With 2026-27 Rosters Mostly Settled, an Early Glance at ACC Contenders
By David Glenn
Throughout most of college basketball history, coaches routinely returned a majority of their roster from one season to the next.
For example, legendary North Carolina coach Dean Smith retained 10 of the 11 scholarship players from his 1991-92 team. (Senior guard Hubert Davis graduated and moved on to a long career in the National Basketball Association.) Smith also added three high school recruits for the 1992-93 season, giving him 13 players on scholarship, the maximum allowed under NCAA rules at the time.
The 1993 Tar Heels, of course, went on to capture Smith’s second national championship, led by junior center Eric Montross, junior forward George Lynch, sophomore guard Donald Williams, junior point guard Derrick Phelps and junior forward Brian Reese. Like the team’s top reserves, senior guard Henrik Rodl, junior forward Pat Sullivan and junior center Kevin Salvadori, each player started and ended his college career wearing only the Carolina uniform.
While everyone realizes that such stories have become a thing of the past, thanks to a flurry of modern lawsuits and NCAA rule changes (e.g., transfer portal, revenue sharing, Name-Image-Likeness money, much more flexible eligibility standards), it’s still striking at times to see the extreme nature of the new world.
Peeking ahead at the 2026-27 season, among the 18 teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a whopping eight (Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, NC State, Pitt, Syracuse, Wake Forest) will return only one or two scholarship players from last year’s roster.
Whereas the 1992-93 Tar Heels had four returning starters, the 2026-27 Tar Heels will have just one (senior forward Jarin Stevenson).
Ten ACC teams will enter next season with zero returning starters: Boston College, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pitt, SMU, Stanford, Syracuse and Wake Forest. The Eagles, Yellow Jackets and Orange also went through offseason head coaching changes, adding to their massive turnover.
Nevertheless, through this modern-day chaos, the ACC is expected to produce a number of national contenders, as usual.
At this point, roughly half of the ACC’s teams have finished recruiting for next season. The other half, including UNC, continue to pursue some combination of high school prospects, major college transfers and international players to supplement the talent already on hand or on the way.
(photo via Todd Melet)
Based on projected rosters as of May 13, and with several asterisks in mind (e.g., the NCAA’s May 27 deadline for players going through the NBA draft process to withdraw and thus maintain their college eligibility), here’s a still-too-early educated guess regarding the ACC’s top five contenders next season:
1. Duke — 5th-year head coach Jon Scheyer
Since taking over for Mike Krzyzewski prior to the 2022-23 season, Duke coach Jon Scheyer has set the standard in the ACC.
Still just 38 years old, Scheyer claimed three ACC Tournament crowns and two regular-season titles in his first four seasons leading the Blue Devils. He’s also already taken the Devils to three Elite Eights and the 2025 Final Four. Over the past two seasons, while Duke produced back-to-back National Players of the Year in Cooper Flagg and Cameron Boozer, the Devils posted a sizzling 70-7 overall record and an ACC-best 36-2 mark in regular-season league play.
Nobody has recruited the high school ranks better than Scheyer in recent years, and his 2026-27 Duke team is expected to reflect that ongoing trend, although not in the same manner Flagg and Boozer did. Whereas forward Cameron Williams, point guard Deron Rippey Jr. and wing player Bryson Howard were all top-20 high school seniors this past season and have NBA potential, they — unlike Flagg and Boozer — are not expected to be the focal point from Day One.
Instead, next season’s Blue Devils likely will be a new-for-them blend of three returning starters (nobody in the ACC has more), a prominent major college transfer (most recent Duke transfers were specialists or end-of-bench guys) and a very young but very promising international star.
Half of Duke’s 2026-27 rotation will look very familiar to college basketball fans; guards Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster, forward Dame Sarr and center Patrick Ngongba II all have played major minutes in big games for Scheyer.
In addition to the prep stars, the key newcomers include Wisconsin guard transfer John Blackwell (19 ppg, 39% threes), Belmont forward transfer Drew Scharnowski (11 ppg, 68% FG, 39 blocks) and 17-year-old center Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, a projected 2028 NBA lottery pick who was a dominant player in Spain last season (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 50% FG, 79% FT) on Barcelona’s Under-22 team.
