You may be right
I may be crazy
Oh, but it just may be a lunatic you’re looking for
Turn out the light
Don’t try to save me
You may be wrong for all I know
But you may be right
You May Be Right – Billy
Joel
That, in a nutshell, sums up preseason rankings. They are based on very little information and supported mainly by what a writer thinks is right or wrong. They use other people’s rankings (i.e. recruit and transfer rankings) along with what the team did last season (which, thanks to the transfer portal, is becoming less and less of a valuable piece of information) to guess at what they think will happen.
And sometimes, they might be right. Other times they are just flat out wrong (like when everyone took an eight seed from the previous season and declared it the number one overall team based on the hope that a player who wasn’t Brady Manek could be Brady Manek).
Anyhow, here is another writer’s attempt to rank all the teams in the ACC season based on roster composition, transfers, recruits, and roster stability. So without further ado, here are the ACC Men’s Basketball Power Rankings.
1. Louisville Cardinals
Last season: 27-8, 18-2 (tied for second in the ACC)
The fact that there are polls out there that do not have the Cardinals as the top ranked ACC team is baffling. The team that finished tied for second in the ACC brings back several players from last season’s team, as well as add a top freshman in Mikel Brown Jr and a huge transfer pickup from Virginia in Isaac McKneely. Throw in the fact that Pat Kelsey is probably the conference’s best coach and this was an easy pick for number one.
Next Week: vs South Carolina St (11/3), vs Jackson St (11/6)
2. North Carolina Tar Heels
Last season record: 23-14, 13-7 (tied for fourth in the ACC)
This ranking is under the assumption that Luka Bogavac will be deemed eligible by UNC before the season starts. If for some reason he is not (as of this writing he is still awaiting word), the Tar Heels would probably drop several slots. Otherwise, Hubert Davis probably has his most balanced team since becoming the head coach and will also have the most pressure on him entering a season. If North Carolina can win the close games early (something they failed to do last season) that will go a long way to answering a lot of questions for everyone.
Next Week: vs Central Arkansas (11/3), vs Kansas (11/7)
3. Duke Blue Devils
Last season: 35-4, 19-1 (first in the ACC)
Since I don’t work for ESPN, I am not contractually obligated to rank the Blue Devils at the top of everything. With that said, lets call this ranking a wait and see approach as Duke attempts to replace a huge chunk of their team from last season. If the Boozer twins and Nicholas Khamenia can replace the departed production of Cooper Flagg, Kon Kneuppel, and Khaman Maluach, the Blue Devils will move up this list. However, if they can’t then they may not be the Final Four team everyone is expecting.
Next Week: vs Texas (11/4), vs Western Carolina (11/8)
4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last season: 15-18, 8-12 (tied for ninth in the ACC)
I am probably more bullish on the Fighting Irish than most are. However, Notre Dame does bring back the only top-10 player from the ACC last season, as well as a transfer who averaged a double-double. Either this will be enough to keep the Irish in the running for the ACC and make this early pick look brilliant, or it won’t and Notre Dame will fall back to the middle of the pack.
Next Week: vs Long Island (11/3), vs Detroit Mercy (11/7)
5. Syracuse Orange
Last season: 14-19, 7-13 (fourteenth in the ACC)
The Orange are another intriguing team that has a good chance to improve on last season’s lackluster record. Syracuse probably did the second best job (behind Louisville) in the ACC in terms of player retention, transfers, and recruiting. If Kiyan Anthony can do anything close to what his dad did as a freshman for the Orange, then this team could be the surprise of the season.
Next Week: vs Binghamton (11/3), vs Delaware St (11/8)
6. NC State Wolfpack
Last season: 12-19, 5-15 (sixteenth in the ACC)
Will Wade’s team is getting a lot of credit for not having done much this offseason, based seemingly on production at previous stops for the coach and some big transfer pickups. Darrion Williams does provide some needed pedigree to this team, but along with Ven-Allen Lubin forms one of the smallest front courts in the ACC. North Carolina fans will be glad to opine on what a team full of guards and a small front court is like, but Wolfpack fans would probably be ok with similar results, considering how bad last season was in Raleigh.
Next Week: vs NC Central (11/3), vs UAB (11/7)
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Last season: 17-17, 10-10 (eighth in the ACC)
The Yellow Jackets are another ACC squad that is flying under the radar but probably shouldn’t. In addition to bringing back star forward Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech also brings in one of the top freshmen centers in the country in Mouhamed Sylla. This team should be Damon Stoudamire’s his best since coming to Atlanta back in 2023.
Next Week: vs Maryland Eastern Shore (11/3), vs Bryant (11/7)
8. SMU Mustangs
Last season: 24-11, 13-7 (tied for fourth in the ACC)
The Mustangs return three starters from a team that surprised last season and fell just short of a NCAA tournament bid. SMU should still be a hard out, though they may have to settle for the NIT for a third consecutive season.
