We can all agree that ACC basketball isn’t what it once was. But it’s also not as bad as some would like you to believe.

No conference in the country has sent more teams to the Final Four since 2015.

The ACC has been represented 7 times during that stretch, 2 more than the Big 12 and 3 more than the Big Ten and Big East. It’s also won 3 of the past 8 national championships — each by a different program.

With the return of several key players, including preseason Player of the Year Armando Bacot and 3 of the 4 starters that led Duke to the conference tournament championship last spring, there’s a good chance the ACC will add to that haul this season.

Not everyone’s sights are set so high, though.

For some, simply getting into the NCAA Tournament’s 68-team bracket would make for a successful season while others will be happy just to get within shouting distance of .500.

So as the new season prepares to tip off Monday, let’s take a look at each of the ACC’s current 15-team lineup and how far each can reasonably expect to go in 2023-24.

Boston College

Coach: Earl Grant
2022-23 record: 16-17 (9-11 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 4/1

The Eagles made incremental progress during Grant’s first 2 seasons, improving from 13 wins in 2021-22 to 16 wins last year. That upward trend is likely to continue with the return of a solid core, led by 2nd-team preseason All-ACC big man Quinten Post. While they still have to prove they’re capable of consistently playing on even terms with the big boys, it’s not out of the question for them to finish in the top half of the league and contend for a postseason bid.

Prediction: NIT

Clemson

Coach: Brad Brownell
2022-23 record: 23-11 (14-6 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 3/2

The Tigers won 23 games and earned a double-bye in the ACC Tournament by finishing among the league’s top 4. But it was an early loss to Loyola Chicago and a late upset at the hands of lowly Louisville that ultimately cost them an NCAA bid. In an effort to avoid a similar disappointment, Brownell has beefed up his nonconference schedule while bolstering an already-solid roster with the addition of 4 transfers, including former Syracuse point guard Joseph Girard. Motivated by last year’s snub, returning stars PJ Hall, Chase Hunter and their teammates are poised to keep the decision out of the committee’s hands this March.

Prediction: Sweet 16

Duke

Coach: Jon Scheyer
2022-23 record: 27-9 (14-6 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 4/1

Last season was a learning experience for rookie coach Jon Scheyer. His team started slowly and grew as the season progressed. But just when it seemed as though the Blue Devils were ready to make a deep run into March and possibly April after winning the ACC Tournament, the education continued, courtesy of a physical Tennessee team in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Not only is Scheyer in a position to put those lessons to use this season, he has All-ACC caliber returners Kyle Filipowski, Tyrese Proctor, Mark Mitchell and Jeremy Roach back – along with the addition of a top-3 national recruiting class – to help him.

Prediction: Final Four

Florida State

Coach: Leonard Hamilton
2022-23 record: 9-23 (7-13 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 3/2

It would be easy to dismiss the Seminoles because of their forgettable performance in 2022-23, especially since their best player – Matthew Cleveland – transferred to rival Miami. But there’s plenty of reason to believe that Hamilton and his team are lined up for a quick bounce-back from that injury-plagued hiccup. Wing Cam’Ron Fletcher and big man Jaylan Gainey are healthy again and former 4-star prospect Baba Miller is better prepared to blossom after sitting out the 1st half of his freshman season because of an NCAA eligibility ruling. Former Georgetown guard Primo Spears and a solid transfer class should help FSU look more like FSU in 2023-24.

Prediction: NCAA Tournament

Georgia Tech

Coach: Damon Stoudamire
2022-23 record: 15-18 (6-14 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 3/2

Stoudamire wasted little time rebuilding the roster after taking over a team that finished 13th in the ACC last season. His best recruiting job, however, wasn’t the work he did in assembling a strong transfer class. It was in convincing his 2 best returning players, sharpshooter Miles Kelly and backcourt mate Lance Terry, into staying. It’s a solid nucleus around which to build. Getting into the postseason, however, will still be an uphill climb.

Prediction: Out of the postseason

Louisville

Coach: Kenny Payne
2022-23 record: 4-28 (2-18 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 2/3

Exhibition games aren’t always an accurate reflection of what to expect from a team during the regular season. But after suffering through the worst season in Louisville’s proud basketball history, last week’s loss to Division II Kentucky Wesleyan is an ominous sign for Payne’s 2nd Cardinals team despite the influx of a top-10 recruiting class and several key transfers.

Prediction: Out of the postseason

Miami

Coach: Jim Larrañaga
2022-23 record: 29-8 (15-5 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 3/2

The Hurricanes return 3 starters from the first Final Four team in school history. That’s a good start. But as Larrañaga is quick to point out, the 2 who aren’t back were Miami’s top 2 scorers. And 1, Isaiah Wong, was the ACC’s Player of the Year. The addition of transfer Matthew Cleveland from Florida State will help offset the loss of Wong. He’ll join rebounding machine Norchad Omier, point guard Nijel Pack and multi-talented wing Wooga Poplar to form a unit capable of making another deep Tournament run.

