The ACC might be the country's deepest league, with eight legitimate NCAA tournament contenders. Notre Dame, which has won 37 of 38 games in conference play since joining the league, remains the odds-on favorite, but the experience of Florida State, the young talent at Louisville, and the versatility at Duke could make the Irish's pursuit of a third straight league title a bit more difficult.
ACC predicted order of finish
1. Notre Dame (36-3 overall in 2014-15, 15-1 in conference play): Most programs would be reeling from Jewell Loyd's decision to turn pro a year early. Notre Dame isn't most programs. After being shocked, disappointed and angry for a few days, it was back to business for the Irish, who are once again ACC and Final Four favorites. Brianna Turner (13.8 PPG, 7.9 RPG) takes over as the primary offensive weapon on a team with plenty of them and a system that allows opportunity all over the court. Lindsay Allen should no longer be considered underrated at the point (10.4 PPG, 5.3 APG). She is one of the best lead guards in the country. Taya Reimer is talented enough to be a top option on most teams. How highly regarded freshmen Marina Mabrey and Arike Ogunbowale adapt to the college game will likely determine if the Irish end up winning the ACC again and reach a third straight national title game.
2. Florida State (32-5, 14-2): The Seminoles were the nation's third-best rebounding club a year ago and rode that dominance to a second-place finish in the conference and a trip to the Elite Eight. Nearly all of the talent is back, led by Adut Bulgak (12.3 PPG, 9.5 RPG). Her skills on the offensive glass create a multitude of extra possessions. Leticia Romero (11.0 PPG, 5.3 APG) will be around for an entire season and will be fully in charge of the offense. Ivey Slaughter (10.8 PPG) and Shakayla Thomas (10.0 PPG) are solid complementary players for a Final Four contender.
3. Louisville (27-7, 12-4): Nine freshmen and sophomores make up the Cardinals' roster, and at least three of those players could be All-Americans one day. Sophomore Mariya Moore (13.4 PPG) could burst through as one of the country's top players, and classmate Myisha Hines-Allen (11.8 PPG, 55.8 field goal percent) is already one of its most efficient scorers. Although just a freshman (but the best of an outstanding class), guard Asia Durr is a veteran of the Team USA circuit and a two-time Georgia Player of the Year. Taja Cole takes over at the point. She and Durr look to be a the backcourt duo for Jeff Walz for the next four years. Erin DeGrate and Sam Fuehring should each get sizable minutes in the post as rookies.
4. Duke (23-11, 11-5): Azura Stevens (14.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG), a 6-foot-6 sophomore, is coming off an outstanding freshman campaign and will replace Elizabeth Williams as Duke's go-to frontcourt option. The Blue Devils' backcourt will look a bit more traditional this season. Rebecca Greenwell (14.0 PPG) gets to play off the ball where she belongs, thanks to the arrival of freshman point guard Angela Salvadores, the prize in the nation's top recruiting class. If 6-4 Oderah Chidom (8.5 PPG) and 6-4 Amber Henson (4.0 PPG), both of whom have had injury problems, can stay healthy, Duke will have the length and athleticism to get back to its aggressive defensive style.
5. Syracuse (22-10, 11-5): Much of this season's expectations for the Orange hinge on the healthy return of junior Brittney Sykes, who is trying to come back after two right knee injuries. Sykes was an All-ACC second-teamer in 2014 when she averaged 16.6 PPG before suffering a torn right ACL in the NCAA tournament. She played just three games last year before reinjuring the knee. She will join Alexis Peterson, who led Syracuse in scoring (16.3 PPG) and assists (4.1 APG) and the league in steals (2.4 SPG), and senior Brianna Butler (13.3 PPG) in a talented backcourt. Briana Day (9.4 PPG, 10.4 RPG), a 6-4 junior, anchors the front court.
6. North Carolina (26-9, 10-6): The Tar Heels' story is more about who they don't have. Diamond DeShields, Stephanie Mavunga, Allisha Gray and Jessica Washington, the components of the country's best recruiting class in 2013, all could be playing together in Chapel Hill, but they have each transferred in the last two years. Graduation also decimated the backcourt. Big responsibilities will fall to sophomore guard Jamie Cherry (6.4 PPG), who started just three games a year ago. Cherry's main job will be getting the ball to 6-2 senior Xylina McDaniel. She is North Carolina's most experienced player, but also played in only 12 games in 2014-15 after suffering a leg injury in December. Sylvia Hatchell will need immediate impact from a pair of five-star recruits, 5-10 Destinee Walker and 5-11 Stephanie Watts.
7. Miami (20-13, 8-8): The Hurricanes have made the NCAA tournament four of the last five years, and experience should lead them back there again in 2016. Starters Adrienne Motley, Jessica Thomas and Michelle Woods return, and 6-1 forward Keyona Hayes, who missed all of last season with an ankle injury but averaged nearly 10 PPG in 2014, is again available to coach Katie Meier. The offense will center around Motley (16.9 PPG). The 5-9 junior guard led the team in scoring, field goal percentage, free throw percentage and steals last season. Thomas and Woods are the chief distributors, but their ability to make a higher percentage of 3-pointers will be a key to the Hurricanes' season.
