It is officially the most wonderful time of the year. College Basketball is back! In our ACC men’s basketball preview, each team is ranked by projected finish in a power rankings style. We take a stab at predicting each team’s starting lineups and provide insight for how these teams will operate in the 2026-27 season. Note that head coaches are also included and that the stats provided are from the 2025-26 season unless otherwise stated.

1. Duke

Jon Scheyer – Year 5

PG: Cayden Boozer (7.7 PPG, 2.3 REB, 2.9 AST)

SG: John Blackwell (Wisconsin transfer: 19.1 PPG, 5.1 REB, 2.3 AST)

SF: Dame Sarr (6.4 PPG, 3.1 REB, 1.1 AST)

PF: Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (FC Barcelona in Spain)

C: Patrick Ngongba II (10.1 PPG, 5.8 REB, 2.0 AST)

Scheyer has another squad loaded with talent. Bringing in multiple 5 star recruits, the top player in the transfer portal, and a few under the radar transfers, Duke has plenty of depth. Making it through the ACC has not been an issue for Duke the past few years, but the question will be if this roster can bring Duke its first national championship since 2015.

2. Virginia

Ryan Odom – Year 2

PG: Chance Mallory (9.3 PPG, 3.7 REB, 3.4 AST)

SG: Sam Lewis (10.6 PPG, 3.6 REB, 1.4 AST)

SF: Nolan Adekunle (Gladiators Trier in Germany)

PF: Thijs de Ridder (15.6 PPG, 6.2 REB, 1.6 AST)

C: Johann Grunloh (7.1 PPG, 5.2 REB, 2.2 BLK)

Coming off a fantastic first year as Virginia’s head coach, Ryan Odom has the challenge of not only replicating success, but making a deeper run in the NCAA tournament. Three starters return from last year’s team along with Chance Mallory, who is expected to take a huge leap in his sophomore year. Thijs De Ridder returns and will look to put up an all-American season. Virginia will be a high scoring team with high expectations, looking to dethrone Duke as the ACC champs.

3. Miami

Jai Lucas – Year 2

PG: Acaden Lewis (Villanova transfer: 12.2 PPG, 3 REB, 5.3 AST)

SG: Dante Allen (6.6 PPG, 2.8 REB, 2.2 AST)

SF: Shelton Henderson (13.8 PPG, 4.9 REB, 2.1 AST)

PF: Caleb Gaskins (5 star recruit)

C: Somto Cyril (Georgia transfer: 9.3 PPG, 5.4 REB, 2.2 BLK)

After a surprise season in 2025-26, Miami looks rebuilt for another strong year in the ACC. With Shelton Henderson as the only returning starter, Jai Lucas hit the transfer portal aggressively, bringing in eight new players. These additions are headlined by Acaden Lewis (Villanova) and Somto Cyril (Georgia). They also signed coveted 5 star recruit Caleb Gaskins, who will fill an important role from game one. Miami has the talent and depth to be even better than it was last year. Expect them to be in contention for at least a 5 seed when Selection Sunday rolls around.

4. North Carolina

Michael Malone – Year 1

PG: Terrence Brown (Utah transfer: 19.9 PPG, 2.4 REB, 3.8 AST)

SG: Matt Able (NC State transfer: 8.8 PPG, 3.4 REB, 0.9 AST)

SF: Neo Avdalis (Virginia Tech transfer: 12.1 PPG, 3.1 REB, 4.5 AST)

PF: Jarin Stevenson (8.1 PPG, 4.4 REB, 0.9 AST)

C: Sayon Keita (FC Barcelona in Spain)

It will be an interesting transition year for North Carolina, moving on from Hubert Davis after a devastating loss to VCU in March Madness. Michael Malone brings NBA experience as the new coach, including a title with the Nuggets in 2023. The question will be if his style of play will translate to the college level. Malone brought in plenty of transfers and was able to retain 3 guys from last year’s roster, including Jarin Stevenson who will play a key role down low. 5 star freshman Maximo Adams projects to come off the bench along with Isaiah Denis and Jaydon Young, who provide solid depth. The guard play will be electric with Terrence Brown, Matt Able and Neo Avdalis. At their ceiling, North Carolina makes it to the second weekend in March but it could be a slow start to the season as it figures out how to function together in Malone’s system.

