Previewing the 2021-2022 ACC Men’s Basketball Season

Brief previews for every ACC men’s basketball team heading into the 2021-2022 college basketball season

Matt Newton | Nov 9, 2021

It’s never too early to study your opponents. Read on for a brief preview for every ACC men’s basketball team.

Note: Virginia is not included in this list. Check out our full previews for the Virginia men’s basketball season here:

Previewing the 2021-2022 Virginia Men’s Basketball Roster

Previewing the 2021-2022 Virginia Men's Basketball Schedule

Boston College

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 15th

Returning: Makai Ashton-Langford, DeMarr Langford Jr.

Key losses: Jay Heath, CJ Felder, Steffon Mitchell. Wynston Tabbs

Notable additions: Brevin Galloway

Outlook: Boston College has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2009. Under first-year head coach Earl Grant, that is not likely to change. The Eagles went 4-16 overall and 2-11 in the ACC last season and BC lost leading scorers Jay Heath, CJ Felder, and Steffon Mitchell. It will likely be another rebuilding year in Chestnut Hill.

Clemson

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 11th

Returning: Al-Amir Dawes, Hunter Tyson, Alex Hemenway, Nick Honor

Key losses: Aamir Simms, Clyde Trappe, Jonathan Baehre

Notable additions: David Collins

Outlook: Clemson will be without mainstay Aamir Simms, who departs after a very accomplished college career. David Collins, a transfer from USF, will help matters a bit, but the Tigers face quite the uphill battle this season after losing a number of key pieces from last year’s team that made the NCAA Tournament.

Duke

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 1st

Returning: Wendell Moore, Jeremy Roach, Mark Williams, Joey Baker

Key losses: Matthew Hurt, DJ Steward, Jalen Johnson, Jordan Goldwire

Notable additions: Paolo Banchero, Trevor Keels, AJ Griffin

Outlook: As Coach K enters his final season as a college basketball coach, his roster is set up very well for Duke to have a successful season. On top of a solid returning core of Wendell Moore, Jeremy Roach, Mark Williams, and Joey Baker, the Blue Devils add yet another tremendous freshman class, including ACC Preseason Player of the Year Paolo Banchero as well as likely draft picks Trevor Keels and AJ Griffin.

Florida State

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 2nd

Returning: Anthony Polite, RayQuan Evans, Malik Osborne, Wyatt Wilkes

Key losses: M.J. Walker, Raiquan Gray, Scottie Barnes, Balsa Koprivica

Notable additions: Caleb Mills, Cam’Ron Fletcher, Jalen Warley, Matthew Cleveland

Outlook: Florida State lost a great deal from last season’s team, but the Seminoles also gained quite a bit through the transfer portal and a talented freshman class. Once again, Leonard Hamilton will have a roster full of athletic and talented players to move around in various lineups, a recipe which has worked extremely well for FSU in recent history.

Georgia Tech

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 10th

Returning: Michael Devoe, Jordan Usher, Bubba Parham, Khalid Moore

Key losses: Moses Wright, Jose Alvarado

Notable additions: Dallan Coleman, Miles Kelly, Deivon Smith

Outlook: Led by Moses Wright and Jose Alvarado, the Yellow Jackets won their first ACC Tournament Championship since 1993. It will be difficult for Georgia Tech to repeat, though, as Josh Pastner’s group loses Wright and Alvarado this season. Georgia Tech will still be a solid team with Michael Devoe and Jordan Usher leading the way.

Louisville

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 6th

Returning: Jae’Lyn Withers, Samuell Williamson, Dre Davis, Malik Williams

Key losses: Carlik Jones, David Johnson, Quinn Slazinski

Notable additions: Jarrod West, Matt Cross, Noah Locke, El Ellis

Outlook: Louisville had a rough season in 2020-2021, as the Cardinals dealt with multiple COVID-19 pauses. Carlik Jones and David Johnson are tough losses to swallow, but Chris Mack brings in a lot of incoming talent in the transfer portal to help the Cards get back on their feet this season.

Miami

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 12th

Returning: Isaiah Wong, Kameron McGusty, Anthony Walker

Key losses: Chris Lykes, Elijah Olaniyi, Earl Timberlake, Nysier Brooks, Matt Cross

Notable additions: Charlie Moore, Jordan Miller

Outlook: Miami loses five of its top eight scorers from last season. Isaiah Wong and Kameron McGusty form a dangerous scoring duo for the Canes, but the roster beyond those two players is not very strong.

