Early ACC Breakdown: ACC needs to send 6 teams to tournament + Louisville’s MOST ANTICIPATED season

Jon Rothstein provides a full breakdown of the ACC entering the 2025-2026 college basketball season.

The ACC NEEDS to put a third of its teams into the 2026 NCAA Tournament in order to start being viewed as respectable in the power conference landscape. Duke is Duke; they have some of the best freshmen in the country, and returning players who can make a big impact. Louisville’s revival continues under Pat Kelsey.

Jon runs through his complete preseason power rankings from top to bottom, with Duke at No. 1 and Florida State rounding out the list. He delivers projected starting fives, key newcomers, and notable departures for every team, along with his picks for preseason Player of the Year, All-ACC First Team, and the sleeper program that could sneak into the top tier.

He answers questions from the audience and closes with three key nuggets to keep in mind heading into the year: Louisville’s three perimeter transfer additions will make a big impact, Isaiah Evans’ stock is escalating and Syracuse is looking to return to the tournament for the first time since 2021.

Wall-to-wall ACC hoops. No nonsense. Just Rothstein.

0:00 - Intro
1:45 - Three big things about the ACC
12:50 - Early Projections and Preseason Awards
27:45- All-ACC Preseason First Team
28:11 - ACC Preseason Player of the Year
29:30 - ACC Preseason Sleeper
31:50 - Listener Questions
34:00 - Three things to note about the ACC

#CollegeBasketball #CBB #NCAA #BigTen #SEC #ACC #EyeOnCollegeBasketball #JonRothstein #Louisville #Duke

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