Next Week: vs Tarleton St (11/3), vs Texas A&M Corpus Christi (11/6)
9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last season: 21-11, 13-7 (tied for fourth in the ACC)
The Demon Deacons are another team that fell just short of a NCAA tourney bid and would probably like to secure one this season. It will be hard though as they try to replace the production of departed guard Hunter Sallis, but will look to Tre’von Spillers to build on last season’s success.
Next Week: vs American (11/3), vs Moorehead St (11/7)
10. Virginia Tech Hokies
Last season: 13-19, 8-12 (tied for ninth in the ACC)
The Hokies will be relying on the international production of Neoklis Avdalas to help lift Virginia Tech up the rankings and into ACC contention this season. If the young man from Greece can do that, the Hokies do have a team that could be a tough out, especially during conference play.
Next Week: vs Charleston Southern (11/3), vs Providence (11/8)
11. Virginia Cavaliers
Last season: 15-17, 8-12 (tied for ninth in the ACC)
The Cavaliers are getting a lot of buzz for a team coming off a losing season and losing their best player to a conference opponent. Ryan Odom has been successful at his other stops, making the NCAA tournament at least once at each of UMBC, Utah State, and VCU. However, with a team of new players with none standing out as difference makers (like a Darrion Williams), Virginia is going to have to do more than run off a coach’s previous stops to move up these rankings
Next Week: vs Rider (11/3), vs NC Central (11/7)
12. Pittsburgh Panthers
Last season: 17-15, 8-12 (tied for ninth in the ACC)
The Panthers are also trying to replace a lot of talent from last season’s middle-of-the-pack team and hoping that they get that in the form of transfers and freshmen. Coach Jeff Capel will try not to have a sixth losing conference record in his eighth season at Pittsburgh as he tries to make the NCAA tournament for only the second time with the Panthers (he made it twice with Oklahoma and once with VCU).
Next Week: vs Youngstown St (11/3), vs Longwood (11/7)
13. California Golden Bears
Last season: 14-19, 6-14 (fifteenth in the ACC)
The Golden Bears bring back more players than any other ACC squad this season but also lost their best player in Andrej Stojakovic. Cal will try to do better than being the last team in the ACC tournament in their second season in the ACC.
Next Week: vs Bakersfield (11/3), vs Wright St (11/6)
14. Clemson Tigers
Last season: 27-7, 18-2 (tied for second in the ACC)
I like a potential twin towers situation as much as the next guy, but the Tigers are going to need more than transfers Carter Welling and Nick Davidson if they want to repeat last season’s production. Clemson coach Brad Brownell may be the longest tenured coach in the ACC, but even he will need more than coaching experience to help a team that lost its top five scorers (who were also the Tiger’s starting five) from last season.
Next Week: vs New Hampshire (11/3), vs Gardner Webb (11/7)
15. Stanford Cardinal
Last season: 21-14, 11-9 (seventh in the ACC)
The Cardinal will look to two international players to replace the production of double-double center Maxime Raynaud, who led the team in points, rebounds and assists. If Oskar Giltay and Kristers Skirinda cannot do that, then Stanford is looking at the bottom of the ACC after a strong finish in their first season in the conference.
Next Week: vs Portland St (11/4), vs Montana (11/8)
16. Boston College Eagles
Last season: 12-19, 4-16 (seventeenth in the ACC)
The Eagles have a chance to move up these rankings if Donald Hand Jr. can pickup where he left off last season and transfer Carson Towt can be a difference maker against much better competition. If not, Boston College — who went 8-3 in non-conference play last season — will be looking at a fifth straight bottom third finish in the ACC.
Next Week: at FAU (11/3), vs The Citadel (11/6)
17. Miami Hurricanes
Last season: 7-24, 3-17 (last in the ACC)
Are new head coach Jai Lucas and freshman superstar Shelton Henderson enough to get the Hurricanes back into the ACC championship conversation? Probably not, but a good showing from both could lead to more recruiting success for Lucas, who was a top recruiter for Duke and the main reason Henderson is at Miami and not with the Blue Devils.
Next Week: vs Jacksonville (11/3), vs Bethune (11/6)
18. Florida State Seminoles
Last season: 17-15, 8-12 (tied for ninth in the ACC)
The Seminoles take the bottom spot here due to having more questions than answers. Partly due to the lack of head coaching or college coachingexperience on the part of new head coach Luke Loucks (Loucks does have nine years of experience as a NBA assistant coach) and partly due to a team full of transfers who may or may not mesh this season. Depending on how quickly those two things get resolved could go a long way in determining the success — or lack thereof — for this Florida State squad and their new head coach.
Next Week: vs Alcorn St (11/4), vs Alabama St (11/7)