Prediction: Elite 8

North Carolina

Coach: Hubert Davis
2022-23 record: 20-13 (11-9 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 2/3

This is an important season for Davis. After getting the Tar Heels to the national championship game in his 1st season as a head coach and being blessed with 4 returning starters, his underachieving 2nd team struggled with chemistry issues on the court and in the locker room and missed out on the postseason. The effort to bounce back will be led by 2 familiar faces. Big man Bacot, UNC’s all-time leader in rebounds and double-doubles, and shooting guard RJ Davis are veterans of the Final Four run. The cast surrounding them has a distinctly different look thanks to the addition of transfers Harrison Ingram, Cormac Ryan, Paxson Wojcik and Jae’Lyn Withers, along with 5-star freshman point guard Elliott Cadeau.

Prediction: NCAA Sweet 16

NC State

Coach: Kevin Keatts
2022-23 record: 23-11 (12-8 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 2/3

Keatts worked some transfer portal magic to get the Wolfpack back to the NCAA Tournament and save his job last season. He’s in a position of having to do it again that backcourt stars Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner are gone. He won’t have the advantage of an overseas exhibition trip to help build chemistry this time. But he will have super-sized returner DJ Burns and defensive stopper Casey Morsell to build around. That and a guard-heavy batch of newcomers should give State a legitimate shot at returning to the postseason.

Prediction: NCAA Tournament

Notre Dame

Coach: Micah Shrewsberry
2022-23 record: 11-21 (3-17 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 0/5

Unlike fellow newcomer Stoudamire at Georgia Tech, Shrewsberry is starting virtually from scratch with the Irish. The top 7 scorers from Mike Brey’s final squad are all gone. While the former Penn State coach has amassed a solid first recruiting class that includes 3 4-star prospects, making Notre Dame competitive again will be a long-term project. It’s going to be a long season in South Bend.

Prediction: Out of the postseason

Pittsburgh

Coach: Jeff Capel
2022-23 record: 24-12 (14-3 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 2/3

Capel got himself off the hot seat by going 24-12 and winning 2 NCAA Tournament games on his way to earning ACC Coach of the Year honors. The return of ACC Player of the Year contender Blake Hinson and the physical maturation of talented 6-11 twins Guillermo and Jorge Diaz Graham put the Panthers in a strong position to build on their 2022-23 success.

Prediction: NCAA Tournament

Syracuse

Coach: Adrian Autry
2022-23 record: 17-15 (10-10 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 3/2

It’s going to be strange seeing someone other than Jim Boeheim coaching the Orange this winter. It’s going to be even more out of character to see them playing something other than their trademark 2-3 matchup zone defense. Not everything will be new under the Dome, though. New coach Autry is well aware of the history and tradition of the job he inherits. He played for Boeheim during the Orange’s glory days. He also has a roster that includes several key holdovers, including ACC All-Freshman team member Judah Mintz. With the addition of transfers from conference rivals Notre Dame and Florida State, as well as Kansas and Auburn, Syracuse has the elements to get its new era off to a flying start.

Prediction: NIT

Virginia

Coach: Tony Bennett
2022-23 record: 25-8 (15-5 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 2/3

The bad news for Bennett’s Cavaliers is that for the 3rd time in their past 4 NCAA Tournament appearances, they were bounced in the opening round by a double-digit seed. The promising news is that the 1 time it didn’t happen, they won the national championship. This team doesn’t have the talent or depth to cut down the nets on the first Monday in April. But with the 2 highest-rated mid-major transfers – Merrimack’s Jordan Minor and St. Thomas’ Andrew Rohde – joining All-ACC guard Reese Beekman in the lineup, a deep run is certainly possible. Provided they survive the opening round.

Prediction: Sweet 16

Virginia Tech

Coach: Mike Young
2022-23 record: 19-15 (8-12 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 2/3

The Hokies have already suffered a setback with the recent announcement that sophomore guard Rodney Rice has left the program. His absence will put even more of the scoring burden on the returning starters Sean Pedulla and Hunter Cattoor. While Tech returns 6 of its top 10 scorers from a 2022-23 team that took a step backward a year after winning its first ACC Tournament title, questions in the frontcourt will have to be answered in order to make a significant jump up the conference standings.

Prediction: NIT

Wake Forest

Coach: Steve Forbes
2022-23 record: 19-14 (10-10 ACC)
Starters returning/lost: 3/2

Forbes has become known as the “Portal Whisper” after bringing in 2022 ACC Player of the Year Alondes Williams and 2023 conference scoring champ Tyree Appleby. This year’s star transfer projects to be Gonzaga transfer Hunter Sallis, who had 27 points in an exhibition victory against Alabama last weekend. The return core is led by junior guard Cam Hildreth. The Deacons have come close to making the NCAA Tournament, but missed out in each of the past 2 seasons. This could be the year Forbes gets them over the top, especially with the prospect of perimeter shooting ace Damari Monsanto returning to the lineup from a knee injury by midseason.

Prediction: NCAA Tournament