Fun fact: We’re still at least 188 days from the beginning of the 2020 college basketball season. That seems like an eternity at the moment, for sure. But when we do reach that glorious moment when the ball is tipped, we’re going to need to know which teams are the favorites in the ACC.
So it’s time for another vain attempt at trying to satisfy the never-ending hunger for sports. With this one, we’re ranking the 2020-21 ACC teams as we currently see them.
The ACC had a bit of a down year last season, looking like it was only going to put four teams in the big dance. Making predictions about next year’s NCAA tournament 317 days (even more depressing) away from it is never a good thing, but it’s safe to say that number will be larger this time around. Last year’s four will be back, along with some other teams that are set to climb the mountain towards the top of the conference.
So let’s rank all 15 teams as we tediously count the days until college basketball returns.
1. Virginia
The Hoos should definitely be the best team in the ACC next year. I say this not as a Virginia fan, but as somebody who looked at and evaluated all the teams and drew this (mostly) unbiased conclusion. There’s plenty of reasons to place the Hoos on top, ranging from veteran talent to cool-headed point guards and even to things so crazy such as Hoonicorns.
So without naming every reason under the sun, I’ll say this: It’s a very talented team that will be playing its home games in JPJ next year. This point has been brought up so much you may be tiring of hearing it, but what Tony Bennett did with the team he had last year was nothing short of remarkable. With three great incoming recruits, a fifth-year player who may be the best three-point shooter in all of college basketball, and a Junior point guard who’s peaking—among others—it should be another formidable Bennett team.
The main concerns lie on the glass, after losing two of the best rebounders in Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key. Hopefully, Jay Huff will step in with some more consistency and fill that role. And there’s always the chance that some players go bust, or that there’s issues at the beginning of the season. But those are concerns that every team faces, and don’t stop Virginia from being the ACC favorites for the upcoming season—nor from being far off from being national title favorites either.
2. Duke
This spot is very unfamiliar for Duke. Second place in any preseason rankings? Unfathomable. The ACC’s default preseason champion may still get the spot from voters this year, who are probably so used to checking off Duke at number one in preseason that they won’t give it a second thought. But reevaluating things, it becomes evident that Duke will likely be playing second fiddle in the ACC this year.
Duke is going to lose some games they shouldn’t by virtue of their freshmen, the same way that they’re going to win a lot by using them. Some “older” players also return for Duke, namely Wendell Moore Jr., Jordan Goldwire, and Matthew Hurt. I’ve yet to be convinced that Hurt actually has the skills everybody says he does, and I’m confident that Joey Baker (who has apparently taken up the nickname “Joey Buckets” to the widespread anger of UVA fans) doesn’t.
With that said, Goldwire and especially Moore should be able to do enough that the team will make it through the tough times when their supposed outside shooters are off. The other incoming freshmen will bolster that roster, and Duke will be a contender as always.
3. North Carolina
Yeah, so that happened in Chapel Hill last season. And then the Tar Heels were kinda-sorta spared from total embarrassment by the fact that the NCAA Tournament was canceled, and technically they didn’t miss out on it. Whether you agree with that assessment or not, last-season’s failures are sure to light a fire under the Tar Heels, many of whom return.
It’s going to be scary facing this UNC team inside. In fact, I’m not totally sold on having their Tobacco Road friends ahead of them here. We saw what Garrison Brooks could do last year, and a lot of that was without any help. At all. On top of that, Armando Bacot is back, and—ugly hair or not—will be a massive factor down low. Leaky Black and Anthony Harris round out a solid core of returners.
As far as new faces go, they’re as good as ever, with Caleb Love set to take over from Cole Anthony. He’s not as skilled as Anthony, but then again, Anthony never really managed to grasp the point guard’s duty of making those around him better. Carolina has a very good returning team, and I’m much mistaken if they don’t exceed all expectations next year.
4. Florida State
Fresh off their first ever ACC regular-season title, and subsequent (but not really) tournament title, the Noles lose a ton. Gone are Trent Forrest, Devin Vassell, and Patrick Williams. Those are monumental losses, and for all of them to be walking out the door at the same time is a blow, albeit one that we knew was coming.
They only have one really notable new player to fill that gaping hole. The burden will fall largely on the shoulders of five-star freshman Scottie Barnes, who also happens to be the most highly-rated recruit in Florida State history. Good time to pull that one out of the hat, Leonard Hamilton.
But those are still huge shoes to fill, both literally and figuratively. Noles fans have to hope that Anthony Polite and MJ Walker can up their production in big ways. Florida State is a big question mark at this point, and a lot of it does ride on the shoulders of those three players. They have the potential, but they’ll only be in the running if they use it to their advantage.
5. Louisville
If Florida State got a punch in the gut, Louisville got socked in the jaw. Four of their starting five are gone. To lose Jordan Nwora, Dwayne Sutton, Steven Enoch, and Ryan McMahon in one fell swoop is just brutal. That’s your three leading scorers and your best three-point shooter, never to wear the jersey again.
So given what they’re losing, the fact that Louisville still retains some solid players is impressive. David Johnson, Samuell Williamson, and Malik Williams are back. Williamson will likely be the starting point guard, and Johnson is another great player. Senior Malik Williams will have more responsibility than he ever has, and if he comes through the Cards will be okay.
Two grad transfers are coming in as well, Carlik Jones and Charles Minled Jr.. Jones will probably start, Minled Jr. will get lots of time, and Chris Mack will be at the helm as he tries to take Louisville back to the top.
6. Miami
Now this is a big risk, having a Miami team so high up. There’s been so much inconsistency with the Canes in recent years that Miami could be here, or they could be 15th. The former would be a better bet though, given that they do have the pieces.
