ACC published its preseason predicted finishing order on Tuesday ahead of the 2025-26 college basketball season. Duke was selected as the conference winner in the annual preseason poll, while North Carolina State forward Darrion Williams was awarded the conference's preseason Player of the Year honors. Williams transferred from Texas Tech to North Carolina State to play under first-year coach Will Wade this offseason.
Having reached the Final Four for the first time in the John Scheyer era, Duke will be looking to return to college basketball's biggest stage with several key newcomers on the roster. One of those players is a former five-star forward. Cameron Boozer — son of ex NBA Duke great Carlos Boozer, who is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft. NBA Draft.
AP Top 25 Reaction: North Carolina Overrated, Kansas Underrated in College Basketball Preseason Rankings
Cameron Salerno
Round out the top five in the ACC standings behind Duke. Louisville, North CarolinaNorth Carolina State and Virginia. Two of those teams will have first-year coaches Wade (at NC State) and Ryan Odom (at Virginia). Odom was hired this offseason to replace former coach Tony Bennett, who resigned just weeks before Virginia's season opener last fall.
Here's the full poll, followed by the overrated and underrated observations in predicted finishing order.
ACC Preseason Predicted Finishing Order
Overrated: North Carolina
Predicted ending: 3
Earlier this week, I wrote about North Carolina and why it was called “overvalued.” in our annual preseason look at the AP's top 25 players. The Tar Heels were ranked No. 25 in the preseason rankings in this poll, and I explained why NC State should have gotten the nod in last place, so it would be right to double down because UNC was picked ahead of NC State in this poll as well.
This will be a make-or-break season for UNC coach Hubert Davis. After entering the NCAA Tournament as one of the last four teams in the field, UNC will have to improve this season to avoid breaking a sweat on Selection Sunday. UNC had just one win on its resume over a ranked opponent, and the Tar Heels lost to Duke, 0-3. I really like North Carolina's frontcourt. Caleb Wilson And Arizona broadcast Henri Vesaar. Alabama broadcast Djarin Stevenson also someone who can contribute to victory. I still think UNC is an NCAA tournament team, but the Tar Heels will have to show up in notable non-conference games against Kentucky, Kansas and Michigan State this season. Rates odds of winning the conference +700
Underrated: NC State
Predicted ending: 4
The hype around NC State is real. Less than two years removed from a miraculous run to the Final Four under former coach Kevin Keatts, Wade has assembled a roster that can compete for the ACC crown right away.
The obvious headliner of NC State's portal class is Williams, who played a huge role in getting Texas Tech to the Elite Eight last spring. Williams is a bulldozer down low and a nightmare for small defenders. He can raise the floor and ceiling of this group. Three Hollomans (Michigan) Terrence Arsenault (Kentucky) and Ven Allen Lubin (North Carolina) are three other names I'm keeping an eye on. I wouldn't be surprised if NC State finishes in the top three in the ACC standings. Rates odds of winning the conference +700
Overrated: Virginia
Predicted ending: 5
Last season was chaotic for Virginia, as the program finished ninth in the ACC with an 8-12 conference record. The Cavaliers went out and hired Odom from his position at VCU to bring life back into the program. In short, the rental was good, but I have questions about the roster that make me think Virginia could finish lower than fifth in the final conference standings.
I also like some of the teams behind Virginia like SMU, Clemson, Miami and Syracuse (more on them in a moment). Name I'm following this season: San Francisco broadcast Malik Thomaswho averaged nearly 20 points per game last season. If he can bring production to a team that ranked 346th among all Division I teams in offensive efficiency, Virginia could surpass its preseason ranking. Rates odds of winning the conference +2200
Underrated: Syracuse
Predicted ending: 9
As with Davis at North Carolina, this is also a make-or-break season for coach Adrian Autry at Syracuse. The program finished last season 14-19 (7-13 in ACC play) and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight season.
Syracuse is my sleeper team in the ACC this year. JJ Starling returns, and the program also added a pair of top 35 recruits from the 2025 cycle in Sadiq White Jr.. And Kiyan Anthonyson of former Syracuse great and NBA legend Carmelo Anthony. Outside of the top four or five teams, the ACC is wide open. Expect Syracuse to finish in the top half of the ACC standings. Rates odds of winning the conference +5000
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Preseason All-ACC First Team
Second team
Underrated: Isaiah Evans, girlfriend/woman, Duke
Of all the ACC returnees, there is no player who has more of a chance to improve his draft than Evans. The former blue-chip recruit mostly came off the bench during his freshman season and, despite some draft hype, decided to return to school for his sophomore season.
Evans has been compared to former Duke and current Toronto Raptors player Brandon Ingram. Evans made 41.6 percent of his three-point attempts in 13.7 minutes per game last season. He has a chance to cement himself as Duke's second-best player behind Boozer. If he does, he'll be in contention for first-team ACC honors.
Overrated: Ryan Conwell, guard, Louisville
It's never easy to pick out any player on these lists, but if I had to pick one, it would be Conwell. Part of this reasoning has to do with how much of a step forward I think Evans will take at Duke this season. Another factor is that Louisville is loaded with talent. I firmly believe that Mikel Brown Jr., whether it's Day 1 or March, will be the Cardinals' best player.
Conwell was one of several key newcomers on Louisville's roster. He had a fantastic season in Xavier and posted similar performance figures in the 2023–24 season at Indiana. Conwell is a veteran three-point shooter who will be a big help. Part of my reasoning is that there will be a lot of mouths to feed, which could open the door for someone like Evans to get into the first team instead of Conwell.
