By Aidan Joly
It was a rough regular season for the ACC in 2023-24. Teams like Virginia, Miami, Florida State and Louisville had rough seasons behind the traditional powers of Duke and North Carolina.
The NCAA tournament brought success though. Clemson made a nice run to the Elite Eight and NC State went on a nine-game winning streak as part of a miracle run in the conference tournament to steal the league’s automatic bid and then getting to the Final Four as a No. 11 seed.
Heading into 2024-25, the ACC adds two schools from California – Stanford and Cal – as well as one from Dallas in SMU.
Lots of questions linger about how they will compete, as well as how some others will bounce back. Let’s get into it.
North Carolina Tar Heels
2023-24: 25-6 (17-3 ACC), lost in Sweet 16
The Tar Heels got one of the biggest returners of the 2024-25 season, bringing back All-American point guard RJ Davis after he averaged 21.2 points per game. He is sure to be a preseason All-American and has a very good shot at being the best guard in the country in his fifth season. Fellow returner Elliott Cadeau should have a larger role this year too.
It will have to find a way to replace stalwart Armando Bacot. Vanderbilt transfer Ven-Allen Lubin seems like a good candidate to replace at least some of that production after he averaged 12.3 points per game in Nashville last season. Belmont transfer Cade Tyson was quietly one of the better players on the market and he’ll have a great shot at sliding into the starting lineup.
UNC brings in star freshman Ian Jackson, who is No. 7 in the ESPN top 100 as well as Drake Powell, who ranks No. 13. Both should find a role quick in this rotation.
Returners Seth Trimble, Jae’Lyn Withers and Jalen Washington, as well as transfer Tyzhaun Claude (Georgia Tech) should all be able to find various depth roles.
Duke Blue Devils
2023-24: 27-9 (15-5 ACC), lost in Elite Eight
This season is all about the freshmen. Duke has the consensus top recruiting class in the nation, headlined by five five-star prospects. That includes consensus No. 1 prospect Cooper Flagg, the likely top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. He is joined by Isaiah Evans (No. 14 in ESPN top 100), Kon Knueppel (No. 18), Pat Ngongba (No. 25), Darren Harris (No. 29) and the fifth five-star is Khaman Maluach.
The team will return Tyrese Proctor, who averaged 10.5 points per game, as well as Caleb Foster, who averaged 7.7 points per game and is an excellent three-point shooter.
It will be interesting to see how Tulane transfer Sion James will fit into this rotation after averaging 14.0 PPG for the Green Wave last year, as well as Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown, who averaged 9.5 PPG. Mason Gillis, who played 132 games for Purdue over four season, is sure to provide veteran leadership even if he doesn’t have much of a role on the court.
Virginia Cavaliers
2023-24: 22-9 (13-7 ACC), lost in First Four
It was a rough season for Virginia and it barely snuck into the NCAA tournament, only to get the doors blown off by Colorado State in Dayton in one of the worst tournament performances in recent memory.
This season, it could be in for a tough battle. It will have to heavily rely on returner Isaac McKneely, who averaged 12.3 points per game last season, as well as freshman Jacob Cofie for offense. Florida State transfer Jalen Warley, who averaged 7.5 points per game for the Seminoles in 2023-24.
After that, there is nobody on the roster who averaged more than 6.2 points per game, and that was San Diego State transfer Elijah Saunders. Kansas State transfer Dai Dai Ames averaged 5.2 PPG last year.
The defense should still be there, so Virginia will win some games on that alone, but it may be tough sledding in Charlottesville this season.
Pittsburgh Panthers
2023-24: 21-10 (12-8 ACC), no postseason
After a solid 2023-24 season just saw Pitt just miss the NCAA tournament, the Panthers re-tooled for this season.
Ishmael Leggett, who averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, will have to step into the role of the go-to guy. He is one of five returners for the season. Jaland Lowe, who averaged 9.5 points per game, will be the best option, while Guillermo Diaz Graham (6.7 PPG) and Zack Austin (6.5 PPG), should also have roles.