Still, on any given night anything could happen with Miami, especially with this team. Chris Lykes is normally a fantastic player, but he has the occasional lid-on-the-rim night. With that said, Lykes is probably the best player in the ACC that fans of other conferences don’t know about. Miami really hasn’t been good any of his years, so the only people that know about the tiny beast reside in his conference.
Backing him up are Isaiah Wong, Kameron McGusty, and a few others. It’s an old team, so potentially that helps to do away with those inconsistent ways. If so, they might just piece together a great season. If not, well, it can’t be much worse than the last.
7. NC State
Like with Miami, there’s a good deal of uncertainty going into—you know what, just assume that there’s a bit of uncertainty about every team going forward, it’ll be easier that way. But here there really is. While DJ Funderburk has entered his name in the draft for feedback, there’s every chance that he comes back. This is essential for the success of the Wolfpack this season.
Funderburk adds a huge inside threat and allows NC State to go inside more. He’s needed to stretch defenses out, and allow shooting chances for players such as Braxton Beverly. NC State is one of those teams that lives and dies by the three ball, and Beverly’s the one doing a lot of that shooting. Other notable returners for the Pack include Devon Daniels who, when used to his fullest, is probably better than Beverly, and Jericole Hellems.
Freshman point guard Cam Hayes will also add depth at the position, and there’s a good chance that NC State gets back to the tournament.
8. Georgia Tech
North Carolina was plenty happy when it was saved the misery of the NIT—or worse—by the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament. Georgia Tech, on the other hand, was rolling around laughing as their postseason ban ultimately meant absolutely nothing. They finished fifth in the ACC last year, but with the slog that was the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2019-20, fifth and ninth weren’t much different.
I’m not totally sold on the Yellow Jackets despite their high finish. While their guard play will be great, with Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado back for their fourth years, the loss of James Banks III cannot be understated. He was a monster down low, and Moses Wright will be leading the brigade in trying to plug that hole. Odds are that it will spew up and hit them in the face.
Regardless, they’ll have four seniors starting, and an NCAA Tournament bid is very much in play.
9. Clemson
Clemson managed the feat of knocking off the three top teams in the ACC last year. Oh, except another team came from behind to break into that top three, a team whom Clemson did not defeat. I’ll let you guess which team that was. The three wins got them to the fringe of the bubble. They were clawing at the outer reaches for a bit at the end of the season.
With Aamir Simms probably withdrawing his name from the draft, and a host of returning players, Clemson will have a chance to make the tournament. It’s an exceptionally well-rounded squad, with many returnees and a couple of good recruits. Al-Amir Dawes was showing flashes near the end, and Clemson was really coming together. They don’t lose much, and will remain a middle-of-the-pack ACC team.
10. Syracuse
If you saw that hilarious video of Jim Boeheim shooting with his kids in a home gym, feel free to remember it now and laugh again. Coach Boeheim’s form was absolutely atrocious. Luckily for him, his son Buddy’s form is quite a bit better, and he hits the bottom of the net much more often. He’ll be back, as will Joe Girard and Marek Dolezaj.
Yes, Elijah Hughes is gone. But those three make up a strong base from which to build on. The problem? They’re all perimeter players, or by the most simple explanation none of them are the type which is going to be scrapping for rebounds or posting up. That’s the question with the Orange, who’s going to get it done inside?
The answer is nowhere to be found. Threes will only get them so far, though they will bring about a lot of wins. But a fair few of losses will accompany those wins, as having no interior player is bound to hurt them.
11. Notre Dame
These bottom five teams have very little left to cling to at this point. In the case of Notre Dame, the team is comprised of a thin roster, a couple of developing players, and some transfers. Last year, with John Mooney, the Irish were at best a bubble team. He’s gone now, and there’s precious little coming in as a replacement.
Nobody was going to come remotely close to filling in for him, much less a couple of transfers and some players who are yet to hit their stride. Trey Wertz will have to sit out a year after transferring, so there’s no help forthcoming from that corner. Prentiss Hubb and Dane Goodwin will do their best, but the odds are heavily stacked against a positive season.
12. Virginia Tech
The only reason to put faith in the Hokies is because of Coach Mike Young. He shocked everybody last year by piecing together a somewhat decent first half of the season. That the Hokies fell apart down the stretch was not really a surprise given the players that they had. Well, they lost their best one, Landers Nolley III, and there’s not much coming on in the way of reinforcements. They get some tall forwards, but there’s not much hope to be had for Virginia Tech.
13. Pittsburgh
Pitt gets the 13th spot over Boston College by virtue of potential upside. There’s a lot of—mostly young—players for the Panthers, so if one or two break out the team could have a similar shot at breaking out of the depths. Hope lies mostly in Xavier Johnson after the confusing departure of Trey McGowens, a player who was rapidly coming up to scratch. So maybe Pitt cobbles a decent team together, but it’s unlikely.
14. Boston College
Hey, look at that! It’s Boston College and Wake Forest, back together at the bottom of the ACC power rankings. It’s like we never left, huh? The only player that the Eagles really add is James Karnik from Lehigh. He’s nicely-sized and can score, but he’s no Nik Popovich. Jay Heath is back, but there’s nowhere to run for BC.
15. Wake Forest
Undoubtedly, the fact that Danny Manning was the nicest guy in the world kept him coaching at Wake for far too long. Sadly, his replacement has less than nothing to work with, especially as all his best players waved good-bye upon the news of who the new coach is. Sorry, Steve Forbes. All that’s left is the impostor Isaiah Wilkins and a couple of freshmen. Forbes was great at ETSU, but that was when he actually had players to coach. Right now, he literally doesn’t.