Last season was a rough year, to say the least, for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Half of the teams in ACC Basketball had an overall losing record, only four squads made the NCAA Tournament, and the only team to win a game in the big dance was Duke, who suffered a heartbreaking loss in the Final Four despite being the consensus favorite to win it all.
The ACC, which is often one of the top conferences in college hoops, will look to get back in form next year and that, all starts in the offseason. Several teams have brought in new head coaches, and rosters are being rebuilt in the transfer portal. Over 2,000 players have reportedly entered during the spring window with several of them already finding a new home, but there is still tons of talent out there. That said, here are the biggest needs for each ACC team to fill out their rosters for next season.
Boston College Eagles - Power Forward
The Eagles look good in the back court with the return of Jayden Hastings, Fred Payne, and their leading scorer from last season in Donald Hand Jr. I believe Hand could be one of the top players in the conference next season, but adding an athletic big man down low will go a long way to help the team as a whole. They are bringing in center Boden Kapke from Butler, but adding a power forward to go alongside him could give BC a solid starting five.
California Golden Bears - On Ball Defender
Cal is putting together an impressive roster as they have been one of the most active teams in the transfer portal with six commitments, and return their best player in Andrej Stojakovic. There's always room to grow though and defense was a major issue for the Bears last season. They brought in a trio of 6’8” or taller forwards that will help down low to protect the rim, but getting an elite on ball defender could help take this team to another level on paper.
Clemson Tigers - Scoring Guard
Clemson has some big holes to fill, especially with replacing two guys in Chase Hunter and Ian Schieffelin, who started a combined 222 games for the Tigers. They have brought in a pair of big men via the portal, each of whom averaged double figures scoring last season, but have yet to add a high-level scoring guard. Bringing in a guy who can fill the shoes of Hunter, who served in this role for multiple years, is a must if Clemson wants to stay near the top of the ACC.
Duke Blue Devils - Role Players
It’s no secret that Duke will have young talent every year with top high school recruits, but in this transfer portal era, I believe what will take them from being great to being a top team in the nation is experienced role players. Think of Sion James or Maliq Brown and their importance to the 2023-2024 Blue Devils team. With the brand name and likely a lot of NIL money, you would think Duke would be able to go out and get whoever they want, but the question is what guys would be willing to take on more of a backseat role in Durham instead of going somewhere else where they would be the star.
Florida State Seminoles - Point Guard
Florida State will look completely different next season with Leonard Hamilton stepping down after 23 years and almost all of their production entering the portal. New head coach Luke Louckus has gone to work this offseason with five additions thus far. When dealing with a massive overhaul like this any addition is a good one, but they do still need a true point guard. With Louckus being a former NBA guy it will be key to have a player that can be trusted to handle the ball and run his offense.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 3-point Shooting
The Yellow Jackets return two key players in ,, and recently got their first commitment via the portal from Kam Craft. They are bringing in four 4-star high school recruits who each could have an immediate impact. I would still like to see them get active in the portal and every team can get better shooting. The Yellow Jackets had one of the worst 3-point percentages in the conference last year so adding a guy with college experience who can stretch the floor and shoot from deep deep would be very beneficial.
Louisville Cardinals - Small Forward
Pat Kelsey will be attempting to surpass his first-year success with the Cardinals, and at the moment, things are looking good. They have already gotten big commitments from the portal, especially at the guard position, but this team still needs some depth in the form of size in the frontcourt. Adding another high-level shooting forward would be very beneficial and, in my mind, validate their current spot as the fourth favorite to win the national championship next season.
Miami Hurricanes - Depth
New head coach Jai Lucas notoriously left Duke early to build a completely new roster at Miami. This has paid off with an impressive transfer portal class that includes Tre Donaldson and Malik Reneau. At the moment they have five players total, four of which are high level starters, so additions at any position to build depth for the Hurricanes should now be the focus.
