CBS Sports breaks down ACC into way-too-early tiers for 2026-27 college basketball season

The 2026-27 college basketball season will start later this year, and CBS Sports has released its way-too-early ACC tier rankings. This comes after Duke won the ACC regular-season and tournament championships and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

CBS Sports has separated every ACC team into five tiers. The top tier is the title contender and belongs to one team. The fifth tier is called “The Basement,” and is for teams that have the least chance to reach the tournament.

Did CBS Sports rank Duke on top of the ACC, or is another program ready to make a run? Here’s a look at the full ACC rankings from Isaac Trotter.

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Tier 1: National title contenders

1. Duke

As mentioned earlier, Duke won the ACC and was a game away from reaching the Final Four last season. A couple of players to watch this upcoming season are Cayden Boozer and John Blackwell.

“Jon Scheyer’s best player will be a veteran for the first time in his Duke tenure,” Trotter wrote. “Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell is a plug-and-play stud who can fill it up from downtown and slice to the cup with get-off-me drives.”

Tier 2: Top 25-caliber club

2. Louisville

Last year, Louisville clinched a No. 6 seed in the tournament and lost in the second round. The Cardinals added multiple transfers, including Flory Bidunga and Jackson Shelstad.

“Louisville’s floor is controlled by how well new point guard Jackson Shelstad and new big man Flory Bidunga can coalesce,” Trotter said. “Shelstad scurries up and down the floor with real pace, and his shot-making off the dribble can be a ‘get out of jail free’ card for this Louisville offense.”

3. Virginia

Like Louisville, Virginia lost in the second round of the tournament last year. Thijs de Ridder is a player to watch, as Trotter believes he could be in the running to win ACC Player of the Year.

“There’s no reason why de Ridder can’t be on the short-list for ACC Player of the Year, and [Johann] Grünloh’s skillset as a shot-blocking big man who can drag shot-blockers away from the paint because he’s a threat from downtown is such a game-changer,” Trotter said. “Retention was not cheap, so Virginia isn’t going to be quite as deep as it was a year ago, but Ryan Odom’s bunch isn’t leaving its perch near the top of the ACC pecking order anytime soon. “

4. Miami

Another ACC team that is looking to get past the second round of the tournament. Miami is looking to take the next step with Georgia transfer Somto Cyril and Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis.

“There are so many finesse rosters that rely more on skill than athleticism in the ACC, which makes the smashmouth basketball that Miami plays stick out in all the best ways,” Trotter said. “Somto Cyril and his reported 7-foot-7 wingspan — which rivals ex-Michigan star Aday Mara —  is Miami’s new monster big man, and Canes coach Jai Lucas paired him with dynamic paint-touch machine, Acaden Lewis, to form an intriguing pick-and-roll duo.”

5. North Carolina

North Carolina is looking for a reset after getting bounced in the first round of the tournament last year. The team hired Michael Malone as its head coach, and he has championship experience after leading the Denver Nuggets to an NBA title in 2023.

“Michael Malone’s first roster won’t jump off the page at you, but UNC has a chance to be competitive, even though the ceiling was lowered when star big man Henri Veesaar chose to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft,” Trotter said. “The guards have to be the strength of this team.”

Tier 3: Tournament team

6. Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech missed the tournament last season, but that should be the case in 2026-27. Keeping Ben Hammond and Amani Hansberry will be key to the Hokies’ success.

“Virginia Tech is in a sneaky-good spot, even after losing the talented Neo Avdalas to UNC,” Trotter said. “You could make the case that retaining point guard Ben Hammond and warrior forward Amani Hansberry means Virginia Tech kept its two best players from ACC play last year.”

Tier 4: The bubble

7. NC State

NC State reached the tournament last season but lost in the First Four. New head coach Justin Gainey will have some work to do to get the Wolfpack to the top of the ACC rankings.

“Gainey is a well-respected defensive coach who has the personnel to be OK,” Trotter said. “I’d expect NC State to try to funnel everything toward shot-swatting big man Kyle Evans and hope one of the best shot-blockers in the nation can keep doing his thing.”

8. Clemson

Clemson finished 24-11 in 2025-26 and lost in the first round of the tournament. Trotter isn’t sure that this year’s roster can make a deep run in postseason play.

“This roster currently has creation questions, athleticism deficiencies and very little rim protection on paper, but maybe Brad Brownell has some tricks up his sleeve on the player-development front,” he wrote. “…Clemson can’t be considered a no-doubt NCAA Tournament team without a healthy Zac Foster and Carter Welling.”

9. Florida State

Florida State hasn’t played in the NCAA Tournament since 2021, but the Seminoles finished 10-8 in ACC play last year. That might not sound big, but it’s the first winning record since the 2020-21 season.

“Luke Loucks is betting on himself to resuscitate talented perimeter weapons like Mizzou transfer point guard Anthony Robinson II and Cincinnati transfer wing Shon Abaev,” Trotter wrote. “Those are the two X-Factors if Florida State wants to exceed expectations for the second year in a row.”

10. SMU

SMU is another ACC team that lost in the First Four of the tournament last year. Trotter believes that Jaden Toombs will be a standout for the Mustangs.

“Fasten the seatbelts for the Jaden Toombs breakout,” he wrote. “The sophomore big man has all the tools to be extremely productive in Year 2, especially now that high-volume offensive weapons like Boopie Miller and Jaron Pierre Jr. have departed.”

11. Syracuse

It was a tough 2025-26 season for the Orange, as they finished with a 15-17 overall record and 6-12 record in ACC play. This led to Syracuse hiring Gerry McNamara as its new head coach.

“New Syracuse coach Gerry McNamara is all-in on size,” Trotter wrote. “Syracuse’s projected starting backcourt all checks in at the 6-5 neighborhood, and that’s the same for 10 of the top-11 players in the rotation.”

Tier 5: The basement

12. Boston College
13. Pitt
14. Stanford
15. Notre Dame
16. Cal
17. Georgia Tech
18. Wake Forest