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ACC Basketball: 10 storylines/questions heading into 2024-25

There's another year of basketball on the horizon in the ACC! Take a look at 10 questions heading into the 2024-25 season.

By Jerran Anderson

North Carolina v NC State
North Carolina v NC State / Greg Fiume/GettyImages
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3) Who are the early favorites for ACC Player of the Year?

Last year's Player of the Year returns in RJ Davis, so instantly, he's at the top of the list. He has a chance to win another ACC title with the Tar Heels after winning the regular season title in 2023-24. He already has a lot of hardware but has yet to get an elusive NCAA Tournament Championship. It's easy to see why he returned for his fifth year.

With a title on his mind, another ACC Player of the Year award isn't entirely off the table as there's always room for guards of his stature to improve, especially on the playmaking front. The Tar Heels added Cade Tyson, Ven-Allen Lubin and Tyzhaun Claude out of the portal as well as three ESPN 100 signees in Ian Jackson, Drake Powell and James Brown. Look for Davis to play table-setter a lot more in 2024-25 to go along with his ability to score the ball.

Hunter Sallis is another player returning for Wake Forest to keep an eye on as a Player of the Year candidate. He's a 6-foot-5 versatile guard/wing who proved he could hold his own in the ACC as a top option, pouring in 18.0 points per game and finishing First Team All-ACC in 2023-24.

He finished fourth in the conference in points (613), tenth in field goal percentage (48.7) and 12th in 3-pointers made (75). The Demon Deacons have added more of a supporting cast around Sallis with TreVon Spillers, Ty-Laur Johnson and Omaha Biliew posting the potential to play bigger roles. Cameron Hildreth and Efton Reid III are back as well, giving them a solid core to work with after finishing in a tie for fifth in the conference standings in 2023-24.

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield is a dark horse candidate as an acquisition for the Wolfpack. Coach Keatts has a knack for utilizing versatile forwards of his stature, and he's shown he can handle the basketball on the perimeter and knock down shots after shooting 42.9 percent (9-of-21) in 2023-24 with Louisville.

While it isn't much volume, it's a good barometer of his improvements as a forward. He averaged a career-high 14.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game and shot 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from 3-point land in conference action. He's due to break out as a key addition to the Wolfpacks rotation and should be an early candidate for ACC Player of the Year.

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