Atlantic Coastal Conference basketball has just kicked off, and many eyes are watching to see who comes out on top. Some teams will flourish, while others will falter. It’s our responsibility to tell you who’s who. We sorted each ACC basketball team into four separate tiers: Bottom Feeders, Here For the Ride, Potential Surprises and Top Dawgs. Each placement will also have its explanation of why that team is in its respective tier.
Bottom Feeders:
Bottom-feeders are teams with no hope of finishing in the top half of the conference. Before conference play even started, the writing was on the wall. For these teams, the ceiling is the floor.
18. Boston College
Boston is currently in a rebuilding phase. The Warriors drafted former Center, Quinten Post, this past offseason, so the Eagles are looking to find their next star. This is where Donald Hand Jr. comes in. He is a sophomore guard who is currently leading the team in points and rebounds. Head coach Earl Grant, who is in his fourth season, is doing his best to compete with the higher-level ACC teams. In this day and age with the Transfer Portal, it can be very tough.
17. Virginia Tech
The transfer portal killed Virginia Tech. While they did get some interesting acquisitions like freak athlete senior forward Toibu Lawal from VCU, and sophomore guard Jaden Schutt from Duke, they lost core players to the portal and graduation. Out of the eight players who averaged more than two points per game on last year’s team, only center Mylyjael Poteat returned for the next year. This is a young team in a tough conference, and hardship is a foregone conclusion.
16. California
This is California’s first season in the ACC. Previously coming from the disbanded PAC-12, Cal needed a new home and felt that the ACC was the right fit. Last year, Cal had an overall 13-19 record and finished in the bottom half of the conference. It’s going to be very challenging for the team to adjust as the season goes on, and traveling will be an issue, as they have to go across the country for away games. They have shown some promise so far and have been led by hometown kid Andrej Stojakovic. Stojakovic, a sophomore guard who transferred from Stanford, leads the team in points, with 18.8 points per game. California is looking to shock some teams in the first season in the ACC.
15. Miami
Two years ago Miami made the Final Four in the NCAA tournament, but last year they didn’t even finish with a .500 record. They are expected to hang around the middle of the pack in the ACC this year. With the return of graduate senior guard Nijel Pack, he is expected to take on the role of leading this team to a semi-victorious season.
Here for the Ride:
These teams are just here for the ride. No expectations, negative or positive. Just here to make it to March, and hopefully show promise for next year.
14. Georgia Tech
Head coach Damon Stoudamire is trying to build a team to compete with higher ACC competition. The Yellow Jackets finished in the conference’s lower half with a record of 14-18. They finished 7-13 against other ACC opponents. Last year, they found their next break-out star, sophomore guard Myles Kelly who was supposed to lead the team for the next four years. Yet, in this day and age, it is common for players to test the transfer waters and that is what happened with Kelly as he transferred to the powerhouse Auburn team this offseason. A key player leaving can be tough so The Yellow Jackets are looking to their next team leader for help and strength.
13. Syracuse
Adrian Autry is coming off the back of a successful first season as head coach for the Orange, however, this season is going to be more of a challenge. Their standout sophomore guard Judah Mintz, declared for the NBA draft last year. Losing their main scorer isn’t going to be an easy blow; expect to see a regression this year.
12. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish are slowly climbing up, even though they did not have a great ACC record last year with 7-13, they showed much improvement from the previous year. Led by sophomore guard Markus Burton, who leads the team in points and assists per game, he is expected to lead the team to a pretty successful season this year.
11. Virginia
One of the biggest headlines of this offseason was the retirement of long-time Virginia head coach Tony Bennet. The two-time national champion and six-time conference champion stepped down in October, citing the inability to adapt to the current college basketball landscape. Also departing in the offseason were the two best defenders on the team, forward Ryan Dunn and guard Reece Beekman, both leaving for the NBA. The Cavaliers’ interim replacement for Bennet is Virginia assistant coach Ron Sanchez. Coach Sanchez previously had a five-year stint in Charlotte where he turned the program around, finishing 8-21 in his first season, and 22-14 in his last. This is a bridge year for Virginia. Let’s just hope that things get better before they get worse.
10. Stanford
Stanford is kicking off their inaugural season in the ACC and looks to face tougher competition than they saw in the PAC-12. Add to that the ridiculous amount of miles they have to travel for away games, and it doesn’t look great. Despite this, Stanford’s seven-foot-one center Maxime Raynaud looks to be one of the best players in the ACC, since he’s averaging the most points and rebounds in the conference so far. Starpower is a luxury in the postseason; don’t be surprised if Stanford makes a dark horse run in the conference tournament.
9. Florida State
Head coach Leonard Hamilton is the longest-tenured coach in the ACC. The combination of Hamilton’s wisdom, the scoring prowess of senior forward Jamir Watkins and promising freshman guard Daquan Davis will at least keep them out of the basement, however, don’t expect them to contend for the top of the conference.