8. Virginia (17-14, 7-9): The Cavaliers have just one senior, but she is their best and most important player: Five-foot-10 Faith Randolph is Virginia's primary shot-taker and leading scorer (16.4 PPG), earning second-team All-ACC honors. She could be even better this season, especially after an offseason playing with sophomore point guard Mikayla Venson (11.9 PPG, 2.4 APG). How much their chemistry has improved will go a long way to determining Virginia's chances of getting into the top half of the league. A freshman class that includes three post players, headlined by 6-3 Mone Jones, could help offset the loss of the ACC's top rebounder in Sarah Imovbioh (10.8 RPG).
9. NC State (18-15, 7-9): With Reynolds Coliseum undergoing a major renovation, the Wolfpack will play the majority of their home games at nearby Broughton High School's 3,000-seat gym. That should help the transition of incoming freshman Kaila Ealey, who averaged more than 26 points per game at Broughton last season. Coach Wes Moore will welcome that kind of scoring next to junior guards Dominque Wilson (13.8 PPG) and Miah Spencer (14.0 PPG). Ealey is part of a top-20 recruiting class headlined by 6-1 DD Rogers, who should give an immediate boost to NC State's inside attack.
10. Georgia Tech (19-15, 7-9): Kaela Davis' decision to transfer was a huge blow to the program. She was one of the ACC's best players and now will be one of the SEC's best when she gets on the court at South Carolina next season. The Yellow Jackets are now Aaliyah Whiteside's team. Her 13.4 PPG and 6.4 RPG were both good for second on the team and she was even better in ACC play. Roddreka Rogers, a 6-foot senior, is the league's second-best returning rebounder (9.9 RPG) and has the potential to average a double-double. More production from junior Katarina Vuckovic (6.3 PPG, 4.7 RPG) would help Georgia Tech get back to the NCAA tournament after missing out a year ago.
11. Pittsburgh (20-12, 9-7): The Panthers were the surprise team in the conference last season. After being picked to finish last, Suzie McConnell-Serio's bunch was good enough to reach the second round of the NCAA tournament. However, the catalyst of that group, point guard Brianna Kiesel, is gone. McConnell-Serio will have to find that lost leadership from a roster that includes eight freshmen and sophomores but no seniors. Sophomore Aysia Bugg (6.0 PPG) takes over at the point and will look to get the ball inside to classmates Yacine Diop (9.4 PPG, 7.2 RPG) and Stasha Carey (9.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG). Another solid recruiting class will also help.
12. Boston College (13-17, 5-11): The Eagles could not build on any momentum from their January upset of Duke, the program's first over a ranked team in four seasons. They ultimately struggled to a 1-4 finish. The reason: The offense was too reliant on the 3-pointer. Nearly 40 percent of BC's shot attempts last season came from beyond the arc. A big jump in production from 6-3 sophomore Katie Quandt (5.4 PPG, 3.0 RPG) would help perimeter veterans Kelly Hughes (14.6 PPG) and Nicole Boudreau (11.7 PPG). Hughes was the best scorer at BC since 2011 and was the conference's fourth most accurate deep shooter.
13. Virginia Tech (12-20, 1-15): The wheels came off for the Hokies almost right away in 2014-15 when promising freshman Regan Magarity went down with an injury. She had averaged a double-double through five games. The 6-3 Sweden native is back, along with every other significant scorer from a season ago. Of course, Virginia Tech was also the worst scoring and shooting team in the ACC. The returnees also include junior guard Vanessa Panousis (13.5 PPG), who set the school record for 3-pointers in a season and was instrumental in the Hokies' surprising two wins in the ACC tournament, which doubled their regular-season output. Freshman Kelly Koshuta, a 6-2 forward, is expected to contribute right away.
14. Wake Forest (13-20, 2-14): Even with Dearica Hamby, the sixth overall pick in the WNBA draft, and her 20.3 PPG and 10.7 RPG, the Demon Deacons still only managed two regular-season ACC victories last season. Wake Forest equaled that number in the conference tournament, and building on that momentum will largely hinge on the continued development of sophomore guard Amber Campbell (10.7 PPG) and the healthy return of guard Jill Brunori.
15. Clemson (9-21, 1-15): Third-year coach Audra Smith is essentially starting over. Top scorer Nikki Dixon graduated and three more top scorers transferred, leaving the Tigers with a roster in which 13 of the 14 players are freshmen or sophomores. Nelly Perry, a sophomore wing, is the top returning scorer at just 6.7 PPG. If the Tigers hope to win more than five conference games for the first time in 12 seasons, they will also have to greatly improve a defense that was the worst in the ACC a year ago.