By Aidan Joly
The 2024-25 college basketball season in the ACC was one that was dominated by the Duke Blue Devils.
The team from Durham went 19-1 in league play, flew through the conference tournament with ease and made it to the national semifinals. Louisville and Clemson were the other top jobbers, but the Blue Devils remained head and shoulders above everyone else.
That all being said, can anyone challenge Duke for the top spot in the 2025-26 season? Let’s get into each of the 18 teams that will play in the league this season.
Duke Blue Devils
2024-25: 35-4 (19-1 ACC), lost in national semifinals
Gone is the crown price of college basketball last season in Cooper Flagg, along with his sidekick Kon Knueppel that made for the best 1-2 freshman duo in the country last season.
This year it will be a pair of brothers, Cameron and Cayden Boozer, son of longtime NBA player Carlos, leading the way. Cameron Boozer is one of the best prospects in the country and a sure-fire lottery pick a year from now. Nikolas Khamenia and Sebastian Wilkins are also highly touted freshmen who will look to make an impact. International prospect Dame Sarr also has a chance to make an impact.
An interesting group of returners led by Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster could have a larger role. Evans and Foster themselves got minutes every night and were solid role guys. Both can take a step up this season.
Louisville Cardinals
2024-25: 27-8 (18-2 ACC), lost in NCAA first round
First-year coach Pat Kelsey fast-tracked the rebuild of the Louisville program, being the second or third best team in the league, reaching the conference final and getting to the NCAA tournament after the program was the laughingstock of the league under Kenny Payne.
This year, the Cardinals have a shot to be at least as good. Two double digit scorers in J’Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor return, while they also bring in Ryan Conwell (Xavier), Adrian Wooley (Kennesaw State) and Isaac McKneeley (Virginia), who all averaged in the double figures at their last stops.
Mikel Brown, Jr. is a top-10 prospect in the country who will have an immediate role.
Other returners Kobe Rodgers and Aly Khalifa both have a chance to carve out roles too.
Clemson Tigers
2024-25: 27-7 (18-2 ACC), lost in NCAA first round
The Tigers had a terrific season in 2024-25. Twenty-seven wins represented the most in a single season in program history and got its highest NCAA tournament seed since 2018.
Unfortunately for Brad Brownell and company, it all came crashing down as the Tigers fell victim to Will Wade and McNeese State in the first round of the tournament.
Clemson may take a step back this season. It has 10 new players and doesn’t return anyone who averaged more than 5.4 points per game last season. As for transfers the most notable is Nick Davidson, who averaged more than 15 points per game on a solid Nevada team. Jestin Porter had 15 a game at Middle Tennessee. RJ Godfrey (Georgia) and Jake Wahlin (Utah) were both role players on power conference teams.
We will see about this team, but it would not be shocking to see the Tigers slip a few spots in the standings this year.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
2024-25: 21-11 (13-7 ACC), no postseason
The 2024-25 version of the Demon Deacons looked ready to be in the tournament at a few different points during the campaign, but never got the signature wins they needed.
Wake Forest has not been in the tournament since 2017 and is heading into year six under coach Steve Forbes.
Forbes did find some interesting pieces though. Cooper Schwieger is a talented player who averaged more than 15 points per game for Valparaiso this past year, while Nate Calmese had similar stats at Washington State. Mekhi Mason (Washington) and Myles Colvin (Purdue) were both productive players on high-major rosters.
Tre’Von Spillers, who averaged 9.9 PPG for the Deacs, is back. He is joined by Juke Harris, who had 6.1 PPG.
The likes of Hunter Sallis and Cameron Hildreth will be tough to replace. Let’s see if they can do it.
North Carolina Tar Heels
2024-25: 23-14 (13-7 ACC), lost in NCAA first round
What a topsy-turvy season it was in Chapel Hill. Many did not think the Tar Heels were deserving to be in the NCAA tournament, but UNC made it anyway as one of the last four in before bowing out in the round of 64.
This year the Tar Heels have an array of talent. The only key returner is Seth Trimble, who had 11.6 PPG last season.