Florida State transfer Cam Corhen (9.4 PPG) and Houston transfer Damian Dunn (6.4 PPG), should also have roles. Dunn, in the opinion of the writer of this piece, is one of the best role players in the nation.
An intriguing freshman is four-star prospect Brandin Cummings, which it remains to be seen how much of a role he will have, especially in the first portions of the year. Six-foot-eight Amsal Delalic, six-foot-nine Liam Mignogna and six-foot-ten Amdy Ndiaye are all interesting projects.
SMU Mustangs
2023-24: 20-13 (11-7 American Athletic), lost in NIT first round
SMU did have a 20-win season in 2023-24, but not a lot of them were meaningful. Of the 20 wins, 17 of them were either Quad 3 or Quad 4.
There is a change on the bench, as former USC coach Andy Enfield takes the reigns in Dallas after 11 seasons in Los Angeles. He replaces Rob Lanier, who was fired after two seasons and a record of 30-35.
Enfield was able to retain second-leading scorer Chuck Harris, who averaged 13.5 points per game, as well as 3.5 assists. Keon-Ambrose Hilton, who averaged 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, is back as well.
Enfield did bring in some intriguing transfers, including Wake Forest’s Kevin Miller (15.3 PPG), UMass’ Matt Cross (15.3 PPG), UC Santa Barbara’s Yohan Traore (14.5 PPG), San Jose State’s Tibet Gorener (11.4 PPG), Long Beach State’s AJ George (10.6 PPG) and Oregon’s Kario Oquendo (7.2 PPG). Miller is the best of these options as he has proven he can play well at the ACC level, but many of them are guys who scored a lot at the mid-major level and may need a learning curve.
The only noteworthy freshman is six-foot-seven forward Chance Puryear, a three-star prospect.
This is SMU’s first season in the ACC, and it will be interesting to see how this cast of players does in a higher-level league.
Clemson Tigers
2023-24: 24-12 (11-9 ACC), lost in Elite Eight
It was a surprisingly good season for Clemson in 2023-24, reaching the second weekend of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2018 and going to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1980.
It won’t be the best roster in the league in 2024-25, but it has talent on it. PJ Hall and Joseph Girard III are gone, but Chase Hunter (12.9 PPG) and Ian Schieffelin (10.1 PPG) are both back and should be the two go-to scorers for the Tigers.
The rest of the key parts of the roster come via transfer, headlined by Jake Heidbreder, who did not play college basketball last season due to a redshirt, but averaged 15.1 PPG at Air Force in 2022-23. Jaeden Zackery, who averaged 11.3 PPG at Boston College, and Myles Foster, who averaged 12.4 PPG and 8.1 rebounds per game at Illinois State, also arrive. Viktor Lakhin, who averaged 9.2 PPG at Cincinnati, has high-major experience.
Dallas Thomas is a top-100 freshman, and Del Jones and Ace Buckner are both solid freshman who may see some playing time this season.
The confidence within the program is sky-high after a deep postseason run. We will see how they can follow it up.
Syracuse Orange
2023-24: 20-12 (11-9 ACC), no postseason
It was a solid first season with Adrian Autry at the helm after taking over for Jim Boeheim, but it was still not enough to find a spot in the NCAA tournament.
The Orange will look to change that in 2023-24. It’s hard to believe Syracuse has missed the tournament three years in a row, the program’s longest drought in half a century.
The losses of Judah Mintz and Quadir Copeland definitely hurt, but the Orange bring back JJ Starling, who averaged 13.3 PPG, as well as Chris Bell, who averaged 12.0 PPG.
As for newcomers, the Orange bring in five-star prospect Donnie Freeman, a six-foot-nine forward who will be relied on for production on both sides of the floor as well as grabbing rebounds. Eddie Lampkin Jr., who averaged 10.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game at Colorado last season, will be relied upon too.
