ACC Men's Basketball Season Predictions: Where Will Virginia Finish in the ACC?

William Smythe | Oct 2, 2024

Amber Searls-Imagn Images

We're a little over a month away from the start of the 2024-2025 college basketball season. With the ACC expanding to 18 teams with the additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU, we're going to take a stab at predicting how this new-look ACC will shake out this year. Here are our preseason rankings for the 2024-2025 ACC men's basketball season:

1. Duke

2023-24 Record: 27-9 (15-5 ACC)

The Skinny: As they always do, Duke reloaded on the recruiting trail. Coach Jon Scheyer excelled last season despite an Elite Eight exit to ACC foe North Carolina State, and he’ll keep the momentum going with the help of No. 1 overall recruit Cooper Flagg and a dynamic freshmen/transfer class. The frontcourt will be a juggernaut — featuring Flagg, five-star center Khaman Maluach, and two unicorn transfers in Purdue’s Mason Gillis (46.8 3P%) and Syracuse’s Maliq Brown (2.2 SPG, the most by a non-guard last season) — yet Duke’s success arguably hinges on the performance of its backcourt. This team will go as junior Tyrese Proctor (10.5 PPG) goes. They haven’t been as dominant in the ACC as one might think, but this talent pool is not your usual haul. Plus, we can expect some defensive improvement from the Blue Devils this year.

2. North Carolina

2023-24 Record: 29-8 (17-3 ACC)

The Skinny: The Tar Heels look vulnerable after losing fifth-year center Armando Bacot, Blue Devil-slayer Cormac Ryan, and a Swiss Army Knife forward Harrison Ingram, but let’s not forget that reigning ACC Player of the Year — guard R.J. Davis (21.2 PPG)  — is returning. It is inevitable that sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau (4.1 APG) — who has shades of Carolina legends Ty Lawson and Kendall Marshall in him — will take a massive leap. Like Duke and its backcourt questions, however, the team in Chapel Hill will have to fill the voids left by Bacot and Ingram. Will it be a hodge-podge of undersized bigs filling that main center spot? Regardless, North Carolina is stacked again. Five-star freshman guard Ian Jackson could steal some of Davis’ thunder as a dynamic scorer, as well.

3. Virginia

2023-24 Record: 23-11 (13-7 ACC)

The Skinny: I’ll take Coach Tony Bennett this season against anyone not named Duke or North Carolina. His worst ACC finish since 2010-11 is a respectable sixth (2021-22), and that season culminated in a disappointing exit in the NIT Tournament. What Bennett has been able to accomplish in one of the nation’s best basketball conferences is truly remarkable. Despite the inexperience of the roster in the unique offensive and defensive schemes, there’s enough talent for me to believe that things will click as the season rolls along. Junior Isaac McKneely (12.3 PPG) will pace the ‘Hoos in the backcourt as a veteran of the Pack Line, and the frontcourt will see plenty of competition throughout the year. Bennett will figure it all out.

4. Wake Forest

2023-24 Record: 21-14 (11-9 ACC)

The Skinny: Arguably “Transfer Portal U” of the conference, the Demon Deacons have not missed in their selection of transfer guards; the torch has passed from ACC Players of the Year Alondes Williams and Tyree Appleby to senior and First-Team All-ACC selection Hunter Sallis (18.0 PPG). While Coach Steve Forbes hasn’t yet managed an appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the pieces are there in 2024-25 — a backcourt of Sallis and senior Cam Hildreth (13.8 PPG), a frontcourt of 7’1 center Efton Reid (9.6 PPG) and former five-star Omaha Biliew, and what-should-be a deep bench in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest has not seriously contended for an ACC regular-season title since the Chris Paul days, but they’re certainly trending upwards.

5. Pitt

2023-24 Record: 22-11 (12-8 ACC)

The Skinny: Coach Jeff Capel has been quietly building something at Pitt. Lethal scorer (and another Blue Devil-slayer) Blake Hinson isn’t walking through that door, but the past few years have witnessed a basketball resurgence for a program that suffered mightily following an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015-16. I’m extremely bullish about the potential of Jaland Lowe (9.6 PPG) — a sophomore set to fill the void left by lottery pick Carlton “Bub” Carrington — and senior Ishmael Leggett (12.3 PPG) has All-ACC potential after garnering ACC Sixth Man of the Year honors in 2023-24. The latter torched the aforementioned Demon Deacons with 30 points in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal last season. If they can manage to scrap together a frontcourt, the Panthers could do some serious damage. 