Transfers include Henri Veesaar (Arizona), Kyan Evans (Colorado State), Jarin Stevenson (Alabama), Jonathan Powell (Virginia) and Jaydon Young (Virginia Tech), who all had at least solid seasons at good levels of competition.
Caleb Wilson is a five-star prospect who is the best freshman coach Hubert Davis brings in. Derek Dixon and Isaiah Denis are both top-60 talent.
Davis’ job security has been in question the past year or two. UNC certainly has the talent to make a run, or will it be another clunker of a season that costs Davis his job?
SMU Mustangs
2024-25: 24-11 (13-7 ACC), lost in NIT second round
The Mustangs had a better first season in the ACC than probably many expected, finishing comfortably above .500 and in the top half of the league.
The Mustangs have a shot to challenge for an NCAA tournament spot. They return their leading scorer in Boopie Miller while also bringing back double digit scorer Samet Yigitoglu and a near-double digit scorer in B.J. Edwards.
Jaron Pierre, Jr. was a huge get in the portal after he averaged more than 20 PPG at Jacksonville State. He should be a big part of the plans in Dallas. Corey Washington also had a great year at Wichita State.
As for freshmen Jaden Toombs should be the best of the bunch and he is joined by Nigel Walls and Jermaine O’Neal, Jr. (yes, that Jermaine O’Neal).
This roster looks even better on paper than last year’s. They have a chance to take another step up.
Stanford Cardinal
2024-25: 21-14 (11-9 ACC), lost in NIT second round
Stanford had an okay-but-not-great year in the first season under coach Kyle Smith, but do lose a lot for this season.
Gone are Maxime Raynaud, Oziyah Sellers and Jaylen Blakes, Stanford’s three best players from last year. Taking their places could be Ryan Agarwal, Chisom Okpara and Benny Gealer, who all return after being role guys in 2024-25.
As for transfers the Cardinal add a pair of interesting ones. AJ Rohosy was a Division III all-American after starting his career for Smith at Washington State, while Jeremy Dent-Smith starred for Division II Cal State Dominguez Hills.
We shall see with the Cardinal. It was a better year than expected for its first time in the ACC. What will they do in year two?
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
2024-25: 17-17 (10-10 ACC), lost in NIT first round
The second year under coach Damon Stoudamire saw a three-win improvement in the league from his first year the helm and it came with a postseason appearance, so tangible progress there.
However, four of the team’s five double digit scorers are gone. The only one who is left is Baye Ndongo, so he should have to take on a fairly large role. Jaeden Mustaf and Kowacie Reeves both had solid campaigns as well.
Kam Craft (Miami Ohio) and Lamar Washington (Pacific) both had 13+ points per game this past season at their old schools. Chas Kelly III (Boston College) has high-major experience.
Mouhamed Sylla and Akai Fleming are both freshmen who have a shot at being in the rotation, moreso in Sylla’s case.
It feels like Stoudamire has the program, slowly but surely, going in the right direction. You’d like to see some more progress be made in year three. The Yellow Jackets have not made the tournament since 2021 when it surprisingly won the ACC tournament. Before that, you have to go back to 2010.
Virginia Cavaliers
2024-25: 15-17 (8-12 ACC), no postseason
It’ll mostly be an entirely new roster at Virginia for first year coach Ryan Odom, who gets the full-time gig after interim coach Ron Sanchez took over weeks before the season following the sudden retirement of Tony Bennett in October.
Odom has made his way around the college hoops landscape with head coaching stops at UMBC, Utah State and VCU and now finally lands a power conference job.
The best transfer he brings in is Malik Thomas, who averaged 19.9 points per game at San Francisco. Other quality adds include Jacari White, who had 17.1 PPG at North Dakota State, Sam Lewis, who had 16.2 PPG at Toledo and Devin Tillis, who had 13.7 PPG at UC Irvine. Dallin Hall (BYU) and Ugonna Onyenso (Kansas State) both contributed for high major teams.
Chance Mallory is the best freshman Cavalier.
