The ACC released its preseason predicted order of finish on Tuesday ahead of the 2025-26 college basketball season.Duke was picked to win the conference in the annual preseason poll, while NC State forward Darrion Williams was given conference preseason Player of the Year honors. Williams transferred from Texas Tech to NC State to play for first-year coach Will Wade this offseason.
After reaching the Final Four for the first time in the Jon Scheyer era, Duke will look to get back to college basketball’s biggest stage with a handful of key newcomers on the roster. One of those players is former five-star forward Cameron Boozer — the son of former NBA great and Duke player Carlos Boozer — who is in contention to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
AP Top 25 poll reactions: North Carolina overrated, Kansas underrated in preseason college basketball rankings
Cameron Salerno
Rounding out the top five of the ACC standings behind Duke are Louisville, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia. Two of those teams will have first-year coaches in Wade (at NC State) and Ryan Odom (at Virginia). Odom was hired this offseason to replace former coach Tony Bennett, who retired just weeks before Virginia’s season-opener last fall.
Here is the full poll, followed by overrated and underrated observations from the predicted order of finish.
ACC preseason predicted order of finish
…..
