54The upcoming 2025-26 college basketball season is shaping up to be another revealing chapter for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), with only two programs projected to crack the national top 25 — and both narrowly. According to college basketball analyst John Fanta’s recently updated rankings, only Duke and Louisville are expected to carry the ACC banner into the top tier of the sport.
Fanta ranks Louisville at No. 7 and Duke at No. 9 in his early projections. While these placements reflect high expectations for both programs individually, they also underscore a broader concern: the ongoing decline of the ACC’s once-unrivaled depth and national prominence. For a league that not long ago regularly featured half a dozen teams in the AP Top 25, this limited representation is emblematic of a multi-year downturn.
The Blue Devils’ projected No. 9 spot continues a remarkable streak of preseason respect, marking what would be the 18th straight season Duke begins the year inside the top 10. That streak began in 2008-09, Jon Scheyer’s junior season as a player. Now, Scheyer is entering his fourth year as Duke’s head coach at just 37 years old, aiming to uphold the program’s standard of excellence while navigating a diminished conference landscape.
Louisville’s projected resurgence under its current regime brings some promise to the ACC, but the broader trend remains troubling. With roster construction across much of the league viewed as underwhelming by national observers, the ACC risks further erosion of its influence in the sport — particularly in comparison to the rising depth in conferences like the SEC and Big 12.
Still, for Duke fans, there remains a measure of comfort. The program’s consistency at the national level is virtually unmatched, and under Scheyer, the Blue Devils continue to attract elite talent and maintain a competitive edge. But with so few conference peers projected to share the national spotlight, the pressure on Duke and Louisville to represent the ACC’s credibility grows even heavier.
As the season approaches, all eyes will be on how these two programs perform — and whether any others in the ACC can step up to reclaim the league’s once-dominant stature. Would you like a version of this article optimized for social media or print?
