Eye On College Basketball: 2025 ACC Season Preview & Predictions – Can Anyone STOP Duke?
Episode Date: October 6, 2025
Hosts: Gary Parrish (GP), Kyle Boone (KB)
Theme: Comprehensive preview of the 2025–26 ACC basketball season: evaluating Duke’s chances at a repeat, contenders, major storylines, coaching hot seats, transfer impacts, breakout players, and bold predictions.
Episode Overview
Gary Parrish and Kyle Boone dissect the upcoming ACC men’s basketball season, tackling whether Duke is an unstoppable favorite, which programs could challenge them, and the most intriguing narratives shaping the conference. They break down the key roster moves, analyze new coaching hires, speculate on bids to the NCAA tournament, and offer their award predictions—all with their signature mix of insightful analysis and breezy banter.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Is Duke the Most Likely Power Conference Champion?
[00:55 – 07:15]
- Parrish’s Hypothetical: If you had $10 million and needed to pick one power conference champion, would you pick Duke?
- Boone’s Analysis: On paper, Duke is the favorite, but their reliance on young players brings volatility. Cites Houston and Coach Kelvin Sampson as a safer bet for conference stability, but admits Duke is his pick for the ACC:
"I think Duke probably has the highest ceiling among teams in the ACC this season. But if a Louisville, if Virginia or NC State were to win the acc, it wouldn't totally shock me." – KB [02:38]
- Talent Gap: Parrish highlights a significant computer-predicted gap (via BartTorvik) between Duke (#2) and the next-best ACC team, Louisville (#11), greater than any other power conference. Still, he questions whether Duke’s current roster measures up to prior seasons, especially after limited engagement with the transfer portal:
"They are going to perhaps start a lineup that consists of three dudes who were on the team last season, but none of them played even 15 minutes per game." – GP [04:56]
2. Duke’s Roster: Strengths, Weaknesses, and the Impact of Recruitment
[07:15 – 10:54]
- Sliding Door Moments: KB details Duke's near-misses in recruitment— notably missing out on transfer Cedric Coward (drafted #11 NBA) and pivoting to international prospect Dame Sar.
- Reliance on Internal Development: Both hosts acknowledge this year’s Duke squad will ask for breakout seasons from returning players with minimal last-season roles.
"You're asking guys who have been in your program … who had, you know, not prominent roles, to now perhaps be three of your five starters. And that's not what Duke did last year." – GP [08:38]
3. Top Five ACC Storylines for 2025–26
[12:17 – 39:42]
1. Cam Boozer’s Arrival at Duke
[12:17 – 16:06]
- QB: Can Boozer give Duke back-to-back major awards?
- KB on Boozer:
"The surest thing in high school basketball is Cam Boozer... at Duke he is going to be a superstar... I actually project him to be the number one pick in next year's class." – KB [14:18]
- GP’s Take: Boozer is a proven winner with elite intangibles, maybe not a Zion-level impact but could be best freshman in the country.
"If you are trying to win a basketball game tonight, take Boozer." – GP [16:06]
2. Louisville Reloaded Under Pat Kelsey
[16:06 – 22:55]
- KB’s Excitement:
"I'm all in on Louisville this season... My belief in Pat Kelsey. He flipped this thing right away." – KB [17:40]
- Transfer Portal Mastery: Louisville prioritized shooting and experience—added three high-volume, high-percentage 3-point shooters (Woolley, Conwell, McNeely).
- Trivia Time:
"It's been almost a decade since Louisville won a game in the NCAA tournament… March 17, 2017, over Jacksonville State." – GP [21:20]
3. Hubert Davis’ UNC Job Security
[22:55 – 29:30]
- Boone predicts:
"I'm gonna go with no [on Davis being UNC coach April 2026]." – KB [22:55]
- GP explains the dilemma of the “hot seat”:
"Once you get on the hot seat, you almost never get off of it." – GP [27:48]
- UNC’s Recent Struggles: Despite a title-game run, consistency under Davis has lagged expectations; GP thinks a merely good year preserves Davis’s job (for now).
4. Will Wade’s First Year at NC State
[29:30 – 37:12]
- KB:
"You need someone who is an agitator. You need someone who has an edge to him. Will Wade absolutely has an edge." – KB [31:18]
- Roster Overhaul: Wade quickly rebuilt via transfers (Holloman, Arsenault, Williams, Lubin) and is considered a perfect, high-energy fit for NC State.
