ACC BASKETBALL POWER RANKINGS 2025-26

Tier 1 (Final four contenders):

1. Duke Blue Devils

It's a young team, but no other ACC squad has anywhere close to as much talent as Duke has. I don't know if they go 19-1 in confernce play again, but Duke is my pick as the early favorite to win the conference next season. I think Isaiah Evans has a breakout season and so could Patrick Ngbonga. Cam Boozer is also the best freshman in the country in my opinion.

2. Louisville Cardinals

Louisville should have one of the best backcourts in college basketball after head coach Pat Kelsey brought in arguably the most talented transfer classes in the nation. Mikel Brown Jr, Ryan Conwell, Isaac McKneeley, and Adrian Wooley on the same team is crazy. There frontcourt isn't all that bad either with Kasean Pryor back. I still think that Duke has a little bit more talent though.

Tier 2 (Top 25 caliber teams):

3. North Carolina State Wolfpack

Will Wade is poised for success in his first season in Raleigh after hauling in one of the best transfer classes in the country. They should be one of the most experienced teams in the ACC, despite having almost an entirely new team. Wiil Wade being a much better coach than Hubert Davis is mostly what makes me pick NC State over North Carolina

4. North Carolina Tar Heels

This should be a bounce-back season for North Carolina. Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar should both be in the mix to make one of the all-conference teams, and Caleb Wilson could be one of the best freshmen in the conference.

Tier 3 (NCAA Tournament Bound):

5. SMU Mustangs

I think this SMU has a chance to do something special in just their second year as a member off the conference. They just missed the tournament last season, but with the amount of talent they have coming back and the addition of Jaron Pierre Jr, this SMU team looks dangerous on paper going into next season.

6. Virginia Cavaliers

Head coach Ryan Odom did an excellent job this offseason, immediately rebuilding the program after losing all their main contributors from last season. I'm expecting Malik Thomas to have an outstanding season, and he's got a lot of talent playing around him.

Tier 4 (NCAA Tournament Contenders):

7. Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech is definitely a tough team to predict for next season, but they should have one of the more talented starting lineups in the conference. If Izaiah Pasha and Neoklis Avdalas can adjust well to ACC play, Virginia Tech could have quite a turnaround next season.

8. Syracuse Orange

I think this year's Syracuse team is a lot better than last season's. Their trio of JJ Starling, Donnie Freeman, and Naithan George should be tough to stop. They've also got lots of good complimentary pieces. This could be the year they get back in the tournament.

9. Pittsburgh Panthers

This season's team definitely could have what it takes to get head coach Jeff Capel off the hot seat. I could see both Brandin Cummings and Dishon Jackson having breakout seasons next year. I also think that DaMarco Minor and Barry Dunning are both great additions from the portal, and they should adjust well from the mid-major level to the ACC.

10. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

I do think that this Georgia Tech team has a chance to be on the tournament bubble this season. They're definitely not the deepest team in the conference, but their frontcourt tandem of Mouhamed Sylla and Baye Ndongo has the makings of something special. The Lamar Washington and Kam Craft backcourt duo could be decent.

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

This Notre Dame team wil go as far as Markus Burton will take them. He could be the best player in the conference during his junior year next season. I don't love what Notre Dame has to work wiht outside of Burton though. A huge freshman season from Jalen Harolson is a must.

12. Miami Hurricanes

It's tough to predict how good this Miami team will be next year. I think Reneau will have a nice season, and I like their backcourt tandem of Donaldson and Washington. But it's an entirely new team and a first-time head coach, so it's hard to see them finishing towards the top of the conference.

13. Clemson Tigers

Clemson should have some serious size in their starting lineup. Scoring-wise, I have my doubts though. They don't have much offensive potential outisde of Jestin Porter and Nick Davidson. Brad Brownell is an excellent head coach, but I feel he needed to do better in the portal after losing so much production from last season.

14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

It's not a terrible roster for Steve Forbes this season at Wake Forest, but I don't see how they have as prolific an offense as they did last season. They should be one of the more athletic teams in the conference. It feels like Wake Forest is relying a lot on a transfer portal class that is good but not great.

NIT CONTENDERS

15. Florida State Seminoles

There are a lot of question marks surrounding FSU's roster next year. It will be interesting to see how first-year head coach Luke Loucks does with an entirely new team, but I definitely think it could be a long season for Seminole fans in the first season of the new era of Florida State basketball.

16. Boston College Eagles

Boston College could have a legitimately good backcourt next season, led by Chase Forte and Donald Hand Jr. Their frontcourt could be a serious issue; Boden Kapke and Aidan Shaw are coming off seasons where they had much smaller roles with their respective teams.

17. California Golden Bears

It's an entirely new roster for Cal, and I think they lack legitimate scoring options. Unless DJ Campbell and Dai Dai Ames both have breakout seasons, it's gonna be hard for them to get enough scoring out of their backcourt.

18. Stanford Cardinals

Not sure why Stanford wasn't able to do really anything in the transfer portal this offseason. Last season's team was almost entirely centered around Maxime Raynaud, and they didn't really land any proven bigs to replace his production. Kyle Smith is gonna need a lot of his guys to break out next season for this Stanford team to compete in the ACC this season.