Jyare Davis, who put up big numbers at Delaware last year, is here. Lucas Taylor averaged 14.5 PPG at Georgia State, and Jaquan Carlos averaged 10.4 PPG at Hofstra. Former top-50 prospect Chance Westry played 11 games for Auburn in 2022-23 before a knee injury.
Syracuse plays a ton of marquee non-conference games. It will have to rack wins to get back to the postseason.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2023-24: 21-14 (11-9 ACC), lost in NIT second round
Wake Forest was certainly on track to make the NCAA tournament, sitting at 18-9 and 10-6 in ACC play before a late-season collapse that saw it lost four of its last six regular season and conference tournament games, settling for the NIT.
The aforementioned Kevin Miller as well as Andrew Carr are gone, but Steve Forbes’ squad returns a solid core. That includes Hunter Sallis, who tested the NBA waters before opting to return to school, and Cameron Hildreth, who averaged 13.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Efton Reid III averaged 9.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest. He is back too.
Two interesting transfers come in: TreVon Spillers, who averaged 12.8 points an 8.9 rebounds per game at Appalachian State, as well as Ty-Laur Johnson, who averaged 8.7 PPG at Louisville.
Juke Harris is a top-100 prospect coming to Winston-Salem.
If the Demon Deacons can remain in the top five of the ACC and avoid another late-season slide, the NCAA tournament should be a realistic goal.
Virginia Tech Hokies
2023-24: 19-15 (10-10 ACC), lost in NIT second round
Virginia Tech is losing a ton of talent from the 2023-24 squad, including stalart point guard Sean Pedulla, Hunter Cattoor and Lynn Kidd, so there are question marks as to where the production will come from.
Mylyjael Poteat, who averaged 6.4 points per game in Blacksburg last season, will surely be asked to take a step up. Other than that, it will have to be newcomers.
Hysier Miller, who averaged 15.9 PPG at Temple last season, should have an immediate starting role. Ben Burnham averaged 11.9 PPG on a Charleston team that won 27 games, and Toibu Lawal averaged 7.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game at VCU. Top-100 freshman Ryan Jones, who stands at six-foot-eight, should likely have something of a role from the jump.
Coach Mike Young likely enters this season on the hot seat. Virginia Tech will probably need to have a good season for him to stick around. The pressure is on.
Florida State Seminoles
2023-24: 17-16 (10-10 ACC), no postseason
It was a very disappointing season in Tallahassee in 2023-24, with the Seminoles missing the postseason for a third consecutive season.
It must take a step up in 2024-25. However, most of the production has to come from new faces.
Getting back Jamir Watkins, who averaged 15.6 points per game in 2023-24, is a huge piece for Leonard Hamilton’s team. Chandler Jackson, who averaged 4.9 points per game, returns as well and should be thrust into a larger role.
The most notable transfers include Bostyn Holt, who averaged 12.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game at South Dakota, and Jerry Deng, who averaged 10.1 points per game and Hampton.
There are five freshman on the roster, headlined by six-foot-nine top-100 prospect Alier Maluk and a pair of four-star guys in DaQuan Davis and A.J. Swinton.
It is a young team in Tallahassee, that is the storyline.
Cal Golden Bears
2023-24: 13-19 (9-11 Pac-12), no postseason
The second of three additions to the ACC for 2024-25. Cal’s record wasn’t pretty in Mark Madsen’s first season at the helm, but it was serious progress: it was the program’s most league wins since 2016-17.
But it may be a serious challenge for the Golden Bears in 2024-25 as it makes a jump to a more competitive league.
However, Madsen seemed to realize this and brought in 10 transfers. The best of them are B.J. Omot, who averaged 16.7 PPG at North Dakota, Rytis Petraitis, who had 15.7 points and 6.3 points per game at Air Force and UTSA transfer Christian Tucker (11.3 PPG). A most intriguing one is Andrej Stojakovic, who averaged 7.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game as a freshman.