NC State

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 9th

Returning: Jericole Hellems, Manny Bates, Cam Hayes, Thomas Allen

Key losses: Devon Daniels, DJ Funderburk, Braxton Beverly

Notable additions: Casey Morsell, Greg Gantt

Outlook: NC State has not made the NCAA Tournament since 2018, despite coming very close on multiple occasions. Beyond the additions of Casey Morsell and Greg Gantt, NC State did not improve much from last season, as the Wolf Pack lost Devon Daniels, DJ Funderburk, and Braxton Beverly. Manny Bates and Jericole Hellems will have to make big leaps in order for the Wolf Pack return to March Madness.

North Carolina

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 3rd

Returning: Armando Bacot, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, Kerwin Walton, Leaky Black

Key losses: Garrison Brooks, Day’Ron Sharpe, Walker Kessler, Andrew Platek

Notable additions: Dawson Garcia, Brady Manek, Justin McKoy, Dontrez Styles, D’Marco Dunn

Outlook: In his first year as UNC head coach following the retirement of Roy Williams, Hubert Davis is set up for success as North Carolina returns a number of experienced players, led by Armando Bacot and Caleb Love. The Tar Heels also add transfers Dawson Garcia, Brady Manek, and Justin McKoy. This is not to say that UNC will smoothly transition from Williams to Davis, but Davis will be blessed by a very talented roster in year one.

Notre Dame

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 8th

Returning: Prentiss Hubb, Nate Laszewski, Dane Goodwin, Cormac Ryan, Trey Wertz

Key losses: Juwan Durham, Nikola Djogo

Notable additions: Paul Atkinson, Blake Wesley

Outlook: Notre Dame looks to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 and the Fighting Irish have a roster built to get the job done. Five of the six top scorers from last season are back, led by Prentiss Hubb and Late Laszewski.

Pittsburgh

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 14th

Returning: Ithiel Horton, Nike Sibande, Femi Odukale

Key losses: Justin Champagnie, Au’Diese Toney, Xavier Johnson, Karim Coulibaly

Notable additions: Jamarcus Burton, Mouhamadou Gueye, Chris Payton, Dan Oladapo,

Outlook: Pittsburgh went 10-12 and 6-10 in the ACC last season and the Panthers will be without the top three leading scorers from a season ago in Justin Champagnie, Au’Diese Toney, and Xavier Johnson. Jeff Capel has done an admirable job rebuilding the Pitt basketball program, but his fourth season at the helm figures to be a challenging one.

Syracuse

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 7th

Returning: Buddy Boeheim, Joe Girard,

Key losses: Quincy Guerrier, Alan Griffin, Marek Dolezaj, Kadary Richmond, Robert Braswell

Notable additions: Cole Swider, Benny Williams, Jimmy Boeheim, Symir Torrence

Outlook: Syracuse loses a lot from last season, as Quincy Guerrier, Alan Griffin, Marek Dolezaj, and Kadary Richmond are all gone this year. Still, the tandem of Buddy Boeheim and Joe Girard is far and away the best shooting backcourt in the ACC. The Orange will be formidable as always, looking to build off of the team’s run to the Sweet 16 last year.

Virginia Tech

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 5th

Returning: Keve Aluma, Nahiem Alleyne, Justyn Mutts, Hunter Cattoor, David N’Guessan

Key losses: Tyrece Radford, Jalen Cone, Wabissa Bede

Notable additions: Storm Murphy, Lynn Kidd

Outlook: Although the Hokies lost Tyrece Radford, Jalen Cone, and Wabissa Bede, they still return a strong group, led by Keve Aluma, who was a preseason All-ACC first team selection. Additionally, Virginia Tech adds sharpshooter Storm Murphy, who shot 40% from three last season at Wofford. Mike Young looks to take another step towards building Virginia Tech into a championship contending basketball program.

Wake Forest

Predicted order of finish per ACC media preseason poll: 13th

Returning: Davien Williamson, Tariq Ingraham, Isaiah Mucius

Key losses: Ian Dubose, Ismael Massoud, Ody Oguama, Jonah Antonio

Notable additions: Jake Laravia, Alondes Williams, Damari Monsanto, Khadim Sy

Outlook: Davien Williamson and Isaiah Mucius return to lead the Deacs, who also bring in an intriguing group of transfers. Depending on how the transfers pan out, Wake Forest could take a step forward in Steve Forbes’ second season, but will likely still finish in the bottom third of the ACC.