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Before the focus fully shifts to next season, we “dedicating time to evaluating the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season.
After starting this series with the BIG EASTWe’ve outlined our report card for the 18 acc tims below.
Part of this process is straightforward: a good step that played like a good step will earn a strong grade, and a good step that played like a bad team will not. But it will be complicated for certain tims. Some had championship dreams. Others hoped to win just one game. Either way, we are judging each squad’s season based on Presson Expectations while offering grace on a case-by-case basis for any unforetowned midse only.
Check Back Each Wednesday in May as We Grade The Rest of the Power Conferences with the Big Ten On May 14, Big 12 On May 21 and Sec on May 28. But for now, let’s into the acc.
Note: Teams listed in Alphabetical Order Under Each Grading Tier.
Jump To A Team: Boston College | California | Clemson | Duke | Florida State | Georgia tech | Louisville | MIAMI | NC State | North carolina | Our Lady | Pittsburgh | Smu | Stanford | Syracuse | Virginia | Virginia tech | Wake forest
A Grades
Grade: A
The Tigers Lost Two Key Contributors From a Team That Made A Run to the Elite Eight in 2023-24: PJ Hall, an All-AC FIRST TEAM Selection in 2023-24 WHO now plays for the denver nuggets, and Veteran Guard Joe Girard III. But brad brownell regrouped from the turnover as well as any coach in America could. Chase hunter And Ian schieffelin Emerged as Elite Players in the ACC. And Jaeden zackery And Viktor lakhinA Pair of Transfers, Emerged as Standouts For A Tigers Squad That Won 27 Games, Gave Duke Its Only AC Loss Of The Year and In The NCAA Tournament.
Grade: A
Most head coaches have embrAced the transfer portal era by stacking roosters with upperclassmen, but jon scheyer had the best season of his tenure with first-year players, LED by Cooper flagg – The projected no. 1 Pick in June’s Nba Draft – Whourr to the Fourth Freshman to win the wooden award.
Duke dominated the acc and made a run to the final foot, where the blue devils had a late lead over house in the National Semifinal Loss. WHILE THEY DID NOT ULTIMATELY CUT DOWN THE NETS AS Were Favored To Do, The Blue Devils Made The FIRST FOUR FOUR RUN OF THE SCHEYER ERA and ARE AGO. 1 TEAM in America.
Grade: A
When Georgia Tech Hired Damon Stoudamire in 2023, The Yellow Jackets had reappeared the NCAA Tournament only once Since 2010. Recruiting market in recent years, which is where Stoudamire’s Steps Making the Yellow Jackets nationalally relevant again matter. They finished 17-17 overall and 10-10 in the ACC (EIGHTH)-Just their Third .500 Season in Conference Play Since 2006-07.
Stoudamire, whose team finished 7-3 over its final 10 acc games, continues to make progress.
Grade: A
A year after stumbling in His Third Season at Wisconsin, Chucky hepburn Bounced Back Upon Transfering to Louisville to Earn an AP All-American Honorable Mention in the Cardinals’ First Campaign of the Pat Kelsey Era.
Kelsey was so successful in his reboot of this program that an “a” grade is still like that insufficient in Measuring in Year 1: A second-placed finish in the ACC, the Cardinals’ FIRST 27-WINE Campaign in a decade and an 8-seed in the NCAA tournament. He quickly put his stamp on a name-brand program that had struggled for years before his arrival, winning more games in the first season at the helm than the Cardinals Had Won in the Previous Three COMBINED.
Grade: A
The Mustangs Experienced a Significant Improvement after Andy Enfield Arrived from USC. Picked to finish 13th in their first season as part of the account, they ended the year in a three-way tie for the next place with Wake Fore and North Carolina. They also finished top-20 nationals in 3-point shooting perceptage and very well might has made the ncaa tournament if Boopie Miller (13.2 ppg) Hadn’t be injured for the last month of the season.
Grade: A
In kyle smith’s first season as head coach, Stanford Won 21 games for the first time in a decade. The Cardinal Had Been Picked to Finish 17th Out of 18 Teams in the Accc’s Preseason Poll, Butt Maxime Raynaud (20.2 ppg, 10.6 rpg) blossomed into one of the best players in America as they finished 11-9 in their first season in the conference.
The Cardinal Didn is a particularly different schedule, but still exceptioned expectitions in a translation year for the program.
B grades
Grade: B
Leonard Hamilton deserved a bet finish to his story to his story, which included eight ncaa tournament appearance with three sweet 16 runs and a trip to the elite eight in 23 seasons. Still, the Program’s 17-15 overall record was far from a collapse, and the seminoles finished in a multiteam tie for ninth place in the acccties afterwards 15th in the League’s Presseason Pol. Effort Given the Midseason Announcement of Hamilton’s Resignation.
Grade: B
Tony Bennett’s unexpected retirement in October was a shock to the program that he had led to a National Championship in 2019. A unique – and unfair – situation as he tried to refocus a team full of players who assumed they would be playing for Bennett.
