Early Look at ACC Basketball

A snapshot preview of conference season in college basketball comes in early December in the ACC, with most teams playing one early season ACC game before a break for finals and the holidays ahead of the resumption of conference play in early January. Here is a quick look at a few of the ACC teams in action and what to expect in the first conference games of the season in the ACC.

 

The Favorite – Duke: As usual Duke is getting a lot of attention, but the Blue Devils did fall short against Kentucky in the season’s first big game in Atlanta. Duke won at Arizona last week and has upcoming high-profile games with Kansas and Auburn. The first ACC game will be against Louisville on the road on December 8, with Duke sweeping a pair of games with the Cardinals last season. Jon Scheyer’s first season leading Duke went well with 27 wins, but it was a runner-up finish in the ACC standings to North Carolina, and Duke lost its first ACC tournament game. Duke made the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament but that solid run that included beating top seed Houston soured as the Elite 8 loss came to nearby rival NC State who was a #11 seed. Cooper Flagg has lived up to the billing as one of several talented freshmen on the roster while Tyrese Proctor and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown bring some experience to the starting lineup as Duke remains the team to beat in the ACC. 

 

Prove It Game – Florida State at NC State: Florida State made at least the Sweet 16 in three straight NCAA Tournaments from 2018 to 2021, and the Seminoles would have likely been a #2 seed if the 2020 tournament took place. The Seminoles have slipped the past three seasons, failing to produce a winning record in ACC play in three straight seasons. Last year’s 17-16 campaign was an improvement over the tough 2022-23 season and this year’s team is 6-1 with the only loss to Florida. This ACC opener will be a big opportunity for Florida State to reestablish itself as an upper-tier program in the conference. NC State is coming off a surprise Final Four run, winning four games as an #11 seed last March before running into Purdue in the national semifinals. The roster has turned over considerably and the 5-0 start so far this season has come through a light path. NC State will be tested with non-conference games with Purdue and Texas ahead of the ACC opener hosting Florida State, which will be a closely priced game and an opportunity to serve notice to the rest of the ACC that last year’s run wasn’t a fluke. 

 

Breakthrough Team – Stanford: The Cardinal don’t sound right as an ACC team but Stanford under new coach Kyle Smith will have an opportunity to prove itself as a competitive group in a difficult conference this season. The ACC opener will be a familiar foe facing rival California in Berkeley and the travel schedule will be worth monitoring for the Cardinal, though eight of 10 conference road games will be in two game tandems. Stanford is off to a 6-0 start in non-conference play and has size that few ACC teams can match. Smith led a 25-win team at Washington State last season and has a strong career track record as the Cardinal look like a threat to produce the program’s first winning season since 2020-21 and could flirt with being a NCAA Tournament team. 
 

Transition Team – Virginia: Like his father did at Wisconsin in the 2020-21 season, Tony Bennett departed on his own terms at an awkward time to the detriment of the program. Assistant Ron Sanchez takes over the Cavaliers with an impossible task of matching Bennett’s regular season track record, though the Cavaliers have not won a NCAA Tournament game since cutting down the nets with a championship in 2018-19. Virginia barely made the NCAA Tournament last season, losing by 25 to Colorado State in the First Four and this year’s team has just one returning starter from last season with Isaac McKneely. Turnovers have been a glaring problem so far in the early results for the Cavaliers who canceled out a nice win over Villanova with lopsided losses against Tennessee and St. John’s. The ACC opener will be against ACC newcomer SMU in Dallas for a tough start and the Cavaliers are likely to be an underdog in each of the team’s first seven ACC contests. 

 

The Sleeper – Clemson: Virginia and/or North Carolina have won 11 of the past 14 ACC titles despite Duke usually being favored. Miami also has an outright title from 2013 and a shared title in 2023 and Florida State won the 2020 title. Clemson’s last ACC title was in 1990, but the Tigers did have a good 2023-24 season, finishing 24-12 and making the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament. Clemson was only 11-9 in ACC play but did good work in the non-conference season and earned a #6 seed even after an early exit in the ACC Tournament. Three starters are back for Clemson this season, and this is one of the most experienced teams in the nation with Cincinnati transfer Viktor Lakhin added at center and Boston College transfer Jaeden Zackery added at point guard. Clemson has started 6-1 with a loss at Boise Sate but a few decent wins at an event in Daytona Beach. Key non-conference home games with Kentucky and Memphis surround the ACC opener at Miami in early December and Clemson is a serious threat in the ACC race as they play Duke and North Carolina once each, and both games are at home.