3. ACC Preseason Power Rankings – North Carolina Tar Heels
Year one of the Hubert Davis era should be interesting for North Carolina as he has legendary shoes to fill. Roy Williams went out on a good note for the Tar Heels, guiding the program back to the NCAA Tournament after a disastrous 2019-20 campaign, and he left the cupboard full for Davis.
Five key rotation players are back for North Carolina, headlined by Armando Bacot and Caleb Love, who should serve as leaders on this team. The addition of impact transfers Dawson Garcia and Brady Manek should also help the Tar Heels challenge for the ACC title in Davis’ first year.
2. ACC Preseason Power Rankings – Florida State Seminoles
No matter how much people try to sleep on Florida State the Seminoles always seem to find a way to finish near the top of the ACC standings. Head coach Leonard Hamilton will have to replace four starters from a year ago, including NBA lottery pick Scottie Barnes, but he has always done a good job blending new talent with existing veterans.
The most exciting addition for Florida State is Houston transfer Caleb Mills, who will enter the starting lineup alongside Kentucky transfer Cam’Ron Fletcher. Add in a pair of elite freshmen, including five-star wing Matthew Cleveland, and the Seminoles have as good a chance as anyone to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.
1. ACC Preseason Power Rankings – Duke Blue Devils
The story of the year in the ACC will revolve around how Duke navigates the final season of Mike Krzyzewski’s career. The Blue Devils were a disaster a year ago, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995, but Coach K has one more elite recruiting class up his sleeves to bid for a national championship.
Paolo Banchero, A.J. Griffin, and Trevor Keels will all play major minutes for Duke alongside returners Wendell Moore and Mark Williams. Marquette grad transfer Theo John will also be a solid glue guy for the Blue Devils, who should be a Top 10 team all season long and could contend for a championship if everything breaks right.
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