Nick Faulkner
Head coach Kevin Keatts watches the team's offense. The Wolfpack showed off its new defense and a high-powered offense with a 109-66 win over Mars Hill on Friday, Nov. 3, 2017 in PNC Arena.
Even though the ACC was the strongest conference this past year, sending the most teams to the NCAA tournament, no team reached the Final Four for the first time since 2014. The ACC is looking to get back on track and hopes there will be more success in the future. Next year looks like it will be quite a year for the conference, with five teams in the top-25 recruiting-wise.
Although most players have not announced their NBA decisions and some recruits haven’t committed yet, we are looking forward to the 2018-19 season and have compiled very early power rankings for the ACC.
1. Duke
With two players having already committed to the draft and another three likely, the Blue Devils are set to lose five players. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski is experienced in the one-and-done department though, and has managed to replenish his team with what might be the greatest recruiting class in college basketball history.
Duke has signed the top overall point guard, power forward and the top two overall small forwards in the 2018 class in Tre Jones, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson and Cam Reddish.
2. Virginia
After a disappointing end to the season, head coach Tony Bennett will be looking to avenge his team’s sudden exit and repeat the success that they had during the regular season.
Even though it only added one three-star recruit, Virginia has a chance to be one of the best teams in the country. Bennett has repeatedly proven his ability to lead teams with subpar talent to incredible regular season success, which resulted in his Coach of the Year honors this year. With Devon Hall departing, rising juniors Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome will be leaders of this team and must step up their offensive firepower in order to recreate the success they have seen.
3. UNC-Chapel Hill
Roy Williams and the Tar Heels are looking to bounce back after a crushing 21-point loss to Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Heels are bringing in the second-best recruiting class in the ACC, most notably, stand-out forward Nassir Little who was named MVP of the 2018 McDonald’s All-American game. Expect big years from seniors Luke Maye and Kenny Williams, who have both experienced the thrill of winning a championship and will be hoping to recreate that feeling.
4. Florida State
After a surprise run to the Elite Eight this past season, the Seminoles have 11 of 13 scholarship players returning next season. The only losses are senior and third-leading scorer Braian Angola and CJ Walker, who asked for a release.
If the Noles receive a fifth year of eligibility from senior Phil Cofer, who led the team in scoring with 12.8 ppg last season, they will be one of the best teams in the ACC. The last time they had this many returning players was 2011-12 when they won the ACC title, so the future is bright in Tallahassee.
5. NC State
After being picked to finish 12th in the ACC, the Wolfpack finished fifth in the conference, and went 11-7 in the ACC, which was tied for the program’s best record in the last 12 years. Head coach Kevin Keatts has changed the culture at NC State. With his first recruiting class, Keatts will look to build on the momentum from last season and bring the Wolfpack to back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.
Even with starting center Omer Yurtseven transferring and the loss of leading scorer Al Freeman, the Wolfpack should be in great shape next year due to the addition of four four-star recruits and transfers C.J. Bryce, Devon Daniels and Blake Harris.
6. Virginia Tech
Reaching back-to-back NCAA tournaments for only the third time in school history, the Hokies were not able to capitalize and bowed out in the first round for the second year straight.
Virginia Tech has been trending in the right direction since hiring head coach Buzz Williams and has had three straight 10 conference win seasons for the first time in more than 55 years. The Hokies are getting four-star recruit Landers Nolley, who is a 6-foot-7 small forward that will look to make an immediate impact on the court.
7. Louisville
After an FBI investigation saw the end of Rick Pitino’s career, the Cardinals were on the hunt for a new coach. They have found a great one in Chris Mack. The former Xavier head coach led the Musketeers to a one seed in the NCAA tournament this past year before losing to the ACC’s Florida State.
Mack took Xavier to eight NCAA tournaments, four Sweet 16s, and one Elite Eight in his nine years. Barring any transfers, the Cardinals will be returning most of their core group and adding Connecticut transfer Steven Enoch, who will be able to play after sitting out last season.
