The ACC should be loaded this season, which comes as no surprise to college basketball fans. Duke won the national title last season, and, despite a revamped roster, Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils could repeat. Coach K lost Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow but returns Matt Jones, Grayson Allen and Amile Jefferson. Duke also added a freshmen class that includes likely lottery pick Brandon Ingram, versatile guard Luke Kennard and Derryck Thornton, a much-needed point guard.
North Carolina and Virginia -- who both bring back the majority of their rosters from a season ago -- are also considered preseason top-10 teams. The Tar Heels have the edge since Virginia coach Tony Bennett will need to find a way to replace Justin Anderson's scoring, toughness and defense.
Louisville and Notre Dame may take steps back, but both have enough returning talent to compete for the top handful of spots in the league. Rick Pitino revamped his roster, and Mike Brey will rely on the trio of Demetrius Jackson, Zach Auguste and Steve Vasturia. Florida State and Syracuse will both be improved, and the bottom portion of the league (Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech) will be tougher.
Favorite
North Carolina Tar Heels
Roy Williams and the Tar Heels have struggled to recruit elite players while they deal with an academic fraud investigation, but North Carolina returned everyone except J.P. Tokoto from a team that won 26 games and lost to Wisconsin in the Sweet 16.
Theo Pinson should slide right into Tokoto's spot, and UNC has plenty of balance. Marcus Paige should be healthy this season, and, after a dip last season, he'll likely return to form as one of the nation's top guards. Justin Jackson has a season under his belt and averaged double figures as a freshman, and there are veterans up front with Kennedy Meeks (11.4 points per game, 7.3 rebounds per game) and Brice Johnson (12.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG). There's also depth with guys such as Isaiah Hicks, Joel James and freshman shooting guard Kenny Williams. The play of junior Nate Britt or sophomore Joel Berry II will be key. Either could allow Paige to slide over and play off the ball. Duke and Virginia are both considered top-10 teams, but the Tar Heels have the slight edge entering the season.
Sleeper
Louisville Cardinals
It sounds somewhat ridiculous to call a Pitino-coached team a sleeper, but the Cardinals lost Terry Rozier and Montrezl Harrell as well as veteran Wayne Blackshear. Louisville appeared to be in serious trouble, but Pitino and his staff picked up a pair of fifth-year graduate transfers in the offseason who could wind up leading this team.
Damion Lee is a scoring wing who averaged 21.4 points per game last season at Drexel while Trey Lewis (16.3 PPG) comes from Cleveland State and could play both backcourt spots. The Cardinals also have returning guard Quentin Snider and talented freshman wing Donovan Mitchell, so the perimeter should be solid. There are question marks up front but plenty of options. Chinanu Onuaku played well for the U.S. U19 national team this past summer and is the front-runner to start in the middle, but Pitino has raved about the potential of freshman Raymond Spalding. Pitino also has junior Mangok Mathiang and sophomores Jaylen Johnson and Anas Mahmoud in the fold. There's also talented freshman wing Deng Adel. While this team does have plenty of question marks, it's also talented enough to be dangerous and crack the ACC's top four.
Team that could fall on its face
The Hurricanes may not have a terrible season, but I do think Miami could make a return to the NIT despite bringing just about everyone of note back from last season's team that won 25 games. Many have Jim Larranaga's group earmarked for an NCAA tournament berth, but it will depend largely on whether veteran point guard Angel Rodriguez can shed the inconsistency that plagued him for much of last season. Rodriguez is capable of taking over games but has also shown the ability to shoot the Canes out of games.
Sheldon McClellan is coming off a nice season (14.5 PPG) and Tonye Jekiri (8.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG) was more productive than expected, but I'm just not sure this team finishes in the top five in the ACC. Larranaga has plenty of "nice pieces," but McClellan isn't a first-team all-ACC guy, and Rodriguez remains the key. He can't perform like he did for much of league play (he was 16-of-77 from the field in an eight-game stretch from Jan. 17 to Feb. 11). The Hurricanes also lost two veteran assistant coaches in the offseason.
Top pro prospect
Ingram, Duke Blue Devils
It will be interesting to see Ingram's production this season while playing next to guys such as Allen, Kennard and Matt Jones. But Ingram has a combination of length and skill that will have the NBA folks gushing. He's 6-foot-9 and can score in a variety of ways. Ingram can shoot it from beyond the arc and is also capable of getting into the lane and scoring at the rim. He has a similar body build to Kevin Durant, and while he can't shoot it as well as KD, he's capable of knocking down 3s with consistency.
Projected all-conference team
G: Demetrius Jackson, Notre Dame
G: Marcus Paige, North Carolina
G: Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia
F: Brandon Ingram, Duke
C: Brice Johnson, North Carolina