2023-2024 ACC Men's Basketball Preview

The NCAA hoops season is just a few days away, with the opening slate of games scheduled to tip off on Nov. 6.

Every ACC team is heavily favored in their out-of-conference matchups against much smaller schools, and there should be no trouble for the conference that used to be the premier basketball conference.

However, the ACC now looks a lot different than the ACC we used to know. In the past three seasons, legendary coaches Roy Williams, Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim have all retired, leaving young, up-and-coming coaches to take these once-prestigious programs back to the promised land.

The conference as a whole also has a much weaker outlook than college basketball fans are accustomed to. The ACC has not produced a number-one seed since 2019, and Duke is the only team experts are giving a chance at breaking that streak.

The Blue Devils are the overwhelming favorite to take home the ACC crown this season, but it’s not by their usual one-and-done standouts. Instead, star big man Kyle Filipowski leads a strong Duke team that retained its top four scorers from last season.

They also have a star-studded recruiting class, headlined by five-star Jared McCain. The shooting guard out of California is very well known for his TikTok channel, but the reigning Gatorade boys basketball player of the year should make an immediate impact for the Blue Devils.

After a season so bad that calling it disappointing would be a severe understatement, coach Hubert Brown and UNC look to rebound with a veteran-laden roster.

UNC started last season as the preseason No. 1 team in the country. They went on to miss the NCAA tournament, the first preseason No. 1 team with that dubious distinction.

Led by All-American center Armando Bacot and guard RJ Davis, the Tar Heels will look to return to March Madness and contend for the ACC championship.

Following an unexpected Final Four run, Miami is another team that many believe could win the ACC.

Despite losing the reigning ACC player of the year in Isaiah Wong, the Hurricanes rebounded nicely in the transfer portal, landing former FSU guard and four-star transfer prospect Matthew Cleveland. He, along with returnees Nigel Pack and Norchad Omier, will try to lead Miami to even further territory after back-to-back deep March runs.

Other than those three teams, there are not many ACC teams garnering national attention.

Reigning regular season champions Virginia will always contend with Tony Bennett at the helm, but they lost a lot of talent from that roster.

Reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman returned to the program after testing NBA draft waters and will try to lead a team with a lot of new faces to ACC contention.

The biggest issue plaguing the ACC is the teams in the middle of the league would be at or near the bottom in other power conferences.

Notre Dame, Louisville, Boston College and Georgia Tech are all coming off very poor seasons, and have been unable to make any changes that would lead to different results this year.

In terms of the power conferences, the ACC is by far and away the weakest one. They have very talented teams at the top but need more top-to-bottom talent to have more of an impact on the national picture.

Alex Perez is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email app5877@psu.edu.