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The ACC is again loaded with top-tier talent for the 2024-25 college basketball season.
As usual, the Tobacco Road programs lead the way with a combined 5 players on the list (and more in honorable mentions). Stars from Louisville, Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Wake Forest, Notre Dame, Pitt and Stanford also made the cut.
Here’s Saturday Down South’s ranking of the top 15 ACC basketball players for 2024-25:
15. Maxime Raynaud, Stanford (Center)
Maxime Raynaud had a breakout season last year for the Cardinal: 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. He also shot a bit over 36% from 3 on about 2 attempts per game. Raynaud is a highly-skilled big who should be the best player on a Kyle Smith-led Stanford team this season.
14. Efton Reid, Wake Forest (Center)
Efton Reid is a tremendous post presence for Wake Forest. He averaged 10 points and 8 boards per game last season, and the Demon Deacons had a net rating of +19.9 when he was on the court. He needs to stay out of foul trouble this season, but Reid could be one of the ACC’s best bigs.
13. Nijel Pack, Miami (Guard)
Nijel Pack is entering his 5th season of college basketball and his 3rd year at Miami. He’s an elite scorer when he’s right and he has a true wingman this season in 5-star freshman Jalil Bethea. He should have a chance to average 15 points and 5 assists per game in 2024-25.
12. Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina (Guard)
Elliot Cadeau is a former 5-star prospect who reclassified so that he could join Carolina for the 2024-25 season. Cadeau had an up-and-down season, as you’d expect from such a younger player, but he is one of the best passers in the country entering his sophomore season. The shooting remains a major question mark that will determine his upside in Chapel Hill — and his viability as a pro prospect.
11. Tyrese Proctor, Duke (Guard)
Tyrese Proctor is entering his junior season at Duke, but he’s still a very young player all things considered. Proctor won’t turn 21 until next April. He also reclassified so that he could join Duke as a freshman in 2022-23 and it took him awhile to get going, but he’s a very reliable college guard at this stage. He made big strides in a few key areas last season and will now be relied upon a lot more to run Duke’s backcourt with Jeremy Roach out of eligibility. I’m expecting a big season out of Proctor.
10. Terrence Edwards Jr., Louisville (Guard)
Terrence Edwards is a grad transfer from James Madison. He spent 4 years with the Dukes and grew to be a high-volume scorer. As a senior last season, Edwards averaged over 17 points per game. He’s a strong shooter and at 6-6, he also has the frame to be a legitimate deterrent on the defensive end. Moving to the ACC is a significant step up, but Edwards held his own against high-major competition last season. He scored 24 in a season-opening win over Michigan State and also scored in double figures against Wisconsin and Duke during the NCAA Tournament.
9. Jalil Bethea, Miami (Guard)
Duke isn’t the only ACC program with a 5-star freshman. Jalil Bethea is Miami’s highest-rated recruit in program history, per 247Sports, surpassing Lonnie Walker for that honor. He should provide some immediate scoring threat in the backcourt alongside Nijel Pack. He enters college with the reputation of being an elite shot-maker and may be one of the best isolation scorers in the league this year.
8. Jaland Lowe, Pitt (Guard)
Jaland Lowe is a rising sophomore for Pitt who has a chance to be one of the best offensive guards in this league in 2024-25. Lowe didn’t get much shine last season while playing alongside Bub Carrington, but he averaged 12 points and had a 3.7-to-1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio in ACC play. A potential first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, Lowe figures to be the engine for Pitt’s offense this season.
7. Kon Knueppel, Duke (Guard/Forward)
Cooper Flagg has (rightfully) taken up a lot of the oxygen with regards to Duke’s freshman class, but Kon Knueppel has been receiving plenty of hype this offseason as well. Knueppel has the reputation of an elite shooter and an excellent all-around offensive player. With Jared McCain now in the NBA, Jon Scheyer’s offense could use a big guard who can shoot from a variety of contexts. Knueppel fits that archetype perfectly.
6. Ian Schieffelin, Clemson (Forward)
Ian Schieffelin is perhaps Clemson’s best returning player from last year’s Elite Eight squad now that PJ Hall is gone. He nearly averaged a double-double last season and the Tigers will be counting on him to take another step forward in 2024-25.
5. Markus Burton, Notre Dame (Guard)
It seems like no matter who the coach is, Notre Dame always has a freshman guard who is making waves. Last year it was Markus Burton, who averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists per game in his debut season. Now back for his sophomore campaign, Burton profiles as one of the better scorers in this league despite his relative lack of size at 5-11. If Notre Dame has a big season, Burton will almost certainly be the reason why.
4. Jamir Watkins, Florida State (Guard)
Jamir Watkins is an excellent college guard. A former VCU transfer, Watkins averaged over 15 points per game last season in his first taste of ACC action with Florida State. He should have even more of a green light to score this season on an FSU team that doesn’t project to be very good.
3. Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest (Guard)
Hunter Sallis enjoyed a true breakout season last year at Wake as he led the ACC in minutes per game and poured in an efficient 18 points per night. He likely could have turned pro after that standout campaign, but instead is back to lead a Deacons team that should contend in the ACC this season. Sallis has first-team All-America upside this season — something that hasn’t been accomplished by a Wake Forest player since Chris Paul did it in 2005.
2. RJ Davis, North Carolina (Guard)
It seems like it’s been years since the Iron Five took college basketball by storm in the postseason. Everyone else from that famous UNC starting 5 that ended Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career in the Final Four has moved on from college, but RJ Davis is back for one last ride in Chapel Hill. He’ll spearhead a Hubert Davis offense that again promises to be one of the best in the country. This Carolina team has a lot of youth, but Davis is there to provide plenty of shooting, playmaking and veteran savvy.
1. Cooper Flagg, Duke (Forward)
Cooper Flagg has been known in basketball scouting circles for years. Now, he’s about to become a household name. The No. 1 player in the country for the class of 2024, Flagg is on track to be the most-hyped NBA prospect to come out of college basketball since Zion Williamson in 2019. He’s known as a defensive savant with an unrelenting motor, elite athleticism and an offensive game that’s rapidly developing. He likely won’t be Duke’s primary creator offensively, but he’ll do everything else Jon Scheyer needs from him for the Blue Devils to be a Final Four contender.
Honorable mentions in no particular order: Ian Jackson, North Carolina; Khaman Maluach, Duke; Drake Powell, North Carolina; Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech; Matt Cross, SMU; Chucky Hepburn, Louisville; Javian McCollum, Georgia Tech.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