In addition, Mady Sissoko (Michigan State), Lee Dort (Vanderbilt) and Spencer Mahoney (Washington State) all have high-major experience.
It might be a small rebuild in year one in the ACC, but it’s easy to believe in Madsen and what he can build in Berkeley.
Stanford Cardinal
2023-24: 14-18, (8-12 Pac-12), no postseason
There will be low expectations for Stanford in 2024-25. It leaves the Pac-12 having not won the league since 2004, has not made the NCAA tournament since 2014 and has not had a 20-win season since 2019-20.
Jerod Haase was fired minutes after the season ended last year after eight seasons. Enter former Washington State head coach Kyle Smith, at the helm after he got the Cougars to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.
It will be an almost entire new team. Smith was able to retain leading scorer Maxime Raynaud, but that is it for go-to guys. Benny Gealer returns after averaging 4.2 points per game, but the rest of the returners are guys on the end of the bench.
As for newcomers, Chisom Okpara averaged 16.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game at Harvard in 2023-24. Derin Saran averaged 10.1 PPG at UC Irvine. Oziyah Sellers (USC) and Jaylen Blakes (Duke) have high-major experience. Stanford also brought in Cole Kastner, a former All-American lacrosse player at Virginia.
As previously noted, expectations will be low for Smith’s first season. Don’t expect the Cardinal to compete for much.
NC State Wolfpack
2023-24: 26-15 (9-11 ACC), lost in Final Four
A miracle run for the Wolfpack ended all the way in the Final Four last spring. NC State was not in the conversation for an at-large bid, won five games in five days to win the ACC tournament, and then advanced to the national semifinals as a No. 11 seed.
Many of the key pieces from that run, including DJ Horne, DJ Burns Jr. and Casey Morsell are gone.
The key returning piece is Jayden Taylor, the guard who averaged 11.2 points per game in 2023-24. Role players Ben Middlebrooks, Michael O’Connell and Dennis Parker Jr. are all back as well.
It does bring in one of the best players in the MAC last season in Marcus Hill, who averaged 20.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for Bowling Green. Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is also a solid add after he averaged 12.9 PPG at Louisville. Coming with him is Cardinal teammate Mike James, who averaged 12.6 PPG. Dontrez Styles did well on a bad Georgetown team. Finally, French-Canadian forward Ismael Diouf joins the team after averaging 10.1 PPG at Laval University in Quebec.
As for freshman, Paul McNeil is a top-50 prospect, while four-star combo guard Bryce Heard projects as a solid prospect. NC State also brought in three-star Atlanta guard Tremayne Parker.
It will be tough to recreate last year’s magic. But the Wolfpack can certainly have success this season.
Boston College Eagles
2023-24: 20-16 (8-12 ACC), lost in NIT second round
The 2023-24 season was the best in over a decade on Chestnut Hill, winning 20 games for the first time since the 2010-11 season and playing in the postseason for the first time since 2018. It won a postseason game for the first time since 2007.
Unfortunately for Earl Grant and BC, it has to start from square one after losing just about every piece from that team. The only noteworthy returners are Donald Hand Jr., who averaged 5.0 PPG as a freshman, and Chas Kelly III, who will likely be forced into the starting point guard role.
From there, it’s all new faces. Dion Brown is the biggest one, who averaged 19.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for UMBC, he will likely be thrust into a large role. Roger McFarlane was a do-it-all guard for Southeast Louisiana, averaging 14.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Chad Venning averaged 13.4 points per game at St. Bonaventure.
The only notable freshman is four-star, six-foot-nine forward Kany Tchanda.
It’s an interesting mix of talent, we will have to see if they can get any sort of results.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2023-24: 14-18 (7-13 ACC), no postseason
After an 8-3 start to Damon Stoudamire’s first season at the helm in Atlanta, things took a nosedive and the Yellow Jackets went 6-15 the rest of the way.