8. Boston College
If Jerome Robinson decides to return for his senior season, the Eagles will have one of the best backcourts in the country. Robinson and guard Ky Bowman were a force this year in the ACC, with Robinson being the runner-up for Player of the Year.
Even without Robinson’s return, Boston College should be one of the better teams in the ACC after going 7-11 this year. The Eagles have only gotten better with the signing of four-star recruit Jairus Hamilton, a 6-foot-8 210-pound small forward, who should be able to immediately make an impact with his college-ready athleticism.
9. Clemson
Coming off one of the best seasons in program history, winning an NCAA first-round game for the first time in 19 years, the Tigers are hoping to repeat that success next year.
Clemson will need redshirt juniors Marquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell to return for their senior year. With seniors Gabe DeVoe and Donte Grantham graduating, the Tigers will need to lean heavily on them for their scoring.
Head coach Brad Brownell has secured a trio of three-star recruits as well. Leading rebounder Elijah Thomas has confirmed that he will stay for his senior year, so they should be in good shape even if Reed and Mitchell do end up leaving for professional aspirations.
10. Miami
With this year’s draft class having a lot of depth, it might be in the best interest of freshmen Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown to return to the Hurricanes and give head coach Jim Larrañaga not only one of the best teams in the ACC, but one of the best teams in the country.
They are both projected to be late first-rounders, but another year could help them both rise into lottery status. Miami’s success is fully dependent on their return though, as the Canes have no recruits for next year and will be looking to add some graduate transfers this summer.
11. Syracuse
Head coach Jim Boeheim’s ability to lead average teams to postseason success is unparalleled. After finishing with an 8-10 ACC record this past season, Boeheim led the Orange to the Sweet 16 where they almost knocked off fellow ACC rival and No. 2 seed Duke.
If Tyus Battle returns, Syracuse will return every starter from its Sweet 16 team and would most likely be a top-25 team entering next season. The Orange did take a hit when top-10 recruit Darius Bazley decided to forgo attending Syracuse and instead go straight to the NBA G-League, but they have another top-50 recruit in guard Jalen Carey.
12. Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish lose three of their top four scorers, but are adding four four-star recruits next year and have third-leading scorer TJ Gibbs returning for what should be a breakout junior campaign.
Gibbs averaged 15.3 ppg this past season while finishing fourth in the ACC in 3-point percentage. He will be the unquestioned leader of the team next year and will look to assimilate the five incoming freshman.
13. Georgia Tech
Head coach Josh Pastner led the Yellow Jackets to a 21-16 record in his first year, but took a major step back this past season and compiled a 13-19 record while losing 12 of its last 15 games.
It was a struggle for one of the youngest teams in the ACC, but should serve as a great learning experience. Returning almost all scholarship players, the Jackets should be in good shape for next year as long as they stay healthy. Junior Josh Okogie will be the go-to player for Georgia Tech after averaging 18.6 points this past season.
14. Wake Forest
With Keyshawn Woods and Donovan Mitchell transferring and Mitchell Wilbekin graduating, the Demon Deacons lose three of their top five scorers and will have an entirely new look next season.
Fortunately, head coach Danny Manning has put together one of the top recruiting classes next year and will be looking to replace the lost scoring with 6-foot-8 forwards Jaylen Hoard and Isaiah Mucius, who are both ESPN top-100 recruits.
Bryant Crawford and Doral Moore were the other two top scorers for Wake and are both testing the NBA waters but neither has hired an agent. If they both return, it will be up to Manning to show off his coaching ability and lead the Deacons to success as they have all the talent needed.
15. Pittsburgh
The Panthers went winless in the ACC this past season and fired head coach Kevin Stallings at the end of the season, transitioning into a new era hiring Jeff Capel, an assistant coach of Krzyzewski.
However, Capel will not have much to work with next season. Eight Pittsburgh players requested their release from the university and currently the only recruit is junior college transfer Danya Kingsby.