Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Who will win the ACC basketball championship? USA TODAY Sports Network experts predict

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Duke basketball has won two regular-season ACC championships since 2010. The Blue Devils have won five ACC Tournament titles in that stretch, including Jon Scheyer’s first season as head coach in 2023. 

A poll of experts who cover the league for the USA TODAY Sports Network predict the Blue Devils will add another championship by the end of the 2024-25 season. 

Entering Scheyer’s third season since five-time national champion Mike Krzyzewski retired, Duke welcomes 10 newcomers to a roster that includes top returners Tyrese Proctor and Caleb Foster. 

Why Duke can win the national championship

Top-ranked recruit Cooper Flagg headlines a six-player group of freshmen, and Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown is one of four players from the transfer portal to join Duke. 

North Carolina, the reigning ACC regular-season champion, was picked to finish second this season. The Tar Heels return two starters, RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau, and welcome a pair of highly-touted freshmen in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. 

Wake Forest, Clemson and Miami round out of the top five of the projected standings. The ACC has sent five teams to the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons, as well as four teams to the Final Four. N.C. State, the reigning ACC Tournament champion, advanced to the 2024 Final Four.

Here is the predicted order of finish for the coming season by the USA TODAY Sports Network’s panel of seven experts:

ACC basketball standings, order of finish predictions

  • 1. Duke
  • 2. North Carolina
  • 3. Wake Forest
  • 4. Clemson
  • 5. Miami
  • 6. Louisville
  • 7. Pitt 
  • 8. Virginia 
  • 9. N.C. State
  • 10. Notre Dame
  • T11. Georgia Tech
  • T11. Syracuse
  • 13. SMU
  • 14. Cal
  • 15. Virginia Tech
  • 16. Florida State 
  • 17. Stanford
  • 18. Boston College

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.

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