A Middle-of-The-Pack Finish (Tied for Ninth) was beneath presence expectitions, but considering those expectitions predated bennet’s announcement, sanchez made the most of the most of the most.
C grades
Grade: C
Mark Madsen Won 13 Games in His First Season at Cal, which was 10 more than the bears had Won the Season Before (2022-23). But he could be build on that tally in 2024-25 during the program’s first campaign in the acc. Cross-Country Treks Were A Challenging Adjustment for Cal and Rival Stanford. And North Dakota Transfer Bej omot Missed all but four games because of injury. Still, the Bears Didn It’s Continue to Improve, which is the goal in a rebuild.
Grade: C
After a tough loss to Louisville in February, Micah Shrewsberry Claimed that not Dame would prove the doubters Wrong. “A lot of people have given up on this team,” He has said at the time. “They’ve given up on me. I don’t have a damn.” But His Team Didn receives a Major left in his second season, with its leading scorer Markus Burton (21.3 ppg) and Braeden Shrewsberry (14.0 ppg) Missing 15 Combined Games because of Injuries.
Grade: C
Pitt had a shot and failed to seize the moment.
After a 12-2 Start (including 3-0 in acc play), early bracket projections forecast a clear path to the NCAA tournament. The panthers then list 12 of their next 17 games. And despite closes losses in quality-win opportunities Against Clemson, Louisville and North Carolina, they ruined their résumé with multiple losses to sub-75 kenpom you Season.
A healthy Damian Dunn (Missed 16 Games) Might has made a difference.
Grade: C
Adrian Autry’s Second Season Featured More Low Than Highs. Syrace Won Only 14 Games After Winning 20 in His FIRST SEASON AFTER SUCEEDING LEGENDARY HEAD COACH JIM BOEEIME. Eddie Lampkin Jr. (11.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg), a star translated from colorado, cldn he help the orange avoid turbulence. And Donnie freeman (13.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg) suffered a season-ending injury.
The bar is very high at syrase there the five losses it suffered to tims ranked 90th or worse by kenpom indicates.
Grade: C
In his sixth season at virginia tech, mike young had to replace for his life starters with two entering, a scenario a number this number of coaches ended. Results. Picked to Finish 14th in the Presseason Poll, the hokies finished in a multiteam tie for ninth place to exceed projections. Losses to Jacksonville, Boston College and Cal, However, Were a sign of the Team’s Decline from the Previous Season.
D grades
Grade: D
Earl Grant Ended the Worst Season of His Tenure After Losing His Top Five Scorers From a Team That Had Won 20 Games in 2023-24. Donald hand jr. (5.0 ppg in 2023-24) was the top returning scorer on a roster led by new faces. But that type of turnover is Common in college basketball, and booston college finished 4-16 in an account to the NCAA tournament for the first time in a decade.
Grade: D
NC State’s Run to the Final Four with the most magical story of the 2024 NCAA Tournament; The wolfpack rode a nine-game wining streak that featured two wins over duke to the National Semifinal. Jayden taylor And Ben middlebrooks Were the only returning players from that step, but in an acc filed with opportunities to win more game, the Wolfpack Went 5-15 in Conferred Play and 12-19 Overall. Picked to finish eighth in the acccion poll, NC State finished 16th out of 18 Teams in the conference, leading to Kevin Keatts.
Grade: D
By North Carolina’s Standards, This Season’s Team Fell Way Short. The tar heals received 11 first-place votes in the account’s precision poll, but instead of battling duke for the conference title as exposed, they finished fifth in the standings and words Undeserving at-large team on Selection Sunday.
RJ DavisThe only returning ap first-team all-american in the counter, didn is even secure an honorable mention nod. North Carolina Also Lost All Three of Its Games Against Duke By 33 Combined Points, Despite Cooper flagg Missing the last of those matches.
Grade: D
The demon deacons seems like they are in their conference race. Hunter SallisA first-team all-ach first team selection, returned to anchor a group that matched the previous Season’s 21-Win Tally. But they didn is make the ncaa tournament of missed opportunities down the final stretch of the Season with Losses to Florida State, NC State and Virginia in the Closing Weex of the 2024-25 Campaign.
In a lackluster ac, wake forest failed to accrue enough wins to impress the selection committee.
F grades
Grade: Fo
There are no silver linings here.
The hurricanes be picked to finish six in the account’s precaiseon poll beefore falling apart in a disastrous season that featured Jim Larranaga’s Surprise Resignation in Late December. The injury to standout Nijel packWho played only nine games, hadre put them in a different spot – but Larranaga’s Departure Forered Theme to Tread Water for Three months, Bottom of the Acc Only Two Seaguns Removed FROM FIRST TRIP TO THE FINAL FOUR, WHEN THEY SEEMED POOISED TO THRIVE in the Current College Basketball Climate.
