ACC Basketball: Top returning player for each team in 2019-20

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) /

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Photo Credit: Ryan M. Kelly – Getty Images /

Notre Dame Fighting Irish — John Mooney

The ACC’s worst-ranked team, Notre Dame struggled without Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell. TJ Gibbs regressed once the offense was put completely in his hands and Rex Pflueger tore his ACL early into the year.

Searching for answers, John Mooney saw his minutes nearly double from a season ago, becoming one of the ACC’s best bigs. He led the Fighting Irish with 14.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, leading UND in close bouts with North Carolina and Virginia. Notre Dame returns its core from a season ago, Mooney chief among them.

With his ability to stretch the floor — he was Notre Dame’s most reliable 3-point threat at a 37.4-percent clip — and a knack for rebounding, Mooney’s success could be the difference between UND being a middle-of-the-conference foe and a bottom feeder once again.

Pittsburgh Panthers — Xavier Johnson

This is a no-brainer. Pittsburgh’s depleted team that didn’t win a single conference game two seasons ago, won three in 2018, and didn’t finish last in the ACC in large part due to Xavier Johnson’s strong freshman campaign.

Running the offense, the 6-foot-3 guard led Pitt with 15.5 points and 4.5 assists per game. Johnson had a knack for finding the ball, adding 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per contest, too. If he can limit his turnovers alongside a super young Pittsburgh rotation, this team could have the potential to pull off some sneaky upsets come conference play.