2025–26 Preseason ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Duke on Top, Louisville Not Far Behind

The confetti might have fallen somewhere else last April, but the ACC spent the summer on a glow-up. From Duke’s blue-chip renaissance to Louisville’s brash rebuild and North Carolina’s quiet reinvention, this league feels alive again. It’s louder, more experimental, and perfectly chaotic, which is exactly how we like our basketball. With exhibitions logged and the AP Top 25 fresh, here is where #SandmanSports ranks the ACC heading into Week 1.

1) Duke Blue Devils (AP #6)

Duke’s blend of tradition and modern swagger remains the ACC’s gold standard. Jon Scheyer’s roster runs through Cameron Boozer, the ACC’s Preseason Rookie of the Year, whose poise and polish look years ahead of schedule. Add his twin brother Cayden to sophomore scorer Isaiah Evans and veterans who space the floor and protect the rim, and this group feels balanced in ways most blueblood rosters don’t. Last season’s defensive lapses inspired a summer-long focus on pressure and pace, and Duke’s early chemistry screams March durability.

2) Louisville Cardinals (AP #11)

Louisville is swaggering again, a sentence that felt impossible two years ago. Pat Kelsey flipped the roster with portal precision, landing two First Team Preseason All-ACC stars in Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell, while layering in toughness with J’Vonne Hadley and Kasean Pryor. The Cardinals play fast but not careless; every trip downcourt has purpose. Their next step is composure in crunch time, the one crack that separated a good story from a great finish last March. They open November 3 vs. South Carolina State to get the rhythm flowing.

3) North Carolina Tar Heels (AP #25)

Under Hubert Davis, the Tar Heels have modernized while keeping the secondary-break soul. Freshman phenom Caleb Wilson (Preseason All-ACC Second Team) headlines a frontcourt with bounce and shooting touch, and veteran guards return to steady the offense. The key for UNC is restraint: fewer empty possessions, stronger rebounding, and trusting the system over hero ball.

4) NC State Wolfpack

The Wolfpack are hunting with purpose under Will Wade, who arrived with a plan: structure, spacing, and swagger. Darrion Williams, who played his junior year at Texas Tech, is the league’s Preseason Player of the Year and a mismatch machine with size and finesse who can carry late possessions. Williams is yet another example of the real-life trading cards college athletes have become. Wade’s offense hums when the ball zips, but the Pack’s ceiling depends on whether they can defend the arc with discipline. This team has “dangerous” written all over it if those habits hold.

5) Virginia Cavaliers

A new era in Charlottesville with Ryan Odom taking the reins after Tony Bennett’s 15-year run. The Cavaliers roster is predominantly new, either youth or transfers, and Odom will have a blank slate from which to shape the 2025–26 season. His teams historically value tempo variety and modern spacing, and he can blend that with UVA’s cultural backbone of efficiency and care for the ball. The roster is young and tall with six freshmen, including 7-footer Johann Grünloh from Germany and 6-9 Thijs De Ridder from Belgium, who join senior 7-footer and Kansas State transfer Ugonna Onyenso. Expect more freedom in early offense and a deeper playbook off ball screens. For Virginia to climb into protected-seed range, a dependable secondary scorer must emerge next to steady pick-and-roll point Dallin Hall (BYU grad transfer), and the perimeter defense has to hold against the ACC’s faster wings.

6) SMU Mustangs

Everything about SMU in the ACC feels experimental and fun. HC Andy Enfield has guards who can fly, headlined by “Boopie” Miller (13.2 ppg, 5.5 apg last year; All ACC assist rate) running high tempo and drag screens. Flanking pieces include Alabama stretch four Sam Walters and multi-stop transfer Corey Washington, giving Enfield the spacing to punish help. In the NIL era churn, SMU played the portal like a boutique: target a creator, add length and shooting, and let Dallas be a stage.

7) Clemson Tigers

Consistency is Clemson’s calling card, and Brad Brownell stuffed the cupboard with a six‑man transfer class to keep it that way. The Tigers still lean into possession math, glass, turnovers, and shot diet, with veteran guards steering fourth-quarter sets. Portal adds give Clemson switchable length on the wings and a sturdier small-ball five, a nod to modern ACC pace. The lever that moves them from tough out to top five is sustaining corner-three accuracy in road gyms.

8) Miami Hurricanes

Jai Lucas didn’t just arrive; he rebranded the Miami roster. The Canes landed Michigan’s Tre Donaldson at point, Marcus Allen on the wing (Missouri), and Malik Reneau up front (Indiana), a portal spine that screams pace and paint touches. This is an NIL era build done cleanly: creators who pressure the rim, connected staff, and a plan to guard after the first action. The upgrade path is defensive rebounding and side pick-and-roll coverage; tighten those, and Miami’s floor jumps a tier.

9) Syracuse Orange

A fresher, faster Syracuse under Adrian Autry, and for the first time in forever, Syracuse feels unpredictable in a good way. With senior scorer and shot-creating brilliance from J.J. Starling (Preseason All-ACC Second Team) plus frontcourt pop from sophomore Donnie Freeman and five-star freshman Sadiq White Jr., the Orange finally have lineup options to match their transition juice. To climb higher, they must finish possessions by boxing out and limiting second chances that cost them winnable games last season.

10) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Micah Shrewsberry rebuilt smart, not loud. Markus Burton returns as the engine, joined by blue-chip freshman Jalen Haralson (6-7 lead guard) and sniper Cole Certa, with size from Garrett Sundra (6-11) and veteran muscle in Carson Towt (NAU grad). In the NIL and portal market, Notre Dame doubled down on fit: IQ, versatility, and length, exactly what Shrewsberry’s spacing asks for. To turn tight losses, the Irish need their wings to hit the open catch-and-shoots Burton manufactures.

11) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake Forest hovers between breakthrough and déjà vu. Steve Forbes again mined the portal for two-way wings while keeping a shot-creation core intact. Wake’s improvement lever is discipline: prune live-ball turnovers, defend without fouling, and execute ATOs late. In the NIL era, Forbes keeps finding undervalued guards who bloom. To cross that top ten threshold, the Deacs must value every possession and close on the road like a veteran team.

12) Virginia Tech Hokies

Under Mike Young, the Hokies still hum on motion and spacing. New faces include Jailen Bedford (UNLV), pogo stick Tobi Lawal (VCU), and shooter Jaden Schutt (Duke/Northwestern path), all on the official roster page. Tech’s NIL and portal pitch remains role clarity and shooting freedom. Now they need a closer to win the three to five possession games and more resistance in ball-screen coverage.

13) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech has a frontcourt star in Baye Ndongo (Preseason All-ACC) and a staff under Damon Stoudamire that’s recruiting length and skill. Portal depth gives the Jackets more bodies to keep the paint protected and the pace honest. The jump requires cleaner half-court creation, more corners and rim looks, fewer tough pull-ups, so Ndongo’s gravity turns into team efficiency. Georgia Tech is young, long, and intriguing. The Jackets can hang with anyone for stretches; their next step is sustaining execution. Turn more mid-range looks into rim runs and open threes, and they might cause real trouble by February.

14) Pitt Panthers

Pitt will look different without lead guard Jaland Lowe, who transferred out this spring, but Dishon Jackson (7-footer), Cameron Corhen (Florida State transfer), and Papa Amadou Kante give Jeff Capel a rugged interior core. In the portal and NIL churn, Capel rebuilt size first, banking on finding table setting from a committee. The Panthers rise if catch-and-shoot threes travel and the point guard minutes stabilize. They have a ways to go to make that happen.

15) Florida State Seminoles

A new chapter begins in Tallahassee as Luke Loucks succeeds Leonard Hamilton on a five-year deal. The Noles added UMass rim protector Shahid Muhammad in the portal to restore interior bite. Loucks’ NBA-tinted pace and space needs turnover discipline and two trustworthy creators. For FSU to matter again, the bench must play with the same fury as the starters, and turnovers must shrink dramatically.

16) California Golden Bears

Cal lost headliner Andrej Stojaković to the portal and Illinois, but Mark Madsen rebuilt with volume: Dai Dai Ames (Virginia/Illinois State path), Chris Bell (Syracuse), John Camden (Delaware), Milos Ilic (Loyola MD), and more. It’s a remake in motion, a classic NIL and portal patchwork with shooters and size to survive ACC pace while the culture hardens. The Bears have a climb ahead but can rise only if they communicate on the back line and show whistle discipline on the road.

17) Stanford Cardinal

Year two for Kyle Smith brings a remodeled depth chart and a defense-first identity. The headline is who’s gone: Maxime Raynaud, a 20-and-10 machine, was drafted by the Kings at 42nd overall, leaving a star-sized hole to fill. High-profile guards Kanaan Carlyle and Andrej Stojaković also exited, the latter ultimately landing at Illinois after a brief Cal stop. Smith’s key add is Jeremy Dent-Smith, a D2 All-American from Cal State Dominguez Hills and a three-level scorer who fits Smith’s culture. Around him, returners Benny Gealer, Chisom Okpara, and Jaylen Thompson join newcomers Ebuka Okorie and Anthony Batson Jr. to keep length on the floor. The path forward: generate easier early-clock looks and let Dent-Smith bend defenses before they set.

18) Boston College Eagles

Earl Grant’s Eagles don’t hide from rock fights, but they need more scoring punch. The frontcourt is long with Boden Kapke (6’11”), Jayden Hastings (6’9″), and Aidan Shaw (6’9″) controlling the glass. Luka Toews returns at point, joined by grad guard Chase Forte for added drive and kick playmaking. The freshman class includes Jack Bailey, Akbar Waheed III, Caleb Steger, and Marko Radunovic, bringing real size and defensive energy. If two of them shoot league average from deep and the bigs own the boards, BC’s floor rises from knife fight to dangerous Tuesday night.

Betting & Futures (as of Oct 25, 2025, 5:42 PM ET)

FanDuel ACC Regular-Season Winner: Duke +160, Louisville +230, NC State +700

DraftKings ACC Futures: Not yet posted as of Oct 25, 2025, 5:42 PM ET. 

National title odds list Duke around +1300, Louisville +2200. Wait and watch for the leaders to develop and stand out, or place a small bet on Duke to go all the way to the top of the ACC today.

Parting Shot

The ACC is a living organism again, unpredictable, ambitious, and gloriously imperfect. Duke and Louisville headline the renaissance, but the middle tier might be where the real drama lives. By midseason, expect shakeups, breakout stars, and maybe a few Cinderella whispers. Look for freshmen who develop early and help the lower-ranked teams climb. In the meantime, these are the vibes, verified, and game ready, Sandman Sports style.

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