CBB Review previews ACC basketball heading into the 2025-26 season.
In the NIL era, the ACC has simply not been the class of the sport like it once was. The SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12 have passed them analytically, albeit the ACC always seems to have a few NCAA Tournament runs in them, anyway.
This year, the conference may be trending back in the right direction. Two ACC teams rank in the preseason top 15 of the AP Poll: Duke (No. 6) and Louisville (No. 11). Perhaps most importantly, the underperforming teams — namely NC State, Virginia, Miami, and Florida State — have replaced their head coaches and brought a new kind of excitement to their programs.
At the same time, the expanded ACC consists of 18 teams, and the bottom half does not offer much value on the schedule as far as a March resume. That is where the downside lies.
ACC basketball projected standings
1. Duke Blue Devils
Once again, Duke has implemented the “one-and-done” model, led this time by Cameron and Cayden Boozer. Jon Scheyer was able to keep veterans Maliq Brown and Caleb Foster, who will provide a steady presence to lean on, both from a basketball and a leadership perspective. With loads of talent and a coach who has shown the ability to handle it, the Blue Devils are the clear pick for number one in the ACC.
2. Louisville Cardinals
Pat Kelsey is building a monster. Featuring a transfer class of Xavier’s Ryan Conwell, Virginia’s Isaac McKneely, Kennesaw State’s Adrian Wooley, and others, the Cardinals may just be the most prolific three-point shooting team in the country. Be sure to tune into some Louisville basketball this year — they will be a fun watch.
3. NC State Wolfpack
Will Wade fits exactly what was needed in Raleigh to a tee. He brings in a mindset of wanting to build NC State into a powerhouse on Tobacco Road, and has a winning pedigree to back it up. Look for Texas Tech transfer Darrion Williams to have a massive season.
4. North Carolina Tar Heels
There are quite a few storylines around UNC this season. Can Hubert Davis get enough defensive consistency out of his unit? If they underwhelm again, when does the administration feel it is reasonable enough to consider letting him go? This year’s Carolina squad is plenty talented, particularly in the front court, but not quite to the level where they will be given the full benefit of the doubt for another preseason ranking.
5. Virginia Cavaliers
Get used to a new aesthetic of Virginia basketball — Ryan Odom has the Cavaliers playing fast with a healthy diet of full-court press. He brings in a balanced transfer class, led by San Francisco’s Malik Thomas, who could certainly be a star in the ACC. Add in multiple international “freshmen” with overseas professional experience and this is a complete team.
6. SMU Mustangs
SMU has been the lone success story of the latest ACC expansion pack, and we project them in the top third of the conference, with a potential NCAA Tournament appearance. Boopie Miller provides dynamic point guard play, while Samet Yigitoglu is a clear breakout candidate at the five spot. The vast amount of youth on the bench gives the Mustangs a wide range of outcomes for the 2025-26 season.
7. Clemson Tigers
The cupboard is all of a sudden bare for Brad Brownell, who has been known to do more with less, anyway. Brownell does add Nick Davidson from Nevada, who can slot in as that prototypical skilled, high-motor four man. With Chase Hunter and others departing, guard play is once again a major question mark, though.
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
It was a rough go for the Hokies last season, but they have multiple pieces that could carry this team. Toibu Lawal returns with one of the most electric highlight reels in the country. Meanwhile, Mike Young has an international prospect of his own, Neoklis Avdalas, who is projected as a first round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame has two buckets in lead guards Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry, who combined for over 35 points per game last season. The question is whether the continuity model will work for the Irish, as it has not yielded consistent results so far under Micah Shrewsberry. In adding just one D1 transfer, the coaching staff has doubled down on their approach and year three will be the ultimate test.
10. Miami Hurricanes
The end of the Jim Larranaga era was an utter disaster for the Hurricanes and they look to turn the page by grabbing Jai Lucas off of Duke’s bench. Lucas had some money to spend, and used it to grab highly touted transfers Malik Reneau (Indiana) and Tre Donaldson (Michigan). While it’s hard to evaluate this team’s ceiling, there is no doubt that they are in better hands.
