Coach: Mark Gottfried (third season, 48-24 at N.C. State; 327-178 overall)

2012-13 record: 24-11 (11-7 ACC, fifth)

Postseason: NCAA tournament, 0-1 (lost to Temple)

Projected starting lineup: PG Cat Barber, G Desmond Lee, G Ralston Turner, F T.J. Warren, F Kyle Washington

Plus

• A fresh start. Mark Gottfried gets to start over in Year 3 at N.C. State and he does so with two NCAA tournament appearances under his belt and a trip to the Sweet 16.

Gottfried said after the NCAA tournament loss to Temple he could never get all the players to buy in last season. With a new season, new roster, he gets to push the reset button and try again with a group of players he recruited.

Coach: Roy Williams (11th season, 282-79 at UNC; 700-180 overall)

2012-13 record: 25-11 (12-6 ACC, third)

Postseason: NCAA tournament, 1-1 (beat Villanova, lost to Kansas)

Projected starting lineup: PG Marcus Paige, G P.J. Hairston, G Leslie McDonald, F James Michael McAdoo, F Isaiah Hicks

Plus

• P.J. Hairston and James Michael McAdoo both decided to return for the 2013-14 season. By the end of the 2012-13 season, Hairston developed into the best player on the team, averaging 18.2 points over the final 13 games.

To give you an idea of the strides Hairston, a scoring guard, made from his freshman to sophomore seasons, he made 13 3-pointers (in 27 attempts) in three ACC tournament games in 2013. As a freshman, Hairston made eight 3-pointers during the *entire* conference season.

Coach: Mike Krzyzewski (34th season, 884-238 at Duke; 957-297 overall)

2012-13 record: 30-6 (14-4 ACC, second)

Postseason: NCAA tournament, 3-1 (beat Albany, Creighton, Michigan State; lost to Louisville)

Projected starting lineup: G Quinn Cook, G Rasheed Sulaimon, F Jabari Parker, F Rodney Hood, F Amile Jefferson

Plus

• Remember when Duke lost to Lehigh in the NCAA tournament in 2012 and Lehigh, from the Patriot League, had arguably a more athletic lineup than Duke, an ACC program with its choice of McDonald's All-Americans?

Summer Hoops Preview '14
Today: The Picks; Duke, UNC, N.C. State
Monday: Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Boston College, Florida State
Tuesday: Clemson, Maryland, Miami, Pittsburgh
Wednesday: Syracuse, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech

If Duke's history is the precedent, the rest of the newly expanded ACC is in trouble.

The Blue Devils have a chance to be historically good in 2013-14. Mike Krzyzewski has taken Duke to the NCAA tournament 29 times in his 33 seasons. He has lost in the round of eight only twice: last season to Louisville (the eventual champion) and in 1998 to Kentucky (the eventual champion).

Torry Holt and Tommy Burleson headline the second class of the N.C. State Athletic Hall of Fame, which was announced on Monday.

Holt, one of the best football players in ACC history, and Burleson, who helped the Wolfpack win the 1974 national title in basketball, are two of the 10 new members of the hall, which was created by the school last year.

Mason Plumlee is one of several local players who will participate in the NBA Combine. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

All three Duke players eligible for this year's draft—seniors Mason Plumlee , Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly —have received invitations to the NBA Combine, the league announced Thursday night. Curry and Kelly, both recovering from offseason surgeries, will not participate in workouts.

Here is a list of all the ACC alumni headed to the May 15-19 workout in Chicago:

ESPN announced the match-ups for the 15th annual ACC-Big 10 challenge. They are as follows:

Tuesday, December 3rd

Midnight Madness will come two weeks earlier this year.

The NCAA announced Friday that teams now have 42 days (six weeks) to hold their 30 preseason practices, starting this fall. Previously, teams only had four weeks to schedule in those 30 practices. The college basketball season begins Nov. 8, so practices can start on Sept. 27.

The NCAA found no wrongdoing in the Lance Thomas jewelry case. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

The NCAA has finished its inquiry into a 2009 jewelry purchase totaling nearly $100,000 by former Duke basketball player Lance Thomas and found no wrongdoing. There will be no disciplinary action against the school.

“The NCAA has found no evidence of a rules violation in this situation based on the information available, and both the NCAA and Duke consider the matter closed,” said a university statement released by associate athletic director Jon Jackson.

N.C. State basketball coach Mark Gottfried said he wanted more options in the frontcourt next season. The Wolfpack added another big man to its recruiting class on Monday with the commitment of forward Lennard Freeman.

Freeman, a 6-8, 215 pound power forward from Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, joins fellow forwards BeeJay Anya and Kyle Washington in the 2013 class and will be the fifth newcomer for Gottfried's third team. Freeman confirmed the decision on his Twitter account on Monday.