The ACC is quietly having its best season as a conference since 2020-21 and have four legitimate contenders atop the league. Clemson, UNC, Duke, and Virginia are all currently nationally ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll. The biggest names in the conference are all big men, PJ Hall for Clemson, Kyle Filipowski for Duke, and Armando Bacot for UNC. Throughout this article I’ll give my predictions for how the league standings shake out along with my picks for the all-conference teams and awards.

There were many missed opportunities by the ACC in non-conference play, but UNC’s win over Tennessee in the ACC/SEC challenge and Duke’s win over Baylor at Madison Square Garden gave the conference two signature wins. Clemson finished 14-6 and returned a good core of players and should make a run at the conference title this season, already showing they can win on the road with wins at Alabama and at Pitt. UNC, Duke, and Virginia have been staple points atop the ACC, and that will likely be the same case this season. The two teams I’m most excited to watch are Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, who both had surprisingly good starts to the season.

#1 Clemson (16-4)

Clemson has been one of the biggest surprises on the national stage this far, getting off to a 10-1 start. I think the Tigers have what it takes to continue this hot start, even in an ACC that is improved from a year ago. PJ Hall leads the team in scoring with 20.8 points per game and has been dubbed as a mid-season All-American by many major media outlets. Syracuse transfer Joe Girard was the marquee addition this offseason, and the senior guard is averaging 14.8 ppg on the year. Clemson has a lighter schedule than some of the teams at the top, only having to play Duke and Virginia each once. If Hall and Girard continue playing at their current level, with the schedule Clemson has, it’s hard for me to see them with anything less than 14-16 wins in ACC play.

#2 Virginia (15-5)

The departures of Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner, and Ben Vander Plas left gaping holes for Tony Bennett to fill, but Bennett has found two returners, Isaac McKneely and Ryan Dunn, to fill some of this space. Reece Beekman (12.9 ppg, 5.7 apg) is the star of the show though, and the ceiling of this team depends on his availability and production. With three freshmen and two sophomores in the rotation, there will certainly be some growing pains, but with their grind-it-out style of play, the Cavaliers will be in just about every game this season.

#3 UNC (15-5)

UNC boasts one of the best duos in the country with RJ Davis (21.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Armando Bacot (15.1 ppg, 11.0 rpg). On paper, I think UNC is the most talented team in the conference, and I think the only thing that keeps them from winning the ACC regular season title is the imbalanced schedule. The Tar Heels will play home and away versus each of Duke, Miami, and Clemson, and play Virginia just once – on the road. With three losses to three great teams and wins over Tennessee and Oklahoma, this is a UNC team built to make a deep run in March.

#4 Duke (14-6)

The Duke Blue Devils have had an up and down year thus far, losing two road games to Arkansas and Georgia Tech, while claiming neutral site victories over Michigan State and Baylor. Seven-footer Kyle Filipowski (17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg) is the focal point of this team, and the team’s success will depend on him. The return of Tyrese Proctor remains in the balance, but in the meantime, freshmen guards Jared McCain and Caleb Foster have gained valuable playing time. Duke is starting the full stretch of conference play on the back foot though, already suffering a conference loss to Georgia Tech in early December.

#5 Virginia Tech (12-8)

Virginia Tech had a relatively quiet non-conference schedule compared to the top 4 ACC schools, but the story of their season so far has been the breakout of Lynn Kidd. The senior forward improved his averages from 5.0 ppg and 3.4 rpg last season to 16.5 ppg and 7.9 rpg in 2023-24. With the much-experienced Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla in the backcourt, the Hokies have a chance at sneaking into the top 5, which is where I predict them to be, jumping over Miami and Wake Forest.

#6 Wake Forest (12-8)

Hunter Sallis (18.0 ppg) came across the country to Winston-Salem from Gonzaga and has had a brilliant start to his Demon Deacon career. Even with this influx of scoring, Wake dropped three of its first five games. On December 5th, Efton Reid III received a waiver from the NCAA for immediate eligibility, scoring 12 points and 14 rebounds in a debut win over Rutgers. With Reid in the lineup, the Demon Deacons are 4-0 and have fixed their problem down low. This is one of those sleeper teams that will pop up on your bracket in three months – take notice now.

#7 Miami FL (11-9)

Coming off of a Final Four run, there were big expectations in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes haven’t yet lived up to them though, suffering 22-pt and 27-pt blowouts in losses at Kentucky and to Colorado in Brooklyn. The breakout of Wooga Poplar (17.5 ppg) this fall can be seen as a positive in the non-conference slate, as the junior has more than doubled his points per game average from last season. Miami has struggled in their marquee matchups and unfortunately for them, I think it continues into the conference season unless they can figure out their defensive issues.

#8 NC State (10-10)

NC State has been a middle-of-the-pack ACC team for almost all of Kevin Keatts’ tenure, and it seems it’ll be the same story this season. The Wolfpack lost games to Tennessee, BYU, and Ole Miss, their only non-conference matchups inside the KenPom top-150. Overall, the talent level isn’t up to par with the top ACC teams, and the Wolfpack lack a true go-to guy, which I think will haunt them in some of their close matchups.

#9 Pitt (10-10)

Just like NC State, Pitt has lost their three biggest games so far, so it’s hard to get a read on just how good they are. Carlton Carrington (13.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 5.3 apg) has been one of the most productive freshmen across the country to start the year and gives this team an exciting boost. Blake Hinson (20.3 ppg) leads the team in scoring and scored a season-high 29 in a road win over West Virginia. Depending on how many quality wins they get, Pitt will be right on the bubble come March.

#10 Syracuse (9-11)

Syracuse hosts Pitt this weekend to tip-off the full conference schedule and is hoping to improve on their 4-game winning streak. Judah Mintz (19.8 ppg) is the guy to keep on a eye on for the Orange, scoring a season-high 33 points in a win over LSU in November. Syracuse will likely have the same scenario as Pitt, get enough quality wins and avoid losses to the conference bottom-feeders, and hear your name called on Selection Sunday.

#11-15 The Rest of The ACC

To finish off the standings in order, I’ve got Florida State (9-11), Georgia Tech (7-13), Boston College (6-14), Louisville (3-17), and Notre Dame (1-19). Georgia Tech is the one team out of the group that I’m not willing to count out, as the Yellow Jackets already own victories over Duke, Mississippi State, Penn State, and Hawaii. Freshman Baye Ndongo (11.9 ppg, 9.1 rpg) has had a breakout campaign, and it will be interesting to see if he can beat out Carrington for Freshman of the Year in the ACC.

My Predictions for the All-Conference Selections and Award Winners

First Team: PJ Hall (Clemson), Kyle Filipowski (Duke), RJ Davis (UNC), Reece Beekman (Virginia), Wooga Poplar (Miami)

Second Team: Lynn Kidd (Virginia Tech), Armando Bacot (UNC), Blake Hinson (Pitt), Judah Mintz (Syracuse), Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest)

Player of the Year: PJ Hall (Clemson)

Defensive Player of the Year: Reece Beekman (Virginia)

Newcomer of the Year: Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest)

Freshman of the Year: Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech)

Coach of the Year: Brad Brownell (Clemson)

Breakout Player to Watch For: Andrew Rohde (Virginia)