It will be interesting to see how these pieces come together. Odom was a natural choice for Virginia and now he has a chance to get the program back to the top of the ACC.
Virginia Tech Hokies
2024-25: 13-19 (8-12 ACC), no postseason
This feels like a big year for coach Mike White, who enters his seventh year in Blacksburg as the team has now missed the NCAA tournament three years in a row.
He will try to end that drought with a quartet of decent returners in Tobi Lawal, Jaden Schutt, Tyler Johnson and Ben Hammond, all of whom had decent-to-good seasons in 2024-25.
Amani Hansberry, who averaged 8.9 PPG at West Virginia, seems like a major impact addition. Izaiah Pasha (Delaware) and Jailen Bedford (UNLV) both averaged in double figures at their previous stops.
This is one where the job security is interesting. Football coach Brent Pry is firmly on the hot seat and could lose his job with a bad season. It might be easier for Young to keep his job for another season if Pry gets the axe.
Florida State Seminoles
2024-25: 17-15 (8-12 ACC), no postseason
It’s a new era in Tallahassee as first year coach Luke Loucks takes over following more than two decades of Leonard Hamilton at the helm.
Similar to Odom in Virginia, it’ll be pretty much a completely new roster. It is highlighted by Robert McCray V, who averaged 16.2 PPG at Jacksonville, along with three more mid-major double figure scorers in Martin Somerville (UMass-Lowell, Lajae Jones (St. Bonaventure) and Kobe MaGee (Drexel).
Chauncey Wiggins is the guy with ACC experience after he averaged 8.9 points per game at Clemson. An interesting add is Alex Skeen, who averaged 17.9 PPG at Division II Florida Southern, a team that won 26 games and won a game in the Division II tournament.
Cameron Miles is a four-star prospect who joins the Seminoles.
Overall, the roster doesn’t do a ton on paper. But for a first-year coach, all you need to see is some sort of progression as the season goes on.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
2024-25: 15-18 (8-12 ACC), no postseason
Breakout candidate in the ACC? Year two under coach Micah Shrewsberry saw a small improvement and the Irish bring back a ton of talent.
Leading that charge is Markus Burton, who led the team with 21.3 PPG in 2024-25. Braeden Shrewsberry had 14.0 PPG, good for third on the team, and is back as well. A solid role guy in Kebba Njie is also back.
The Irish also bring in a solid freshman class, highlighted by Jalen Haralson, who ranks in ESPN’s top 20 prospects. Top-100 guys Ryder Frost and Brady Koehler also come into the fold.
As for transfers the only one coming from a Division I school is Carson Towt, who had 13.3 PPG at Northern Arizona.
This is a team that feels due to win a bunch more games in the ACC than it did last year and has the pieces on paper to do it. Shrewsberry is a good coach too. We will see if they can do it.
Pittsburgh Panthers
2024-25: 17-15 (8-12 ACC), no postseason
This was a Pitt team that had opportunities to put itself on the right side of the tournament bubble, but lost eight of its last 11 regular season games and did not come close.
In 2025-26 it will be an interesting enough roster. Double digit scorer Cameron Corhen returns, as does Brandin Cummings who was more of a role guy.
Perhaps the best add here is Dishon Jackson, who was true glue guy on an Iowa State team that was one of the best in the country all season. Barry Dunning, Jr., who had 15.1 PPG at South Alabama and Damarco Minor, who had 9.8 PPG at Oregon State, also come into the fold.
This certainly feels like a middle-of-the-pack roster in the ACC. Seeing if coach Jeff Capel can do more with it will be something to follow.
Syracuse Orange
2024-25: 14-19 (7-13 ACC), no postseason
It feels like a crucial year awaits in Central New York.
Adrian Autry enters year three as the head coach at Syracuse after taking over for the venerable Jim Boeheim and the results have been underwhelming, while the Orange took a considerable step back in 2024-25.
However, the Orange return their top two scorers in JJ Starling and Donnie Freeman, while also bringing in Naithan George (12.3 PPG at Georgia Tech) and Nate Kingz (11.8 PPG at Oregon State) as the main guys to surround him with. A few other transfers have high major role experience.