6. Clemson

2023-24 Record: 24-12 (11-9 ACC)

The Skinny: When we last saw Clemson, the Tigers had blazed their way to the Elite Eight of the Big Dance despite having lost by 21 to Boston College in their last ACC matchup. Now, with Coach Brad Brownell somewhat off of the hot seat following a magical tournament run, the Tigers won’t be sneaking up on anyone. Fifth-year guard Chase Hunter (12.9 PPG) and senior headband sensation Ian Schieffelin (10.1 PPG) are the straws that stir the drink for Brownell’s unit, and we’ll likely see in-conference transfer Jaeden Zackery (Boston College) enter the starting five alongside former Cincinnati big man Viktor Lakhin. Clemson did lose plenty to graduation and the portal, so depth will be a question mark for a team aspiring to reach the top of the ACC. They are veteran-laden, though.

7. Georgia Tech

2023-24 Record: 14-18 (7-13 ACC)

The Skinny: Georgia Tech this high? Yes. Perhaps the most underrated player in the ACC — sophomore center Baye Ndongo — is largely the reason why I believe the Yellow Jackets can shrug off several years of disappointment following a terrific 2020-21 campaign. Ndongo, sophomore guard Naithan George, and senior guard Kowacie Reeves make up a trio of returning players who averaged a combined 32.0 PPG last season. Throw in point guard Javian McCollum — a starter at Oklahoma —- and you have the mold of a starting five fit to make a leap in the ACC. My question, akin to Clemson, is the lack of depth. Nonetheless, Yellow Jacket nation should expect more than seven conference wins in 2023-24.

8. Miami

2023-24 Record: 15-17 (6-14 ACC)

The Skinny: Miami flat-out stunk last season. It’s true. Despite reaching the Final Four a year prior, the ‘Canes were riddled with injuries and played some uninspiring basketball en route to a second-to-last finish. A portal exodus — featuring star center Norchad Omier as well as a backcourt duo of Bensley Joseph and Wooga Poplar — has left guard Nijel Pack (13.3 PPG) and forward Matthew Cleveland (13.7 PPG) as the lone ‘Canes with significant experience in the ACC. Luckily for them, five-star Jalil Bethea and bucket-getter Jalen Blackmon (Stetson) have stepped foot in Coral Gables to help right the ship. This ranking might seem low for a unit that certainly has the talent to compete at the highest level, but they need to prove themselves in a massive way this season. 

9. Louisville

2023-24 Record: 8-24 (3-17 ACC)

The Skinny: Phew, the Kenny Payne experiment is officially over. A tradition-rich program lost a whopping 52 games over the past two seasons, with a 4-28 finish in 2022-23 perhaps the worst college basketball campaign I have ever witnessed. Now, ex-Charleston coach Pat Kelsey has this fanbase humming after completely retooling the roster in Louisville. Not a single scholarship player has returned for the Cardinals. They’re starting from scratch. The portal class features the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year Terrence Edwards Jr. (JMU), three-year starter Chucky Hepburn (Wisconsin), and a familiar face for Kelsey in Charleston’s Reyne Smith — a 41.0% three-point shooter last season. All I know is that the Cardinals will be immensely better than they were under Payne. However, let’s not assume that this mish-mash of transfers will immediately rise to the top of the ACC.

10. Notre Dame

2023-24 Record: 13-20 (7-13 ACC)

The Skinny: There’s something to be said for a team returning 85.9% of their scoring from last season, the most in the conference by 28.3%. Sure, last season’s results didn’t turn out to be desirable for the Fighting Irish, but every major contributor outside of now-Illinois forward Carey Booth is back in the fold. ACC Rookie of the Year Markus Burton (17.5 PPG) is returning, while Princeton graduate transfer Matt Allocco will make a living behind the arc after converting 42.7% of his three-point tries last year. We all know what Micah Shrewsberry did with Penn State — having led them to their first NCAA Tournament since 2010-11 — so a quick turnaround for the Irish isn’t out of the question. While the portal era is all about turnover, Notre Dame’s chemistry and returning ACC experience might spur them on to a successful second season under Shrewsberry.

The Rest of the Pack:
11. Syracuse
12. NC State
13. SMU
14. Florida State
15. Stanford
16. Cal
17. Boston College
18. Virginia Tech

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