5. Louisville

Pat Kelsey – Year 3

PG: Jackson Shelstad (Oregon transfer: 15.6 PPG, 2.9 REB, 4.9 AST in limited action)

SG: Seth Trimble (North Carolina transfer: 14.0 PPG, 3.8 REB, 3.0 AST)

SF: Adrian Wooley (8.7 PPG, 3.9 REB, 1.8 AST)

PF: Alvaro Folguieras (Iowa transfer: 8.4 PPG, 3.6 REB, 2.2 AST)

C: Flory Bidunga (Kansas transfer: 13.3 PPG, 9.0 REB, 2.6 BLK)

Pat Kelsey has completely rebuilt his lineup coming into this season with the help of the transfer portal. The biggest addition of them all was the paint beast Flory Bidunga, who will be the best center in the ACC. With a similar transfer-heavy squad last season, Louisville was solid but could not seem to win the big games against Q1-A opponents. Pat Kelsey needs to prove he can turn these highly ranked transfer classes into wins against the best on the court, because the all around talent is proven. Freshman Obinna Ekezie Jr will complement Bidunga well. Fans will be expecting at least a Sweet Sixteen appearance this year.

6. Florida State

Luke Loucks – Year 2

PG: Anthony Robinson II (Missouri transfer: 8.9 PPG, 3.1 REB, 3.0 AST)

SG: Kam Taylor (UNC Asheville transfer: 18.9 PPG, 5.0 REB, 3.0 AST)

SF: Shon Abaev (Cincinnati transfer: 7.0 PPG, 2.9 REB, 1.1 AST)

PF: Sebastian Rancik (Colorado transfer: 12.3 PPG, 5.5 REB, 2.0 AST)

C: Marcis Ponder (4 star recruit: 21 rebounds in exhibition against Auburn)

Florida State developed momentum at the end of the 2025-26 season, which culminated in a one-score loss to Duke in the ACC tournament. That left a lot to look forward to coming into this season, and Luke Loucks hit the portal to bring in an exciting mix of talent. Kam Taylor is the most intriguing player out of this transfer class with his athletic ability. He is a 6’7’ guard who, according to Loucks, recorded a 45.5 vertical on his first day at FSU. Pair that with 7’0’ freshman Marcis Ponder, who has already received the nickname of “Baby Shaq” because of his ability to be a game changer in the paint and you’ve got a great duo to build on. Sebastian Rancik has also received plenty of praise from Loucks for his stretch-four skillset. If Florida State is able to play more fluidly in the nonconference after a disaster stretch of games last season, they will be one of the most fun teams to watch in the country and will make it back into the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021.

7. Virginia Tech

Mike Young – Year 8

PG: Ben Hammond (13.2 PPG, 2.3 REB, 3.2 AST)

SG: Butta Johnson (Clemson transfer: 6.3 PPG, 2.1 REB, 1.0 AST)

SF: Tyler Johnson (8.0 PPG, 4.5 REB, 1.6 AST)

PF: Amani Hansberry (14.3 PPG, 7.4 REB, 2.4 AST)

C: Miles Heide (San Diego State transfer: 5.6 PPG, 4.5 REB, 0.8 AST)

Virginia Tech has not been to the NCAA tournament since 2022, but Mike Young has assembled a roster that has the ability to return to the Big Dance. The departure of Neo Avdalas, who led the 2025-26 team in field goal attempts, will make the Hokies less one-dimensional offensively and provide more opportunities to guys like Ben Hammond, Tyler Johnson, and Amani Hansberry. Along with bringing in Butta Johnson and Miles Heide, Virginia Tech also added Isaiah Elohim from the transfer portal, who will play a major role off the bench as a scorer. While there is no true star on this team, the Hokies will rely on getting everyone involved on the stat sheet to have a successful season.

8. Clemson

Brad Brownell – Year 17

PG: Ace Buckner (8.3 PPG, 2.9 REB, 1.8 AST)

SG: Cole Certa (Notre Dame transfer: 12.8 PPG, 1.7 REB, 0.8 AST)

SF: Liutauras Lelevicius (TCU transfer: 8.0 PPG, 3.4 REB, 0.7 AST)

PF: David Fuchs (San Francisco transfer: 12.7 PPG, 7.8 REB, 1.4 AST)

C: Dylan Faulkner (Samford transfer: 17.2 PPG, 8.6 REB, 1.8 AST)

It’s a whole new mix of players this season for Clemson. The only returning starter is Carter Welling, who will be out for a few weeks to start the season. While Brad Brownell brought in two 3-point sharpshooters from the transfer portal in Cole Certa and Liutauras Lelevicius, the concern for this team will be passing the ball around enough to get the right shot. Last season, this starting lineup combined for only 6.3 assists per game. It feels like a bubble season for Clemson after an early exit in the NCAA tournament last year.