Returning Starters: senior C Patrick Ngongba II* (HM All-ACC), sophomore F Dame Sarr* (ACC All-Defense), senior G Caleb Foster* Other Key Returnees: sophomore PG Cayden Boozer Top Incoming Transfers: Wisconsin senior G John Blackwell (3rd-team All-Big Ten), Belmont junior F Drew Scharnowski (1st-team All-Missouri Valley) International Signees: C Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (17-year-old NBA prospect from USA/Spain-Barcelona) Top High School Signees: F Cameron Williams (#4), PG Deron Rippey Jr. (#12), G Bryson Howard (#18) Key Departures: F Cameron Boozer* (early NBA entry), F Maliq Brown (Sr.), G Isaiah Evans* (early NBA entry)
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2. Louisville — 3rd-year head coach Pat Kelsey
Along with Duke, Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Tennessee, Texas and a few others, Louisville has become one of the biggest spenders on men’s basketball in recent years.
It’s not mere coincidence, then, that the Cardinals also have made so many enormous splashes in the NCAA transfer portal under third-year coach Pat Kelsey, who has taken them to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in the immediate aftermath of the most miserable two-year stretch (4-28, 8-24) in program history.
It is very difficult — and, in today’s world, extremely expensive — to sign proven, all-conference-caliber players away from other Power Five programs. Nevertheless, Kelsey did exactly that twice earlier this spring, while landing his starting point guard (Oregon transfer Jackson Shelstad) and starting post player (Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga) for next season. The price tag for Bidunga alone was a reported $5 million.
Unlike Duke and Virginia, Louisville faces a massive rebuild. All five starters from last year are gone; three were seniors, one left early for the NBA, and another hit the transfer portal. Only one player from last year’s active roster, backup guard Adrian Wooley, is back for the Cardinals.
Kelsey continues to accumulate talented pieces, though, including players with significant experience at very high levels. Beyond Bidunga and Shelstad, the Cardinals have added veteran G League guard London Johnson (don’t ask how the 22-year-old professional is eligible for college basketball), veteran Iowa forward Alvaro Folgueiras (previously the Horizon League’s Player of the Year while at Robert Morris), veteran Dayton guard De’Shayne Montgomery (13 ppg, 34% threes, 77 steals) and veteran Arkansas wing Karter Knox (8 ppg, 38% threes).
Louisville also has signed one of the ACC’s highest-ranked incoming freshmen. Long-time ACC fans may remember former Maryland center Obinna Ekezie, who went on to a long pro career. Obinna Ekezie Jr., a 7-foot, 220-pound center, originally was going to enter college in 2027 but recently reclassified so he can join the Cardinals this coming season.
Returning Starters: none Other Key Returnees: junior G Adrian Wooley Top Incoming Transfers: Kansas junior C Flory Bidunga (1st-team All-Big 12/DPOY), Oregon senior PG Jackson Shelstad (2025 3rd-team All-Big Ten), G League junior London Johnson, Iowa senior F Alvaro Folgueiras, Dayton senior G De’Shayne Montgomery (3rd-team All-Atlantic-10), Arkansas junior F Karter Knox (starter) International Signees: none Top High School Signees: C Obinna Ekezie Jr. (#13), F Boyuan Zhang (#59), PG Isaac Ellis (top-150) Key Departures: PG Mikel Brown Jr.* (early NBA entry), G Ryan Conwell* (Sr.), C Sananda Fru* (transfer/Marquette), BF J’Vonne Hadley* (Sr.), G Isaac McKneely* (Sr.)
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3. Miami — 2nd-year head coach Jai Lucas
No ACC coach did better work in last year’s transfer portal than Miami’s Jai Lucas did.
The former Duke assistant, who left the Blue Devils prior to the 2025 postseason to get a head start on his new job with the Hurricanes, dramatically changed the trajectory of the Miami program during his first month on the job.
