ACC Basketball: Louisville, Wake Forest rise in updated way-too-early ranking for 2024-25

2. North Carolina Tar Heels

While Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis was the top NBA Draft decision to watch around the deadline, the most important overall was with RJ Ravis, the star senior guard at UNC who was the ACC Basketball Player of the Year. He led the team with 21.2 ppg and 3.5 apg and his decision to return for a 5th year gives them the best player in the conference.

While Davis is back, North Carolina did lose the other three double-digit scorers on the roster, including forwards Armando Bacot and Harrison Ingram. The main frontcourt transfer to the team is Ven-Allen Lubin, who started his career at Notre Dame and is coming off averaging 12.3 ppg and 6.3 rpg at Vanderbilt. Jalen Washington, Jae’lyn Withers, and Zayden High are back, joined by four-star center prospect, James Brown.

The other key transfer for UNC is Cade Tyson, a 6’7 wing from Belmont. He averaged 16.2 ppg on 47% shooting from three-point range and is the hopeful sharpshooting replacement for the other departing double-digit scorer, Cormac Ryan. Point guard Elliot Cadeau is a potential sophomore breakout candidate in the backcourt, while incoming 5-star wing prospects, Ian Jackson and Drake Powell could determine how big the ceiling will be next season.

There’s a case to be made that the Tar Heels could be the team to beat in the ACC since they have the best player in the conference. But from a talent perspective, one team simply has more from top to bottom.