11. Syracuse Orange
Syracuse might be one of the more underrated teams in the ACC. Everything will start with JJ Starling, who averaged 18 points per game last season. Combine a quality freshman class with a capable point guard in Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George and Red Autry has some pieces to work with. Of course, the major question is about Autry’s coaching ability in it itself.
12. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake Forest still has not been to an NCAA Tournament under Steve Forbes, despite being significantly better than they were under Danny Manning. Who will be Forbes’ prototypical breakout star this year? I look to Juke Harris, a 6-7 wing who showed flashes during conference play in his freshman season.
13. Pitt Panthers
Jeff Capel has to do something here, considering he has just one postseason appearance (First Four in 2022-23) in six seasons at the helm. They have a few interesting pieces — most notably Iowa State transfer Dishon Jackson, who is a quality rim protector. The depth is extremely slim pickings, though.
14. Florida State Seminoles
The complete turnover in the Florida State program was completely necessary. The ‘Noles went out and got Luke Loucks from the NBA ranks to be their next head coach. The backcourt, including Jacksonville transfer Robert McCray and UMass Lowell transfer Martin Somerville has somewhat of a raised ceiling, but the bigs are extremely worrisome.
15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Youth is no longer an excuse in year three of the Damon Stoudamire era. It is time to go win some games. Baye Ndongo was a real stat stuffer in the front court. Also, a little tidbit: Georgia Tech had one of the largest negative discrepancies between free throw percentage for and free throw percentage against last season. Perhaps, some positive regression is in the works.
16. Cal Golden Bears
Mark Madsen had plenty of roster overhaul, bringing in nine new transfers in his second year at Cal. That provides them valuable depth, as Madsen looks to piece together a rotation in the early weeks. That said, the losses of Andrej Stojakovic and Jeremiah Wilkinson will loom large for a team that was not very good to begin with last season.
17. Boston College Eagles
It’s been a tough go for Boston College under Earl Grant, and the expectations are once again low for 2025-26. Maybe, South Dakota transfer Chase Forte can steady the ship at the point guard spot? The ceiling appears pretty low for this team, regardless of how you tilt it.
18. Stanford Cardinal
It is hard to find much to write home about with this Stanford team. The only rostered players who have had any sort of offensive production in their back pocket are transfers from Division-II and Division-III. Expect the Cardinal to be in the dumps once again.
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball Player of the Year
Cam Boozer, Duke
After watching Boozer’s dominant performance in the exhibition at Tennessee, this is the slam dunk pick here. Boozer has every tool out of a modern day prospect — length, body control, shooting, finishing, court vision, you name it.
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball Coach of the Year
Will Wade, NC State
It is never easy to project a preseason coach of the year, given that it typically goes to a team that has unexpected success. However, Wade shows plenty of promise in Raleigh and should get this honor if the Wolfpack finish top three in the ACC, like we project.
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball Freshman of the Year
Cam Boozer, Duke
Same as above. Expect Boozer to step right in and dominate the ACC, not quite to the level of Cooper Flagg, but perhaps close to it. Honorable mention goes to Louisville’s Mikel Brown.
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball Transfer of the Year
Malik Thomas, Virginia
Thomas was a superstar in the West Coast Conference, and I see no reason why he does not put up similar numbers in the ACC. He will be the heart and soul of the Cavaliers roster, while everything else will sort itself out around him.
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball First Team
- G: Boopie Miller, SMU
- G: Malik Thomas, Virginia
- G: Markus Burton, Notre Dame
- F: Darrion Williams, NC State
- F: Neoklas Avdalas, Virginia Tech
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball Second Team
- G: Seth Trimble, North Carolina
- G: JJ Starling, Syracuse
- G: Ryan Conwell, Louisville
- F: Nick Davidson, Clemson
- F: Henri Veesaar, North Carolina
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball Third Team
- G: Isaac McKneely, Louisville
- G: Mikel Brown, Louisville
- G: Isaiah Evans, Duke
- F: Malik Reneau, Miami
- F: Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech
CBB Review Preseason ACC Basketball All-Freshmen Team
- G: Mikel Brown, Louisville
- G: Jalen Haralson, Notre Dame
- F: Johann Grunloh, Virginia
- F: Cam Boozer, Duke
- F: Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech