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ACC Basketball: Power rankings heading into 2021-2022 season

By Mike Phillips

DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils speaks to fans during Countdown To Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 15, 2021 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils speaks to fans during Countdown To Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 15, 2021 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /
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GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 11: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts during the first half of their quarterfinals game against the Syracuse Orange in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2021, in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 11: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts during the first half of their quarterfinals game against the Syracuse Orange in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2021, in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

Duke and North Carolina are among the ACC’s top teams as we take a look at the conference’s Preseason Power Rankings.

It has been an offseason of change in the ACC as several of the conference’s stalwart coaches made plans to move on. Roy Williams surprisingly retired at the end of the season, allowing Hubert Davis to ascend to become North Carolina’s new head coach, while Mike Krzyzewski announced the 2021-22 campaign will be his last at Duke.

Despite all the changes, things remain the same in the ACC as the conference has some legitimate contenders in place. Four teams cracked the AP’s Preseason Top 25 poll, headlined by the Blue Devils checking in at No. 9 on the strength of a strong recruiting class.

Another four teams also receive votes for the poll, giving the conference eight teams that AP voters felt were worthy of being considered among the 25 best teams in the sport. That should make the conference a challenge to forecast once again as the ACC looks to crown another national champion, something that has happened eight times since the turn of the century, with the most recent title coming from Virginia in 2019.

How will the ACC break down this year? It’s still early, but let’s take a look at the conference’s Preseason Power Rankings to figure out who will end up in the title hunt and who will be cannon fodder.