It’s an exciting time to be an ACC basketball fan (yes that includes you Syracuse Orange supporters). The once proud league has had a massive fall from grace — getting only four bids last year, the lowest since expansion — but a wave of new coaches and increased investment in basketball has fans believing across the landscape. So let’s break down how each of the 18 teams in ACC look for this upcoming season, what their chances are at making the tournament, and whether they are on an upward or downward
trajectory as a program. This is part two of a six-part series giving a brief preview of each of the 18 teams in the ACC for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season.
Duke
In my mind, I’ve been standing still at my seat 15 feet away from the court where Duke blew a double-digit lead to Houston in the final minutes of the national semifinal in April. It was my 106th and final game of the season, and I still can’t get over how it ended. That Duke team was a perfect storm built to win a national championship, but somehow, fell short.
This year’s group won’t be as good. It won’t rank as one of the top five greatest teams of the KenPom era. But it is still well-built and the clear favorite to win the ACC.
That all starts with the newest shiny toy, Cameron Boozer, the best incoming freshman recruit in the country. He’s nimble on his feet but with legs the size of tree trunks, and can play both inside-out and outside-in. Not only was he the most dominant post player in high school basketball, but he shot 40% from three on high volume each of the last two years. Boozer isn’t quite as good as Cooper Flagg, but the gap isn’t that big.
Meanwhile, many of the role players from last year’s team are back in a bigger role. Patrick Ngongba is expected to take a major step forward on both ends, while Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster will be given more trust in the backcourt. Cam’s brother Cayden is a well-rounded point guard who could end up getting the starting nod. Fellow freshmen Dame Sarr and Nik Khamenia each give different aspects on the wing, while Maliq Brown returns as the defensive Swiss Army Knife.
Florida State
I feel like I’m the only one who actually liked what Florida State did this offseason. Leonard Hamilton was an excellent coach for a long time, but his time has passed, and Luke Loucks is a well-regarded former NBA assistant coach with a familiarity in the FSU program that should be able to elevate the program back to a respectable level immediately.
In the transfer portal, the combination of Martin Somerville (UMass Lowell) and Rob McCray (Jacksonville) are high-end scoring guards. Somerville was one of my favorite freshmen in the country last year for the River Hawks, while also finishing 4th in America East in assist rate. However, he struggles on the defensive side of the ball.
Thankfully, the rest of this team was built with defense in mind. Drexel is a team that always plays tough on both ends, and Kobe MaGee should bring shooting and defense to the backcourt. St. Bonaventure transfer Lajae Jones is one of the most athletic mid-major up-transfers in the country. Chauncey Wiggins brings an element of toughness as well. Both MaGee and Jones shot over 38% from beyond the arc as well.
FSU also brought in Division II transfer Alex Steen, who was one of the best defenders in the country at that level. He won back-to-back conference DPOY awards and has the combination of size (6-9, 230), athleticism, and instincts that you don’t usually get from a Division II transfer. Alier Maluk — who is a classic Florida State five man with size and reach — is back for a sophomore season, and Russian freshman Egor Ryzhov is an impressive European recruit to add as well.
Georgia Tech
Damon Stoudamire is entering year three in Atlanta without much tangible progress. Yes, they won 10 ACC games last year, but still finished 30 spots below KenPom expectation and were never anywhere near the NCAA Tournament. But I do feel there is still some optimism entering year three, even after losing Naithan George to a conference rival.
I was shocked when Baye Ndongo returned to the Yellow Jackets last season, but he didn’t quite have the mega-breakout some were expecting. Now, he’s back for a third year. He’s one of the top bigs in the ACC with dynamic rebounding and post ability, but he might play a few more minutes at the four thanks to highly-touted freshman Mouhamed Sylla. He is the key piece of the recruiting momentum that Stoudamire has established thus far, and can make this one of the top defensive frontcourts in the ACC right away. Former Mizzou big man Peyton Marshall also comes in to add even more size to the mix.
In the backcourt, Pacific transfer Lamar Washington will run the point. He put up some great box score numbers, but had poor efficiency numbers on a team that wasn’t very good. He has great positional size, and his highs were extremely high (see Washington State game), but I’m not convinced about him in the ACC. Tech also needs a step forward frmo Jaeden Mustaf, who had a solid but unspectactular freshman season. Kowacie Reeves has a waiver for a fifth year, but at this point, we know what he is and it’s not anything more than a solid piece.
A few other options in the backcourt include Miami (OH) transfer Kam Craft, who started his career at Xavier, Boston College transfer Chas Kelley, and freshmen Brandon Stores Jr. and Akai Fleming, who each have interesting traits.