While Louisville (Xavier guard Ryan Conwell) and UNC (Arizona center Henri Veesaar) each tapped last year’s portal for a player who ended up being among the best in the ACC, Lucas landed two such contributors. Indiana forward Malik Reneau earned first-team All-ACC honors during his single season with the Hurricanes, Michigan point guard Tre Donaldson (also a senior) made the second team, and the Canes went 26-9 and finished third in the conference.
Now Lucas appears to have done it again, this time with at least five major college transfers who project as significant contributors next season.
The new point guard is Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis (12 ppg, 5 apg, 63 steals), a second-team All-Big East honoree for the Wildcats last season as a freshman. The new power forward is Robert Morris transfer DeSean Goode (15 ppg, 9 rpg, 63% FG, 76% FT), the 2026 Horizon League Player of the Year. The new rim-protecting center is 6-11, 260-pound Georgia transfer Somto Cyril (9 ppg, 5 rpg, 76% FG, 74 blocks). The new wing options include Indiana transfer Nick Dorn (a former Elon star; 8 ppg, 38% threes) and St. Peter’s transfer Brent Bland (14 ppg, 37% threes, 59 steals).
Miami also has two important returnees in sophomore wings Shelton Henderson (a 2025-26 starter and an NBA prospect) and Dante Allen, and the Hurricanes are among the ACC teams expected to add another player or two this spring.
Returning Starters: sophomore G/F Shelton Henderson* Other Key Returnees: sophomore G Dante Allen Top Incoming Transfers: Villanova sophomore PG Acaden Lewis (2nd-team All-Big East), Robert Morris junior F DeSean Goode (1st-team All-Horizon/POY), Georgia junior C Somto Cyril (starter), Indiana senior G/F Nick Dorn (part-time starter), St. Peter’s senior G Brent Bland (1st-team All-MAAC) International Signees: none Top High School Signees: F Caleb Gaskins (#14) Key Departures: PG Tre Donaldson* (Sr.), F Malik Reneau* (Sr.), C Ernest Udeh* (Sr.), G Tru Washington* (transfer/Xavier)
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4. Virginia — 2nd-year head coach Ryan Odom
There are 79 men’s basketball programs in the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, SEC).
Only one, Virginia, didn’t have a single player enter the transfer portal this year. For comparison, consider that 11 of the ACC’s 18 teams had anywhere from six to 11 players enter the portal last month.
As a result, second-year UVa coach Ryan Odom has the most stable roster in the entire nation, and in his case that’s a good thing.
Oddly, Duke and Virginia — last year’s ACC champion and runner-up, both in the regular-season standings and at the ACC Tournament — are the league’s only two teams with three returning starters. In both cases, you could even argue they have “three-and-a-half” returning starters, because backup point guards Boozer (Duke) and Chance Mallory (UVa) often played more minutes than some of the actual starters last season.
Among the 15 players on last year’s All-ACC team, Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder (a first-team honoree) is the only player expected back with the same team for the 2026-27 campaign. (Stanford guard Ebuka Okorie is the only other possibility, if he pulls out of the NBA draft.) Six of last year’s All-ACC players exhausted their eligibility, five (perhaps six) left early for the NBA, and the other two (Cal guard Dai Dai Ames and Wake Forest guard Juke Harris) transferred to Tennessee.
De Ridder (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 36% threes), Mallory (9 ppg, 4 rpg, 3 apg, 35% threes), senior guard Sam Lewis (11 ppg, 40% threes) and sophomore center Johann Grunloh (7 ppg, 5 rpg, 80 blocks) combine to form a fantastic returning foundation for the Cavaliers. Odom also has added UC Irvine guard Jurian Dixon (16 ppg, 39% threes) and Arkansas State guard Christian Harmon (13 ppg, 35% threes) via the transfer portal, and the Cavs are expected to sign at least one more immediate-impact player this spring.
Returning Starters: sophomore F Thijs De Ridder* (1st-team All-ACC), senior G Sam Lewis*, sophomore C Johann Grunloh* Other Key Returnees: sophomore PG Chance Mallory, junior G Elijah Gertrude Top Incoming Transfers: UC-Irvine junior G Jurian Dixon (1st-team All-Big West), Arkansas State senior G Christian Harmon (3rd-team All-Sun Belt) International Signees: none Top High School Signees: C Favour Ibe (#139) Key Departures: PG Dallin Hall* (Sr.), C Ugonna Onyenso (Sr.), G Malik Thomas* (Sr.), G Jacari White (Sr.)
