| Boston College | E. Grant has a top 200 player in Chad Venning but lost a lot. Dion Brown was a nice add but the ceiling seems similar to last year. |
| Cal | Cal in the ACC is odd. Biggest storyline might be travel and homecourt split. Rytis Petraitis from Air Force is likely their best player. |
| Clemson | Despite losing PJ Hall, Clemson retains key player Ian Schieffelin from last season’s Elite 8 run. Depth and experience keep them competitive, potentially a top 25 team. |
| Duke | Duke’s recruiting class might not meet top 5 expectations I’ve seen some place on them. Departure of key players leaves gaps. The departure of key players adds to the challenge, leaving Duke with significant gaps to fill IMO. While the addition of solid role player parts through the portal offers some respite, concerns linger about the team’s overall experience for me. Putting the hopes in the hands of two 17 year olds in the super senior era with 23+ year olds everywhere. Maliq Brown is highly rated in our model, more than most, but even he is a weird fit with a lack of shooting. Concerns remain about Jon Scheyer‘s coaching and Duke’s ability to integrate new talent will be closely watched. Estimating the value of the freshmen I think a 3.9 team ADJeff is about as high as I would go. If you want a more indepth analysis we have it here. |
| Florida State | Leonard Hamilton avoided the challenge of replacing top transfer Jamir Watkins but did land an uninspiring recruiting class. Jerry Deng ranks best transfer in the model. |
| Georgia Tech | Stoudamire had some nice upsets last year and returns some continuity, but they still seem a year or two away. |
| Louisville | Kelsey’s coaching tenure raises questions, but Louisville remains competitive with strong recruiting. J’Vonne Hadley and Chucky Hepburn likely lead the way. |
| Miami | Miami has talent and coaching prowess but struggled last season. Nijel Pack’s performance dip is concerning. Despite challenges, additions of Lynn Kidd and Brandon Johnson offer promise. Larranaga’s coaching provides stability. |
| NC State | Fluke Final Four run saved Keats’ job. He plays too many players, lowering the ceiling. Better results came when rotations were cut. B. Huntley-Hatfield will replace DJ Burns. |
| North Carolina | Baycot’s departure leaves a void, but RJ Davis retains star power for UNC. Replacing Bacot is challenging, but strength at the guard position offers hope. Jalen Washington adds depth in the post, and Ven-Allen Lubin is a nice H. Ingram replacement. |
| Notre Dame | Notre Dame returns significant continuity but wasn’t good last year. They need to hit the portal harder. Markus Burton leads the way. |
| Pitt | Capel, once on the hot seat, has settled into the bubble zone. Still underachieving for a top 15-20 paid coach. |
| SMU | Enfield has a history of success, including NCAA runs and high rankings. Kevin Miller and Matt Cross lead SMU into the ACC. |
| Stanford | New coach Kyle Smith convinced Maxime Raynaud to return, giving Stanford a chance. Travel remains a concern. |
| Syracuse | Replacing a legendary coach went better than expected in year one. Judah Mintz, a top 40 player nationally, offers potential for more this year. |
| Virginia | Tony Bennett faces challenges with free transfers and NIL. His system takes time to master, hard with changing rosters so often now. Jalen Warley is their top transfer. Isaac McKneely can shoot, but that’s about all he gives you. Maybe Bennett can work some magic and overachieve, but this appears to be a bad team.Bennett might overachieve, but this seems like an underwhelming roster. |
| Virginia Tech | This team seems devoid of talent with only Micah Parrish in the top 300 and portal losses. Mylyjael Poteat is highly productive per minute and needs more playtime. |
| Wake Forest | Steve Forbes returns significant continuity with Hunter Sallis, Cameron Hildreth, and Efton Reid. NCAA tournament should happen this season. |