North Carolina Tar Heels - 3-and-D
I really like what the Tar Heels have done so far in the offseason. This past year the obvious problem for UNC was the lack of a big man that could protect the rim and rebound. They went out and addressed that issue by adding athletic bigs in Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson. Former Colorado State guard Kyan Evans is also heading to Chapel Hill to go along with Seth Trimble in the backcourt. I still think they could improve with a true center, but adding a shooting forward who can play the three-and-d role should be at the top of Hubert Davis’ list.
North Carolina State Wolfpack - Big Men
Will Wade enters his first season with the Wolfpack with only one returning player in Raleigh. He brought two of his guys from McNeese with him and recently added guard Tre Holloman. Wade liked to play small at McNeese, but that will be tough to do in the ACC. This roster obviously still needs a lot but bringing in size down low is a must and is something I am sure NC State fans would love to see after a year without DJ Burns.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Defense
Micah Shrewsberry needs to win in his third season with the Fighting Irish. He made it known that they really struggled last year on the defensive end and I expect him to make that a focus for next year. The roster is just about full, but if they do receive any other commitments from the portal it should be from a player who can be of benefit on the defensive end.
Pittsburgh Panthers - Scorer
Pitt needs a go to scorer. When the offense is stalling, and points are needed, they need a guy who can be fully trusted with the ball in his hands to create and get a bucket. More than that, though, they need someone who can consistently score double figures since they are losing almost all of their offense with the departures of Lowe, Leggett, Austin, and likely Dunn. The addition of Barry Dunning, who averaged 15.1 ppg last season for South Alabama, is big, but I believe adding another scoring threat will be key in a make-or-break season for Jeff Capel.
SMU Mustangs - Shooting
The Mustangs got a big-time addition in C-USA Player of the Year, Jaron Pierre, to go along with three returning starters. They also brought in Nana Owusu-Anane, who averaged 14.7ppg for Brown last season and will likely fill the power forward spot in the starting lineup. Developing guys with little to no experience as well as possibly adding depth, will be the focus now. I see a spot-up shooter who does well without the ball in his hands as a positive addition to Andy Enfield’s squad.
Stanford Cardinal - Anything/Scoring
Stanford will look to build on a first season in the ACC in which they held their own and far exceeded expectations. The loss of their top three scorers, Maxime Raymaud, Oziyah Sellers, and Jaylen Blakes, hurts and needs to be addressed. They have yet to receive any commitments from the portal, so any addition would benefit them, but bringing in guys who can simply score the ball is obviously a major need.
Syracuse Orange - Center
The Orange will look very different next year with only two returning players. One of those is guard JJ Starling who has started for two seasons and they bring in two top 40 high school recruits including Kiyan Anthony. They have already brought in four transfers but another in the form of an experienced center that can rebound the ball and protect the rim would be huge.
Virginia Cavaliers - Bigs
Ryan Odom took over a UVA team with only one returning player At the moment, who came with Odom from VCU is the tallest player on the team at 6’8”, but he is more of a shooting forward who does not pose a threat down low. who averaged 9.6 minutes in 16 games. Work has been done in the portal thus far but in the form of only guards. At the moment Martin Carrere, who came with Odom from VCU, is the tallest player on the team at 6’8” but he is more of a shooting forward that does not pose a threat down low. The need for the Cavaliers is obvious, being size and big men which I would expect to be addressed soon
Virginia Tech Hokies - Guard/Anything
Coming off a 13-19 season with five players leaving and only two commitments from the portal so far, the Hokies could use a lot. Mike Young was reported to be returning this season with a much bigger NIL package so you would think commitments are coming soon. In a perfect world they would bring in a fast guard who can shoot the three ball like Young had for so long with Sean Pedulla and Hunter Catoor.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons - Primary Ball Handler
The Demon Deacons have already got two big commitments via the portal, Myles Colvin and athletic big Cooper Schwieger, along with a few returners in the front court. They could still use a true center with the departure of Efton Reid, but getting a guard should be of the utmost importance right now. I would not say Wake needs a true point guard, but someone who can be the primary ball handler has complete control of the offense as we saw from Hildreth/Salis the past two seasons.