The ACC does not have as many quality programs as the Big 12, Big Ten or SEC regularly produce. That’s the best explanation for why the league has ranked outside of the top four nationally in each of the past four seasons, according to KenPom.com. Too many of the ACC’s big brands haven’t been good lately.
But there’s still real strength at the top of the ACC, which expanded to 18 teams by adding Cal, Stanford and SMU for 2024-25.
North Carolina played in the national championship game three years ago, earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season and should be a top-10 team this season. And, as my CBS Sports Network colleague Pete Gillen once famously said, Duke is Duke. So I don’t expect, nor does any so-called Bracketologist expect, the ACC to lead all conferences in bids to the 2025 NCAA Tournament. But the ACC does have at least two teams that are clearly equipped to win the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Each of our panelists is projecting Duke and North Carolina to finish first and second in the ACC, in some order. Among the fascinating aspects of this perceived conference race is that one of those teams (Duke) will be led by a 17-year-old freshman phenom (Cooper Flagg) while the other is headlined by a fifth-year senior (RJ Davis) who will turn 23 in two weeks.
It should be a fun race.
Duke and UNC will meet for the first time on Feb. 1.
RJ Davis, one of the nation’s top guards, returns for a fifth season at UNC.
USATSI
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
RJ Davis | G | North Carolina
For all of his greatness at the collegiate level, Davis is not generally considered to be a high-end NBA prospect, which helps explain his return to UNC for a fifth year after he was a consensus First Team All-American last season. The 22 year-old New York native averaged 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists for a North Carolina team that secured a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. His return is why the Tar Heels are clearly the ACC’s biggest threat to Duke.
ACC Preseason Freshman of the Year
Cooper Flagg | F | Duke
Flagg is entering college with as much hype as any recent prospect — and he has a chance to become the youngest Wooden Award winner in history. On offense, he can dribble, shoot and pass. On defense, he can guard his position, block shots and rebound. Flagg’s ability to impact winning is uncanny for a player his age. He’ll be college basketball’s biggest attraction this season with his first marquee game scheduled for Nov. 12 against Kentucky in the Champions Classic.
Four more players to watch
Chase Hunter | F | Clemson: Hunter is the leading returning scorer from a Clemson team that advanced to the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. He averaged 12.9 points and 3.2 assists last season in 32.8 minutes per game.
Ishmael Leggett | G | Pitt: Leggett is the leading returning scorer from a Pitt team that finished 33rd at KenPom.com last season. He averaged 12.3 points and 5.5 rebounds in 28.6 minutes per game in his first year with the Panthers after transferring from Rhode Island.
Khaman Maluach | C| Duke: Maluach is the highest-rated prospect in Duke’s top-ranked recruiting class besides Flagg. He’s a 7-2 native of South Sudan who represented his country in the 2024 Paris Olympics at the age of 17.
Hunter Sallis | G | Wake Forest: Sallis never really figured things out in two years at Gonzaga but busted through after transferring to Wake Forest. He averaged 18.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 40.5% from 3-point range in 35.4 minutes per contest last season.