Georgia Tech does return some solid pieces, including Baye Ndongo, who averaged 12.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Lance Terry missed all of the 2023-24 season due to injury, but averaged 10.6 points per game here in 2022-23. Naithan George had a great freshman year, starting 28 games and averaging 9.8 PPG. Kowacie Reeves Jr. also averaged 9.8 PPG and started all 32 games.
Highly coveted transfer Javian McCollum arrives in Atlanta after averaging 13.3 PPG at Oklahoma. He also finished second in the country in free throw percentage at 94.3%. Duncan Powell averaged 12.1 PPG at Sacramento State, and Luke O’Brien was a solid role guy at Colorado.
As for freshman, Jaeden Mustaf is a top-70 prospect, while Stoudamire also brings in a pair of four-stars in Darrion Sutton and Doryan Onwuchekwa.
The Yellow Jackets will be looking for a rebound. We’ll see how it goes.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2023-24: 13-20 (7-13 ACC), no postseason
The rebuild of the program continues under Micah Shrewsberry, entering his second season in South Bend.
Continuity is the name of the game here. Notre Dame will return seven players from last year’s team, including all of the top four leading scorers in Markus Burton (17.5 PPG), Braeden Shrewsberry (10.2 PPG), Tae Davis (9.2 PPG) and J.R. Konieczny (7.7 PPG).
It also brings in a few solid pieces, including Matt Allocco, who averaged 12.7 PPG at Princeton, and Nikita Konstantynovskyi, who averaged 9.3 points and 8.1 rebounds per game at Monmouth.
Two top-100 prospects, Nasir Mohammed and Cole Certa, arrive in South Bend, as does four-star Garrett Sundra.
With many key pieces returning, a next step should be expected to be taken, that being at least in the conversation for the NCAA tournament. Shrewsberry is a great coach, and people should be confident he can get it done.
Miami Hurricanes
2023-24: 15-17 (6-14 ACC), no postseason
It was a very disappointing season for Miami. It was as high as No. 8 in the nation at the beginning of the year, was 15-7 and 6-5 in the ACC on Feb. 3, and then did not win a game the rest of the season.
It forced Miami coach Jim Larrañaga to do a major roster overhaul. Only three players will return, but Matthew Cleveland (13.7 PPG, 6.1 RPG), and Nijel Pack (13.3 PPG) are major guys to keep around. Norchad Omier, Wooga Poplar, Bensley Joseph and Kyshawn George all depart.
As for additions, Miami grabbed one of the best mid-major players on the portal market in Jalen Blackmon, who averaged 21.3 PPG at Stetson and dropped 43 in the ASUN conference title game. It also added Brandon Johnson from East Carolina, Lynn Kidd from Virginia Tech, A.J. Stanton-McCray from Samford and Kiree Huie from Idaho State.
It also got one top-1o freshman Jalil Bethea, a guard who should have an immediate role. Miami also brings in top-50 prospect Austin Schwartz.
With this talent, Miami should be able to rebound from a tough second half. There will be some expectations.
Louisville Cardinals
2023-24: 8-24 (3-17 ACC), no postseason
After a second straight disastrous season, Louisville fired Kenny Payne. Payne went a horrid 12-52 in two seasons in a tenure that is sure to go down as one of the worst in recent memory.
Former Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey is now here, a high-energy coach who is already on track to bring Louisville back to its proud status.
That does mean a major overhaul. Louisville does not return a single player from last year’s team.
Kelsey had three players, Reyne Smith, Kobe Rogers and James Scott, follow him from Charleston. They all had varying levels of production.
The notable players on the roster include Terrence Edwards Jr. (James Madison), Kasean Pryor (South Florida), Aboubacar Traore (Long Beach State), J’Vonne Hadley (Colorado), Koren Johnson (Washington), Noah Waterman (BYU), and Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin). All of them produced at their previous stops, and all will have roles as Louisville looks to turn things around.
NCAA tournament could be a solid goal in year one of the Pat Kelsey era.
AJ Hoops 