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5. North Carolina — 1st-year head coach Michael Malone
Like Louisville and Miami, and in stark contrast to Duke and Virginia, North Carolina is in microwave mode.
First-year coach Michael Malone will have only one returning starter (Stevenson). The two best players from coach Hubert Davis’ final UNC team, Veesaar and forward Caleb Wilson, entered the NBA draft. Top guards Seth Trimble (senior), Luka Bogavac (transfer to Oklahoma State) and Derek Dixon (transfer to Arizona) also have departed.
What’s left — as Malone and his new staff continue to recruit this spring (UNC is expected to add two more scholarship players) — is a fascinating but somewhat unpredictable combination of four potentially NBA-caliber (in time) newcomers, a high-scoring Big 12 transfer, three unspectacular returnees with a lot to prove, two longer-term projects and perhaps a couple of returning walk-ons.
The glass-half-full perspective on UNC mainly reflects the four players already on the NBA’s radar.
Virginia Tech transfer Neo Avdalas (12 ppg, 5 apg, 31% threes) is a 6-foot-9, 215-pound sophomore from Greece who can play point guard. NC State transfer Matt Able (9 ppg, 3 rpg, 42% FG, 80% FT, 36% threes, 42 steals) is a highly efficient 6-6 wing player who’s been going through the NBA draft process in recent weeks. Incoming freshman Maximo Adams (21 ppg, 42% threes for his club team), a 6-7 wing player, is one of the four McDonald’s All-Americans joining the ACC this year. International signee Sayon Keita (9 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 bpg, 54% FG, 57% FT), a Mali product who played mainly for Barcelona’s Under-22 team in Spain last season, is a 7-0, 215-pound center who’s already a productive rebounder and defender but likely will need time to develop his offensive game.
Meanwhile, the most proven college-level commodity on UNC’s projected roster is senior guard Terrence Brown, an intriguing transfer from Utah. A 6-3, 175-pounder, Brown averaged almost 20 points per game and earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors last season for the Utes, who finished 10-22 and last in their league.
Many are projecting Brown as Carolina’s starting point guard next season, even though his career assist-turnover ratio (294-232) looks a lot more like that of a wing player. There’s certainly no doubt about his scoring ability, as Brown averaged almost 21 points per game in 2024-25, when he was a first-team All-Northeast Conference player for Fairleigh Dickinson but had more turnovers (105) than assists (102).
In the coming weeks, Malone and his staff hope to add another piece or two to their still-fluid 2026-27 UNC puzzle. Eventually, of course, their #1 challenge will become making sure the pieces fit together well enough to have the Tar Heels competing somewhere in the ACC’s top tier once again.
Returning Starters: senior F Jarin Stevenson* Other Key Returnees: senior G Jaydon Young, sophomore G Isaiah Denis Top Incoming Transfers: Utah senior G Terrence Brown (HM All-Big 12), Virginia Tech sophomore G Neo Avdalas (starter), NC State sophomore G Matt Able (sixth man), Northwestern F Cade Bennerman (redshirt) International Signees: C Sayon Keita (18-year-old NBA prospect from Mali/Spain-Barcelona) Top High School Signees: G/F Maximo Adams (#24), G Malloy Smith (top-300) Key Departures: G Luka Bogavac* (transfer/Oklahoma State), PG Derek Dixon (transfer/Arizona), G Seth Trimble* (Sr.), C Henri Veesaar* (early NBA entry), BF Caleb Wilson* (early NBA entry)
*—returning starter (started at least half of team’s games in 2025-26) NOTE: High school player rankings from 247 Sports Composite.
David Glenn (DavidGlennShow.com, @DavidGlennShow) is an award-winning author, broadcaster, editor, entrepreneur, publisher, speaker, writer and university lecturer (now at UNC Wilmington) who has covered sports in North Carolina since 1987.
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Holding Court: With 2026-27 Rosters Mostly Settled, an Early Glance at ACC Contenders Chapelboro.com.
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