Jack Nevins gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 2 of the 2025-26 season.
Matchup of the week: No. 9 Kentucky at No. 11 Louisville (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m. EST)
Under-the-radar matchup of the week: Miami at No. 3 Florida (Nov. 16 – 8:30 p.m. EST)
Team of the week: North Carolina Tar Heels
Game of the week:Â Virginia Tech vs. Providence
Player of the week:Â Caleb Wilson, North Carolina
1) Duke Blue Devils
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Texas (75-60), W vs. Western Carolina (95-54)
Next week: at Army (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. Indiana St. (Nov. 14 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas
Bad losses: None
Duke is off to a 2-0 start overall, having won their first two games of the 2025-26 campaign and have not yet begun conference play. The team enters the season ranked high: they are listed at No. 6 in the AP poll and No. 5 in the coaches’ poll, showing national expectations are strong. The previous season was extremely successful as Duke finished with a 35-4 record, 19-1 in ACC play, and reached the Final Four. The Blue Devils look to get back to the Final Four with the additions of two freshman phenoms in the Boozer twins.
2) Louisville Cardinals
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. South Carolina State (104-45), W vs. Jackson State (106-70)
Next week: vs. No. 9 Kentucky (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m.), vs. Ohio (Nov. 15 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Louisville is off to an expected 2-0 start, validating their high preseason ranking and coach Pat Kelsey’s program turnaround. The deep and experienced Cardinals roster, featuring transfer talent, is built to thrive in an up-tempo system. As a top-15 ranked team nationally and picked second in the ACC, Louisville is expected to be a title contender throughout the season.
3) North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Central Arkansas (94-54), W vs. No. 19 Kansas (87-74)
Next week: vs. Radford (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. North Carolina Central (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas
Bad losses: None
UNC started the season with two wins, including a significant early victory over Kansas at home, demonstrating an ability to win tough non-conference tests. The Tar Heels, ranked in the preseason Top 25, have a solid blend of experienced returners and impactful newcomers. They are poised to compete for a top-three spot in the ACC and secure a high seed in the NCAA Tournament.
4) NC State Wolfpack
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. North Carolina Central (114-66), W vs. UAB (94-70)
Next week: vs. UNC Greensboro (Nov. 12 – 8 p.m.), vs. VCU (Nov. 17 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
NC State and Darrion Williams, the Preseason ACC Player of the Year, will lead an experienced roster that is expected to be a major factor in the conference race. NC State is projected to finish in the top five of ACC basketball and is a strong candidate for an NCAA Tournament bid. With a nice win at home over UAB, NC State will have a strong year.
5) Virginia Cavaliers
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Rider (87-53), W vs. North Carolina Central (81-62)
Next week: vs. Hampton (Nov. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. Marshall (Nov. 15 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Virginia is off to a positive start with a 2-0 record. Their two opening wins were secured by solid margins, reflecting their typically strong defensive effort. Virginia is currently integrating a new coach in coach Ryan Odom and his system.
6) Virginia Tech Hokies
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Charleston Southern (98-67), W vs. Providence (107-101)
Next week: vs. Saint Joseph’s (Nov. 12 – 7 p.m.), vs. Charlotte (Nov. 16 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Providence
Bad losses: None
The Hokies began the season with two wins, with a huge win at home over Providence, giving them a spark to show potential in the ACC. Coach Mike Young has brought in new talent to improve the team’s depth and versatility.
7) Syracuse Orange
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Binghamton (85-647), W vs. Delaware State (83-43)
Next week: vs. Drexel (Nov. 15 – 3:30 p.m.), vs. Monmouth (Nov. 18 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Syracuse is looking for a spark in their offense, and coach Red Autry has finally found his in freshman Kiyan Anthony. In two showings, he has 15+ points in each. The Orange have so many weapons and could be a scary team coming down the stretch towards the end of the season and deep into March.
8) SMU Mustangs
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Tarleton State (96-76), W vs. Texas A&M-CC (83-43)
Next week: vs. Murray State (Nov. 11 – 8 p.m.), vs. Butler (Nov. 15 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
After one year in ACC basketball, SMU has proved they belong in this conference. The Mustangs bring back two players who averaged 10+ points last season and are. Transfer Jaron Pierre, who averaged 21 points last year, will look to help the Mustangs’ postseason chances.