Potential Surprises:
These teams have the potential to be top-five ACC teams. They should be darkhorse tournament contenders by March and possible bubble tournament teams in the field of 68.
8. North Carolina State
Coming off the back of their miraculous March Madness run to the Final-Four, NC State is expected to return to earth. Losing the dynamic duo of center DJ Burns and guard DJ Horne cripples the Wolfpack’s offensive capabilities and eliminates their star power. This isn’t a death blow though. NC State has built a deep and strong core with
experience by playing the transfer porta. In their main eight-man rotation, seven of them are seniors. This team has age and experience, rare commodities in the modern game. Keep an eye out for another run from the Wolfpack.
7. Louisville
After an abysmal year for the Cardinals last season, something had to change. So they fired coach Kenny Payne and hired Pat Kelsey, who previously coached at Charleston and had a solid season this past year. Kelsey was able to bring in some talented players from the transfer portal, including senior guard Chucky Hepburn who played at Wisconsin before transferring to Louisville. Hepburn is currently leading the team in points per game and hopes to lead them to an NCAA tournament appearance in Kelsey’s first year with the team.
6. SMU
This will be SMU’s first season in the ACC kicking off, they have high hopes of becoming a top-five team. They had a pretty successful season last year in their final season in the AAC, having an overall record of 20-13. Coach Andy Enfield had a pretty successful offseason with the transfer portal, getting Wake Forest transfer, junior guard Boopie Miller. Miller currently leads the team in points and hopes to lead the Mustangs to their second consecutive 20-win season.
Cusp of Contention:
This group includes some of the best teams in the conference, however, there is still a gap between them and the very best.
5. Pittsburgh
Pitt being good at basketball is a very novel concept. Head coach Jeff Capel has completely transformed the team since taking over in 2018 and this season looks to be his best yet. They have one of the most balanced rosters in the ACC with a healthy combination of youth, experience, athleticism and good coaching. Sophomore point guard Jaland Lowe is one of the best facilitators and scorers in the ACC averaging 17.5 points per game and 5.9 assists per game to start ACC play. They’re a well-rounded team with few weaknesses, which gets you far in this sport.
4. Wake Forest
Wake Forest feels quite confident going into Steve Forbes’ 5th season as coach of the Deacs. After guard Hunter Sallis, who finished second in ACC Player of the Year voting last year decided to return for his senior year, Coach Forbes built a team that will complement Sallis. The Deacs have two other key seniors, guard Cameron Hildreth and center Efton Reid who are expected to make a big impact on the team this season. Coach Forbes also attacked the transfer portal getting guys like App State transfer, senior forward Tre’Von Spillers and Louisville transfer sophomore guard Ty-Laur Johnson. Coach Forbes designed this team to create open shots for everyone on the court, and we will see if that proves effective as the season goes on into ACC play.
3. North Carolina
The Tar Heels are tough to predict. For the first time in program history, UNC, the notorious rebounding powerhouse, has gone small ball and has zero centers in the rotation. However, they’ve made up for this by having one of the best three-guard rotations in the country: superstar graduate combo-guard RJ Davis, hopeful sophomore point Elliot Cadeau, and the ever-explosive junior two-guard Seth Trimble. They’ve also made plenty of acquisitions in the way of freshmen and transfers. Freshmen guards Ian Jackson and Drake Powell are already on many NBA teams’ radars, and both look to be core contributors to the team. UNC got some good transfers as well. Junior Ven-Allen Lubin from Vanderbilt has quickly asserted himself as the go-to small ball five for the Heels and looks to be the best rebounder on the team. It’s going to be tough to replicate the success from last year; replacing center Armando Bacot and forward Harrison Ingram.
Top Dawgs:
The top dawgs are the best of the best in the ACC. They are the teams to beat if you want a spot in March. They are focused on winning games and building a resume to make sure their team comes out on top at the end of the season.
2. Clemson
Clemson has just come back from their first Elite Eight appearance since 1980. Even better than that, a majority of their core from last season is still there. The team fields the return of two senior forwards; Ian Schieffelin and Viktor Lahkin and senior guard Chase Hunter. The Tigers’ roster makeup is largely the same as last year so a continuation of performance and perhaps even an improvement is very much in the cards.
1. Duke
Unfortunately, we have Duke at our number one spot. They have the number one freshmen class in the entire country including; Cooper Flagg, a freshman forward from Maine who happens to be the best player in college basketball. They have everything you would want in a team, a big man who is aggressive down low, a lights-out shooter that is a fan favorite, and a star player who hopes to carry this team far. For this Duke squad, led by Jon Scheyer, this team was built to win a national championship or bust. As they go into the season, we will see if they are what they seem to be, or if they are all talk.
