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ACC Basketball: Updated preseason rankings for 2018-19

By Brian Rauf

DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 24: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 24, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC - FEBRUARY 24: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 24, 2018 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 71-63 during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 10: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers cuts down the net after defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 71-63 during the championship game of the 2018 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 10, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

ACC basketball was the best in the country last year and 2018-19 promises be another strong season thanks to the overall strength in the conference.

The ACC has consistently been the best conference in college basketball since the 16-team Big East broke up. Last year was another banner year as they tied the conference record with nine NCAA Tournament teams and sent two (Duke, Florida State) to the Elite Eight. A number of high-profile players are now gone as the conference had six players taken in the first 21 overall picks in the NBA Draft, but as we know in the ACC, teams simply reload.

Virginia, last year’s regular season and ACC Tournament champions, return perhaps their three most important players from that team in Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome, and De’Andre Hunter – but don’t enter the season as the favorite to repeat.

That distinction, once again, belongs to Duke, who is welcoming in the nation’s top recruiting class and have legitimate national championship aspirations despite losing all five starters. Of course, their rivals on Tobacco Road also have title aspirations as North Carolina has three starters returning (headlined by Luke Maye) and the nation’s No. 3 overall recruit in Nassir Little.

These three teams are expected to steal headlines all season long, but virtually every team in the conference has expectations of making the NCAA Tournament. How will all of those teams stack up against each other? Here are our ACC basketball preseason projections for the 2018-19 season!