On Dec. 4, 2024, the modern Atlantic Coast Conference hit rock bottom.
In the macro, that was the night the once-inferior Southeastern Conference would win the SEC-ACC Challenge with by a margin of 14 games to 2, which more or less said it all. In the micro, in Chapel Hill, despite a wobbly 4-3 start, the R.J. Davis-starring Tar Heels entered their home game against Alabama as 1.5-point favorites. They lost by 15. A stunned Dean Dome grumbled. The gaps in talent and scheme were glaring. Jarin Stevenson, a prized prospect who chose the Crimson Tide over UNC, started for the former. So, too, did Cliff Omoruyi, the rim-protecting Rutgers transfer whom Carolina had locked in on to replace Armando Bacot in the previous transfer portal, with no backup option. The pitch, roughly, was: Come be the next great Carolina big. Omoruyi liked the Alabama offer better. He had 11 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two assists in Alabama’s 94-79 cruise.
It was all there, in the broad sweep of the competition and the personnel dynamics of of one of that competition’s most hyped games: a handy summary of the SEC’s rise and the ACC’s fall.
Saying the ACC isn’t what it used to be has now become passé. A few years ago, you would get a rise out of certain fan bases — or regional loyalists raised on decades of cultural superiority, or both — if you downplayed the value of ACC teams’ intraleague records, or said the conference might only get three or four bids, or overlooked postseason performances, or failed to mention the 2019 title. Not last season. After Dec. 4, the argument was over. ACC fans accepted what the rest of the college hoops world already knew: The league was a mess, and had been for a while.
Even with the argument settled, though, we can’t help but wonder what comes next. Will the great conference of our childhood ever be reborn? How? What is the solution? Are there persistent structural issues at work here? Is it the relative messiness of the league’s post-post-realignment membership? Is it NIL money, or the lack thereof? Is it as simple as Rick Pitino leaving, Roy Williams retiring, and Tony Bennett losing a step? Do the teams just … need to get better?
The ACC still regularly produces very good, and sometimes great, outfits. But not as many as it used to, and not with anything like the depth and reliability of the not-so-distant past. The 2025 Duke Blue Devils were one of the best teams of the past decade. The conference as a whole ranked closer to the Mountain West below it than the Big East above it.
Every October, when it comes time to preview the league again, we find ourselves squinting, self-convincing, hoping to find the ways that the ACC might rise above this …
And get back to something more like this …
We return, undaunted, to the task. Is 2025-26 the year?
Note: This is the latest in a series of power league and mid-major previews we’ll be running in the coming weeks. We skipped this in Buzzer’s first season, but last year found the preview process remains a) fun, b) popular and c) the best way for the author to make sure he knows what guys are on which rosters come November. Teams are listed vaguely, in broad tiers, some of which are kind of silly.
Also! If you’d like to hear me talk at length about the 2025-26 ACC, and flesh out some of the ideas below, with an expert, check out this episode of the Basket Under Review Podcast featuring Brian Geisinger.
Without further ado: Buzzer’s comprehensive, 8,300-word look (gulp) at the 2025-26 ACC … beginning with:
National title contenders (yes, plural)
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