9. NC State

Justin Gainey – Year 1

PG: Preston Edmead (Hofstra transfer: 16.1 PPG, 3.5 REB, 4.4 AST)

SG: Paul McNeil (13.8 PPG, 3.5 REB, 0.8 AST)

SF: Darius Adams (Maryland transfer: 10.8 PPG, 3.4 REB, 1.6 AST)

PF: Ven-Allen Lubin (13.6 PPG, 7.1 REB, 0.9 AST)

C: Kyle Evans (UC Irvine transfer: 12.0 PPG, 8.7 REB, 3.3 BLK)

One of the more intriguing teams to watch in the ACC is NC State in Justin Gainey’s first year as head coach. They brought in 3 highly touted transfers who produced last season at the mid-major level. Three-point shooting will be the focal point of the Wolfpack along with rebounding. Paul McNeil returns as one of the best shooters in the country, while Ven-Allen Lubin and Kyle Evans are sure to grab many boards in the paint. While the talent is there for NC State, there are sure to be growing pains for Gainey, as this is his first head coaching experience. If this team gets hot down the stretch, though, they could find themselves on the right side of the bubble in March.

10. SMU

Andy Enfield – Year 3

PG: Oziyah Sellers (St John’s transfer: 10.3 PPG, 2.7 REB, 1.6 AST)

SG: Rowan Brumbaugh (Tulane transfer: 19.2 PPG, 4.9 REB, 3.5 AST)

SF: Jermaine O’Neal Jr (4.5 PPG, 2.0 REB, 0.4 AST)

PF: Jaylin Stewart (UConn transfer: 4.3 PPG, 2.6 REB, 1.1 AST)

C: Jaden Toombs (8.3 PPG, 4.6 REB, 1.1 AST)

SMU started losing steam late last season and it culminated in a first four loss to Miami OH. It lost much of their production and now roll out a new starting five, headlined by Tulane transfer Rowan Brumbaugh, who needs to be the star of the show for SMU if it wants to make it back into the tournament. Jermaine O’Neal Jr and Jaden Toombs also need to make large sophomore strides after playing a bench role in their freshmen seasons for the Mustangs to be successful.

11. Syracuse

Gerry McNamara – Year 1

PG: Garwey Dual (McNeese State transfer: 8.4 PPG, 2.9 REB, 4.4 AST)

SG: Gavin Doty (Siena transfer: 18.0 PPG, 6.9 REB, 2.2 AST)

SF: Mark Morano (Helios Suns in Slovenia)

PF: Sadiq White Jr (6.1 PPG, 3.3 REB, 0.4 AST)

C: Luke Wilson (Appalachian State transfer: 10.7 PPG, 8.3 REB, 1.8 BLK)

Syracuse fans should be excited to see a much needed change of scenery with their basketball team. Gerry McNamara came in as head coach from Siena and while he assembled a roster of mid major transfers, McNamara kept Sadiq White Jr and Kiyan Anthony for their sophomore seasons. This team is bound to make some noise in the ACC, but only time will tell if these mid-major stars will translate their game to the power conference level and find their way into the NCAA tournament in year one of McNamara.

12. Pittsburgh

Jeff Capel – Year 9

PG: Nait George (Syracuse transfer: 10.9 PPG, 3.0 REB, 5.3 AST)

SG: Jalil Bethea (Alabama transfer: 3.9 PPG, 1.7 REB, 0.5 AST)

SF: Jonathan Powell (North Carolina transfer: 4.8 PPG, 2.4 REB, 0.7 AST)

PF: Chase Foster (4 star recruit)

C: Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech transfer: 11.8 PPG, 8.1 REB, 2.4 AST)

Pittsburgh has not made it to the NCAA tournament since 2023. The last three years have not been pretty for Jeff Capel, and he’s seeking a turnaround with a roster built around high-major bounce backs. There is plenty of untapped potential floating around, but Pittsburgh needs to prove that it can compete with the top of the conference consistently in order to build their resume for March.

13. Boston College

Luke Murray – Year 1

PG: Money Williams (Montana transfer: 20.6 PPG, 4.3 REB, 4.7 AST)

SG: Ernest Shelton (Merrimack transfer: 15.9 PPG, 3.1 REB, 0.9 AST)

SF: Zak Smrekar (Krka Novo Mesto in Slovenia)

PF: Colby Duggan (Charleston transfer: 9.3 PPG, 2.4 REB, 2.3 AST)

C: Luke Hunger (George Washington transfer: 8.4 PPG, 5.1 REB, 0.9 AST)

New head coach Luke Murray built his roster with mid-major stars, which is hard to evaluate without seeing them play consistently against high-major competition. Money Williams is the best player on the team acquired via the transfer portal because of his scoring ability. Other guys will need to get involved in the scoring for Boston College to win some ACC games.

