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The ACC, a traditional basketball power, will have 15 teams competing this season before welcoming the California Bears, Stanford Cardinal and SMU Mustangs next season. Take a look at our predictions for the upcoming ACC season.
ACC predicted order of finish
1. Duke Blue Devils
2. Miami Hurricanes
3. North Carolina Tar Heels
4. Virginia Cavaliers
5. Clemson Tigers
6. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
7. North Carolina State Wolfpack
8. Florida State Seminoles
9. Virginia Tech Hokies
10. Syracuse Orange
11. Pittsburgh Panthers
12. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
13. Louisville Cardinals
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
15. Boston College Eagles
The ACC remains among the premier conferences in college basketball. However, the race for the top spot in the conference could be a three-team race between the No. 2-ranked Duke Blue Devils, No. 13-ranked Miami Hurricanes and No. 19-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. No other team from the ACC made the preseason AP Top 25 poll.
While those three schools should qualify for the NCAA Tournament, conference play will greatly impact the seeding, as well as what other ACC programs reach March Madness.
Despite rumors that the ACC could be headed to a fate similar to the Pac-12, it remains one of the most important conferences to watch this college basketball season.
Best Game: North Carolina Tar Heels at Duke Blue Devils
The Duke Blue Devils won the ACC Tournament last season. But their season ended in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 32. Duke has brought back several key pieces while supplementing them with the second-ranked recruiting class in the nation.
The North Carolina Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament altogether after entering the season as the top-ranked team in the nation. While their recruiting class was the nation's 32nd ranked, the Tar Heels should be primed for a bounce-back year.
The long-time Tobacco Road rivals are the obvious choice for the best game, as no other matchup can match the fanfare and attention that the Blue Devils and Tar Heels receive. While they will play twice, their final meeting, which will take place in Durham in the final game of the regular season, is the pick for the best game here.
Duke won both meetings last season.
ACC champions
The Duke Blue Devils have won an ACC-record 22 conference titles. They enter the season as the most formidable program in the conference and among the best in the nation. Look for Duke to capture their 23rd conference title in the final season before the ACC expands.
