Chip Bremer
This is the year the ACC welcomes three new programs into membership, but unlike other schools on the move, these additions are only creating further chaos in the conference’s pecking order of men’s basketball teams behind perennial favorites Duke and UNC.
Make no mistake—Cal, Stanford and SMU all have made offseason acquisitions that will help them keep pace with the rest of the ACC, but it could take some time to work their way into the ACC’s upper tier—which currently looks wide open from 1-11.
Now that the NBA Draft has passed and we have a good idea of how rosters will look, here’s a “way-too-early” projection of what we can expect from the upcoming season:
1. Duke
Once again, the Blue Devils are considered the heavy favorite due to talent on their roster—particularly potential #1 draft pick Cooper Flagg. Jon Scheyer recruited a bevy of frontcourt options around Flagg and the returning backcourt of Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster. He also brought in a trio of experienced transfers to fill a variety of utility roles, but it will be interesting to see if any can back up Proctor at the point.
2. UNC
The Heels are only slotted here because of the return of All-American guard R.J. Davis and his 21 points per game. Beside him, point guard Elliott Cadeau looked every bit a true freshman last season, but should grow from the experience. This team is potent on the wings with freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powel providing the drives and Belmont transfer Cade Tyson providing the outside shooting, though the depth along the baseline is a bit concerning.
3. Wake Forest
Hunter Salis’ decision to return for another year at Winston-Salem, boosted the Deacs’ stock significantly despite losing some experienced frontcourt pieces. Steve Forbes also returns sharpshooters Cameron Hildreth and Parker Friedrichsen, as well as foul-happy center Efton Reid, but under-utilized Iowa State transfer Omaha Biliew should help along the front line. The key will be whether point guard transfer Ty-Laur Johnson can do a better job distributing the ball than he did at Louisville.
4. Clemson
Just because P.J. Hall has finally run out of eligibility doesn’t mean the Tigers are going away. Brad Brownell has proven himself a winning coach, and while returnees Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin aren’t the flashiest players in the ACC, they are among the more experienced. Bringing in Jayden Zachery from Boston College will allow Hunter to play more off the ball, and Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin should a post presence to slot in next to Chauncey Wiggins.
5. Miami
Last year was a tough one for the Hurricanes, and certainly point guard Nigel Pack and forward Matthew Cleveland are eager to get the program back on track. This year, Jim Larranaga is bringing in a talented freshman class led by guard Jalil Bethea who many are saying is a more explosive Isaiah Wong. The big test will be how the frontcourt shapes up and whether Virginia Tech transfer Lynn Kidd can provide somewhere close to the rebounding output of the former center Norchad Omier, who transferred to Baylor.
6. Pittsburgh
Despite losing some major talent, the Panthers still return enough pieces to make a deep run this season. The returning backcourt of Jaylan Lowe and Ish Leggett is one of the best pairings in the ACC, and bringing in Damian Dunn from Houston will only add to the arsenal. Jeff Capel also brought in Florida State transfer Cam Cohen to bolster an already deep frontcourt, but it will be interesting to see who steps up to fill the 18.5-ppg scoring void left by Blake Hinson.
7. Virginia
It’s difficult to put the Cavaliers any lower with a coach like Tony Bennett, although this team doesn’t have a lock-down defender like Reece Beekman, it does have plenty of pieces around Isaac McKneely to thrive in Bennett’s system. Bennett brought in a lot of solid pieces via the transfer portal, but what may give the Wahoos an edge is the continuing development of sophomore center Blake Buchanan.
8. NC State
The Wolfpack are still flying high from last season’s miraculous postseason run, but they will be hard-pressed to recreate that magic after losing the bulk of their scoring in the offseason. Guards Jayden Taylor and Mike O’Connell are back, as is center Ben Middlebrooks and forward Dennis Parker Jr., but all eyes will be on transfers Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (Louisville) and Marcus Hill (Bowling Green) to see if they can give the Pack some much-needed offense.
9. Louisville
When you only win five conference games over two seasons, it’s usually best to clean house and start with a fresh slate. That’s what the Cardinals did when they hired Pat Kelsey to take over as coach and bring in an entirely new roster from the transfer portal. The headliners are Terrance Edwards (James Madison), Koren Johnson (Washington) and Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin) are the headliners on a fresh squad that will need time to gel.
10. Syracuse
The Orange took a big hit when Judah Mintz decided to stay in the NBA draft, but they still have returning point guard J.J. Starling and sharpshooter Chris Bell to light up the scoreboard, plus they bring in forward Donnie Freeman, one of the country’s best freshmen not named Cooper Flagg. Depending on how the incoming transfers pan out, this team could move up.
11. Georgia Tech
As Damon Stoudamire continues to put his stamp on this program, year two of his tenure features a handful of solid veterans in Nait George, Kawacie Reeves, Baye Ndongo, and Lance Terry (returning from injury). For good measure, Stoudamire also brought in dynamic lead guard Javian McCollum from Oklahoma to help push this program to the next level.
12. Notre Dame
Speaking of taking a leap in his second year as coach, Micah Shrewsberry has the Irish trending in an upward trajectory behind the backcourt of son Braeden Shrewsberry and last season’s impact freshmen point Markus Burton. The frontcourt is not as deep as Irish fans would prefer, but with wing scorers like Princeton transfer Matt Allocco and prized freshman Nas Mohammed, they won’t need much.
13. SMU
The Mustangs are in the best position among the ACC’s newcomers with a transfer haul that includes former Wake Forest point guard Boopie Miller, as well as shooter Matt Cross from UMass and center Yohan Traore from UCSB. These additions should work well with returnees Chuck Harris and Keon Ambrose-Hylton to make some noise this season.
14. Florida State
Things were looking pretty bleak for Leonard Hamilton’s Seminoles after most of the team decided to transfer out during the offseason, but the sudden return of leading scorer Jamir Watkins has provided new life. Now Hamilton just needs to work in some pieces around him.
15. Virginia Tech
The Hokies also experienced a mass exodus in the offseason, but luckily, they were able to bring back big man Mylyjael Poteat for another year and secure some decent transfers including former Duke redshirt Jaden Schutt. If Toibu Lawal (VCU) or Ben Burnham (College of Charleston) pan out, this team could make its way up the list.
16. Boston College
Earl Grant was able to get the Eagles their first 20-win season in several years, but the personnel losses have lowered the expectations once again. Still, if he can get anything from UMBC transfer Dion Brown or Clemson transfer Josh Beadle, they could avoid the conference basement.
17. California
Mark Madsen begins his second year of leading the Bears with another roster overhaul, but the only thing keeping this program from the bottom is the transfer pieces he’s plugged in led by wing scorer Andrej Stojakovic, who he poached from rival Stanford. At least they’ve got that going for them.
18. Stanford
Not much can be said for the Cardinal at this point. New coach Kyle Smith managed to convince center Maxime Raynaud to return, but the rest of the roster was devastated by outgoing transfers, and he’ll need the newcomers to gel pretty quickly if they want to keep pace with the rest of the ACC.