- GP:
"Will Wade… is a damn good basketball coach... Seven of the past eight seasons that he's been a head coach and there's been an NCAA tournament... Will Wade has made the field." – GP [33:51]
5. Ryan Odom at Virginia
[37:12 – 39:42]
- Full Circle: Odom, son of a former UVA coach, returns to his home state to rejuvenate a program that hasn’t won an NCAA game since its 2019 title.
- KB:
"A ton of connections... had success as a head coach previously... expectations should be very, very high." – KB [37:12]
- Trivia:
"They are the first national champion since 85. You win the trophy and then in the next five tournaments, you either don't make it or you make it and you lose." – GP [38:56]
4. How Many NCAA Tournament Bids for the ACC?
[39:42 – 46:25]
- Last Year: Only four ACC teams made the tournament.
- Predictions:
- KB: "My guess would be six [bids]... Duke, Louisville, Carolina, NC State, Virginia." [41:50]
- GP: "I think 5 for sure… If we were going to try to get to a sixth, I think I would go to Clemson." [42:20]
- ACC’s Brand Problem:
"Anytime you're talking about a league and it seems down... it is almost always a byproduct of the programs you're used to being great have slipped." – GP [44:20]
5. Preseason ACC Awards Predictions
[46:25 – 50:49]
- Player of the Year: Cam Boozer (Duke – unanimous pick)
- Coach of the Year:
- KB: Will Wade (NC State)
- GP: John Scheyer (Duke), with caveat that rapid turnaround (like Wade’s) could trump league champion
- Freshman of the Year: Cam Boozer (Duke)
- Transfer of the Year:
- KB: Ryan Conwell (Louisville)
- GP: Darian Williams (NC State)
"If you are the best player in the country and you are a freshman, by definition you are the best freshman in the country." – GP [47:56]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- "They're gonna perhaps start a lineup that consists of three dudes who were on the team last season, but none of them played even 15 minutes per game." – GP [04:56]
- “Mikel Brown, Jr… a sleeper candidate… absolutely… going to be a top five pick in next year’s really strong transfer class as well.” – KB on Louisville [17:40]
- “You need someone who is an agitator. You need someone who has an edge to him. Will Wade absolutely has an edge to him.” – KB [31:18]
- "He’s a damn good basketball coach in seven of the past eight seasons... Will Wade has made the [NCAA] field." – GP [33:51]
- "The surest thing in high school basketball is Cam Boozer." – Adam Finkelstein, cited by KB [14:18]
- "They are the first national champion since '85... to not win a single game in the NCAA tournament in any of the subsequent five NCAA tournaments since the tournament expanded." – GP on Virginia [38:56]
- "Once you get on the hot seat, you almost never get off of it." – GP [27:48]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- Duke’s Chances & the ACC Power Dynamics: [00:55 – 07:15]
- Duke’s Roster In-Depth, Transfer Reluctance: [07:15 – 10:54]
- ACC Storylines Introduction: [12:17]
- Cam Boozer at Duke: [12:17 – 16:06]
- Louisville & Pat Kelsey’s Rebuild: [16:06 – 22:55]
- Hubert Davis/UNC Hot Seat: [22:55 – 29:30]
- Will Wade at NC State: [29:30 – 37:12]
- Ryan Odom at Virginia: [37:12 – 39:42]
- ACC NCAA Tournament Bids: [39:42 – 46:25]
- ACC Awards Predictions: [46:25 – 50:49]
Tone & Style
Lively, direct, slightly irreverent analysis laced with trivia, historic context, and a willingness to question blue bloods. The hosts engage in friendly debate, offer behind-the-scenes insights, and never shy away from calling out uncomfortable truths about programs or coaches.
Summary for Non-Listeners
The ACC season is poised for narrative twists: Duke is the favorite but not without questions, especially with a less proven, young roster built primarily from within (highlighted by budding superstar Cam Boozer). Louisville and NC State are primed to leap after major transfer hauls and new coaching regimes, while UNC faces uncertainty around Hubert Davis's future. Virginia bets on Ryan Odom for revival amid a bizarre post-title tournament drought.
The league overall may only get 5–6 NCAA bids unless historical powers right the ship. The biggest individual accolades are expected to go to Duke’s Boozer, while coaches like Pat Kelsey and Will Wade will battle to be seen as turnaround kings.
If you missed the episode, you now know the major players, looming questions, statistical context, and the narrative arcs that could define the ACC in 2025–26—straight from two of college basketball’s sharpest voices.