14. California

Mark Madsen – Year 4

PG: Jordan Ross (Georgia transfer: 6.7 PPG, 2.5 REB, 2.3 AST)

SG: Nojus Indrusaitis (Pittsburgh transfer: 9.1 PPG, 3.1 REB, 1.7 AST)

SF: Jake Wilkins (Georgia transfer: 4.9 PPG, 1.8 REB, 0.4 AST)
PF: Sammie Yeanay (DNP 2025-26)
C: Lee Dort (8.1 PPG, 7.8 REB, 0.9 BLK)

A couple of different results would have gotten Cal into the NCAA tournament for the first time in Mark Madsen’s tenure. However, the guys from last year are no longer on the roster and there are not any flashy portal additions, other than cool dunk packages from Jake Wilkins. It feels like it will be another middle of the pack finish for Cal in 2026-27.

15. Notre Dame

Micah Shrewsberry – Year 4

PG: Braeden Smith (Gonzaga transfer: 5.1 PPG, 2.2 REB, 3.6 AST)
SG: Braeden Shrewsberry (11.9 PPG, 3.1 REB, 1.9 AST)

SF: Ethan Roberts (Penn transfer: 16.9 PPG, 3.9 REB, 2.3 AST)

PF: Brady Koehler (5.6 PPG, 3.2 REB, 0.3 AST)
C: Logan Duncomb (Winthrop transfer: 18.3 PPG, 8.9 REB, 1.6 AST)

Last season, Notre Dame only won four games in ACC play. Their biggest portal addition is Logan Duncomb, who put Winthrop on his back and came a game away from going to the NCAA tournament. He will likely need to replicate that success for Notre Dame to have a competitive season in the ACC, or the seat will get hot for Micah Shrewsberry.

16. Stanford

Kyle Smith – Year 3

PG: Christian Bliss (Delaware transfer: 16.7 PPG, 5.2 REB, 5.9 AST)

SG: Julius Price (4 star recruit)
SF: Aziz Olajuwon (4 star recruit)
PF: Nick Townsend (Yale transfer: 16.3 PPG, 7.4 REB, 4.3 AST)
C: Aidan Cammann (6.5 PPG, 3.8 REB, 1.4 AST)

Kyle Smith chose to fill his roster with five freshmen, and he is projected to start two of them in 2026-27. He also added CUSA freshman of the year Christian Bliss and Yale transfer Nick Townsend, who was recently deemed eligible to play. There is a lack of experience on this roster, which makes it hard to project them too high in the rankings. Recent years of negative results have not been what Stanford fans expected when Kyle Smith was hired three years ago.

17. Georgia Tech

Scott Cross – Year 1

PG: Colby Garland (San Jose State transfer: 20.3 PPG, 3.3 REB, 4.6 AST)
SG: Nasir Whitlock (Lehigh transfer: 20.5 PPG, 3.5 REB, 3.3 AST)
SF: Jackson Fields (West Virginia transfer: 4.3 PPG, 3.4 REB, 1.1 AST)

PF: Tylis Jordan (Ole Miss transfer: DNP 2025-26)
C: Moustapha Diop (4 star recruit)

Damon Stoudamire was replaced by Scott Cross, who took Troy to the last two NCAA tournaments as their head coach. The guard play with Colby Garland and Nasir Whitlock will be a fun combo to watch, but that may be all. Two of Georgia Tech’s projected starters have zero game experience at the college level and the other three have not started at the high major level (Fields was a bench player). It could be a rough first year for Cross in Atlanta as he rebuilds the program.

18. Wake Forest

Scott Forbes – Year 7

PG: Kevair Kennedy (Merrimack transfer: 18.4 PPG, 4.6 REB, 4.2 AST)
SG: Justin Ray (Monmouth transfer: 11.3 PPG, 2.1 REB, 1.2 AST)
SF: Isaac Carr (2.2 PPG, 1.7 REB, 1.2 AST)

PF: Gavin Placide (4 star recruit)
C: Xander Pintelon (FAU transfer: 6.2 PPG, 3.7 REB, 0.7 AST)

Wake Forest lost almost all of their production from last season. Its portal class was underwhelming, with their top target being Kevair Kennedy from Merrimack. This roster does not look primed to compete in the ACC, but it will be a development year for freshmen twins Gavin and Gallagher Placide. A coaching change may come as a result of a poor season.

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