Sadiq White is a solid prospect the Orange bring in but the hype is around Kiyan Anthony, son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony.
Is this a tournament team? Perhaps. It might need to be for Autry to get a fourth season. Syracuse hasn’t been in the tournament since 2021.
California Golden Bears
2024-25: 14-19 (6-14 ACC), no postseason
Things did not go great in Cal’s first season in the ACC. Things were looking up after Mark Madsen’s first year at the helm, but it felt like the Golden Bears struggled to keep up with the competition jump.
Maybe, Cal will have a better idea in its second year in the league. The Bears return a couple guys in Rytis Petraitis and DJ Campbell, but that’s about it for notable returners.
Two guys who did very well at the mid-majors come to Berkeley in John Camden, who had 16.8 PPG at Delaware and Milos Ilic, who had 14.4 PPG at Loyola Maryland. Some bigger helps can be found in Chris Bell, who comes in from Syracuse, as well as Dai Dai Ames, who carved out a nice role at Virginia.
A couple of four-star prospects come in, Semetri Carr and Jovanni Ruff.
This is a program that felt in over its head in its first year in the ACC. We shall see if they can get any better in year two.
NC State Wolfpack
2024-25: 12-19 (5-15 ACC), no postseason
It was Final Four to fired in a span of 12 months for former coach Kevin Keatts after NC State failed to even make the ACC tournament.
Taking his spot is Will Wade, the former disgraced LSU coach who built his reputation back up at McNeese, taking the Cowboys to the second round of the NCAA tournament. He’s now back in the power conference ranks.
It’ll be nearly an entirely new team in Raleigh, and a good one at that. The biggest add is Darrion Williams, who was a star at Texas Tech. He also brings in a group of good high major players in Tre Holloman from Michigan State, Ven-Allen Lubin from in-state rival UNC, Terrence Arceneaux from Houston and Jerry Deng from Florida State. Alyn Breed and Quadir Copeland both follow him from McNeese.
Freshmen include Matt Able, a very good prospect, and Zymicah Wilkins, a top-60 guy who has a chance to carving out a role.
This is a very good team. Wade should be able to have them competing from the beginning of the season. Being back in the tournament should be the expectation.
Boston College Eagles
2024-25: 12-19 (4-16 ACC), no postseason
It was another season to forget for Boston College as it finished second-to-last in the ACC.
For this season, the Eagles do return the team’s leading scorer in Donald Hand, Jr., but does lose the second through fourth leading scorer. Fred Payne, who carved out a role to the tune of 6.9 PPG, is back as well.
The only truly notable transfer add is Chase Forte, who averaged 17.9 PPG at South Dakota. A quick note on Boden Kapke, who averaged just over 4 PPG at Butler, is now here. He may have a role.
Four-star prospect Akbar Waheed is the only notable freshman of the group.
Boston College has not made the tournament since 2009, which is also the most recent time it had a winning season in league play. It’s tough to see either of those streaks ending.
Miami Hurricanes
2024-25: 7-24 (3-17 ACC), no postseason
It was an absolutely dreadful season for the Hurricanes, one that saw Jim Larrañaga retire midseason with a 4-8 record through the first 12 games. Interim coach Bill Courtney was not able to right the ship, going 3-16 the rest of the way.
The new coach is Jai Lucas, the 36-year-old former Duke assistant who is the youngest head coach in the power conferences.
He brings in an entirely new roster. The player to be most excited about is Malik Reneau, who had 13.3 PPG at Indiana, while Tre Donaldson (Michigan) and Tru Washington (New Mexico) were both key cogs for teams that reached the NCAA tournament.
Lucas does bring in a decent freshman class in Shelton Henderson, a borderline top 30 prospect as well as Dante Allen, a top-50 guy. Timotej Malovec and Salih Altuntas are both interesting international prospects.
Miami should not be expected to be at the top of the ACC in Lucas’ first year. But it’s hard to be worse than the Hurricanes were last year.
AJ Hoops 