged 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 2010-11, looks to improve in all areas. 

Dorian Finney-Smith: Virginia Tech

Is 2011-12 the year the Virginia Tech men's basketball program can break the curse?

For the last four years, VT has been snubbed by the NCAA tournament selection committee, even though they have averaged 22 wins per season.

Dorian Finney-Smith should make an immediate impact for Seth Greenberg's Hokies (22-12, 9-7 ACC).

ESPN.com has him listed as the No. 4 small forward in the 2011 recruiting class.

He is an excellent outside/inside player with a very good handle.

If DFS stays in Blacksburg all four years, he could become one of Virginia Tech's all-time best players.

Glen Rice Jr.: Georgia Tech

With Iman Shumpert's departure for the NBA, Glen Rice Jr.'s role will change considerably going into this season.

Rather than being the No. 2 man in scoring (12.8), rebounding (5.6) and assists (2.5), Rice Jr. will be the featured player on the floor for the Yellow Jackets (13-18, 5-11 ACC) starting this fall.

Even though he very capably filled the role of "point forward" in 2010-11, Rice Jr. may need to be a little more assertive when it comes to looking for and taking his shot as Georgia Tech looks to get back on track. 

Andre Young: Clemson

Second-year head coach Brad Brownell is looking to keep the Clemson Tigers in the top end of the ACC in 2011-12.

He will rely heavily on Andre Young, the top returning scorer (11.1 points per game) for the Clemson Tigers (22-12, 9-7 ACC).

At 5'9", Young is a fearless three-point shooter (39.6 percent in 2010-11) who also led the Tigers in steals in both his sophomore and junior seasons.

Young has posted a career 2.01 assist-to-turnover ratio, third-best in school history.

Terrell Stoglin: Maryland

New Terrrapins coach Mark Turgeon is glad to have a guard like Terrell Stoglin in his backcourt as he starts his tenure in College Park.

Stoglin averaged 11.4 points and 3.3 assists per game as a freshman. He is more of a scoring point than a pass-first floor leader.

Stoglin overcomes his size limitations with toughness and athleticism.

Malcolm Grant: Miami

New Hurricane head coach Jim Larranaga hopes that Malcolm Grant has saved his best ball for his senior season.

Miami (21-15, 6-10 ACC) relies a lot on the Brooklyn-born guard who averaged a team-high 14.8 points, team-high 3.2 assists and 1.8 rebounds per game.

Grant was the ACC's leader in three-point field-goal percentage (42.3), free-throw percentage (85.3) and three-point field goals per game (6.2).

C.J. Leslie: North Carolina State

C.J. Leslie had a fantastic freshman season and NC State's first-year head coach Mark Gottfried and the Wolfpack faithful are excited to see what he will bring in the upcoming season.

Leslie was named to the ACC All-Freshman team, finishing second on (NC State 15-16, 5-11 ACC) in scoring per game (11.0) and led the Pack in rebounding (7.2).

As good as Leslie was in his first year of college ball, he will need to take his game to the next level if the Wolfpack are going to jump up in the conference standings.

Travis McKie: Wake Forest

Second-year Wake Forest head coach Jeff Bzdelik is doing everything he can to put the 2010-11 season (8-24, 1-15 ACC) behind him.

This was the worst season for men's hoops since the mid-'80s.

Freshman forward Travis McKie was one of the few bright spots for Demon Deacon basketball last year.

Starting all 32 of Wake Forest's games, McKie led the Deacons in scoring per game (13.0) and rebounding (7.7), becoming only the 10th freshman in ACC history to pull off this accomplishment.

He was selected as a Freshman All-American by CollegeInsider.com.

If this upcoming season is going to be any different for Wake Forest, McKie will not only have to repeat his outstanding performance of last year, but to elevate his game to a higher level.

Austin Rivers: Duke

Just like last year, the best Duke Blue Devil player that Coach K puts on the court will be an incoming freshman.

Last year, it was Kyrie Irving.

This year, it will be Austin Rivers, son of Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

Duke's current run of 16 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances is not in jeopardy, but it will be interesting to see how the Blue Devils perform after losing three NBA draftees (Irving, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler).

Having a player of Rivers' caliber on the court sure does help.

Austin Rivers was named the 2011 Naismith National Prep Player of the Year and rated the No. 1 in the country by Rivals.com.

On the offensive end, Rivers can do it all. He has NBA three-point range, a nice mid-range game, and can take it to the rim in traffic.

Even when other teams focus on him, Rivers will be able to produce.

Harrison Barnes: North Carolina

Harrison Barnes will be the most valuable player on the best team in the ACC in 2011-12.

Last year, Barnes was named a preseason All-American by the AP. He is the first freshman to ever receive this honor.

After a less than spectacular start to a widely watched beginning to his UNC career, Barnes turned it on in the second half of his freshman season to tie Tyler Zeller for being the Tar Heels' leading scorer (15.7 points per game).

In UNC's nine games in March, Barnes scored 20 points per game, including 40 points versus Clemson in an ACC tournament game (the record for points by a freshman in the conference's postseason tourney).

Barnes' return to Chapel Hill, along with frontcourt mates Zeller and John Henson, will likely place Roy Williams' Tar Heels at the top of most national preseason polls.