9) Clemson Tigers
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. New Hampshire (88-38), W vs. Gardner-Webb (97-59)
Next week: vs. Morehead State (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Georgetown (Nov. 15 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Clemson and coach Brad Brownell are looking to completely rebuild this season with the transfer duo of Nick Davidson and Carter Welling. Within the next week, the Tigers take on a common tournament team in Morehead State, then go on the road to take on Georgetown. These will be two tests for Clemson. With a strong start to the year, the Tigers will stick around towards the end of the season
10) Miami Hurricanes
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Jacksonville (86-69), W vs. Bethune Cookman (101-61)
Next week: vs. Stetson (Nov. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. No. 3 Florida (Nov. 16 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Miami is now under Jai Lucas, who comes over from Duke, and he brings an instant-impact player with him in Shelton Henderson, a former Blue Devils commit. The Hurricanes look to their bench to help with depth and could be a sneaky team to stay above .500. Miami welcomes the reigning national champions, the Florida Gators, into the 305 on Nov. 16.
11) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Long Island (89-67), W vs. Detroit Mercy (102-70)
Next week: vs. Eastern Illinois (Nov. 11 – 7:30 p.m.), at Ohio State (Nov. 16 – 8:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Notre Dame has a preseason ACC Player of the Year candidate in Markus Burton, one of the top scorers in the nation. The Irish have lacked a frontcourt in recent years, and with Carson Towt, who is a double-double machine, this will help them prevail.
12) Pittsburgh Panthers
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Youngstown State (74-59), W vs. Longwood (78-60)
Next week: vs. Eastern Michigan (Nov. 10 – 7 p.m.), at West Virginia (Nov. 16 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
After losing a handful of guards, the backcourt for Pitt will be an issue. The transfer, Barry Dunning, is looking to lead this roster with one of the easier non-conference schedules in college basketball.
13) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. American (88-74), W vs. Morehead State (81-65)
Next week: vs. No. 7 Michigan (Nov. 11 – 6:30 p.m.), vs. UMass Lowell (Nov. 16 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes has had Wake Forest in the top half of the ACC standings for the last few years, but without All-ACC guard Hunter Sallis, talent becomes a concern with this roster. The Demon Deacons have one of the hardest schedules in the ACC to start the year off with two ranked opponents in three games, being No. 7 Michigan and No. 10 Texas Tech.
14) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (56-52), W vs. Bryant (74-45)
Next week: vs. Southeastern Louisiana (Nov. 10 – 9 p.m.), at Georgia (Nov. 14 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Georgia Tech scared the ACC in their debut, with only a four-point win against Maryland-Eastern Shore. The Yellow Jackets do not have a guy they can rely on to carry them far toward the end of the season. They do benefit from their schedule, as they play nine games without facing a ranked opponent.
15) Florida State Seminoles
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Alcorn State (108-76), W vs. Alabama State (101-64)
Next week: at #3 Florida (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. UT Martin (Nov. 18 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
With three players averaging over 10 points within the last season – Robert McCray, Kobe MaGee, and Alex Steen the Seminoles with have some growing pains. New head coach Luke Loucks has done a great job with the 2026 recruiting class, but they do not have much of an offense and were in need of transfers to help them excel in the ACC.
16) California Golden Bears
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Bakersfield (87-60), W vs. Wright State (77-67)
Next week: vs. Cal Fullerton (Nov. 10 – 10 p.m.), at Kansas State (Nov. 13 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Cal struggled in their first year in the ACC but have now introduced some new faces that are familiar with the ACC. Chris Bell and John Camden are very well informed on other ACC teams and their offenses, and may help the Golden Bears succeed this season.
17) Stanford Cardinal
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: W vs. Portland State (89-79), W vs. Montana (91-68)
Next week: vs. Montana State (Nov. 12 – 10 p.m.), vs. Louisiana (Nov. 18 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
With many key pieces and scorers gone from last year’s roster, and because of Stanford’s rigorous academic standards, they cannot use the transfer portal in the way other programs can. Chisom Okpara averaged 16 points per game at Harvard, but the Cardinal will struggle to find even the middle of the ACC this year.
18) Boston College Eagles
Record: 2-0 (0-0)
Last week: L vs. FAU (83-78), W vs. The Citadel (76-41)
Next week: vs. Central Connecticut (Nov. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Temple (Nov. 15 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
With already one game lost and the first out of all 18 ACC teams, Boston College will really have a tough time this season. With an already loaded ACC, BC does not have the willpower to even win against a mid-major team. Donald Hand has virtually no help, and that will really hold the Eagles back this season.