Top 5 ACC players to watch out for in 2024-25 college basketball season

Coming off a college basketball season where the ACC won a conference-best 12 NCAA Tournament games, there's plenty to build on in 2024-25. The league will offer perhaps the most intriguing prospect in several seasons and returns some outstanding stars. Here are five players who could make the ACC viable this season.

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Top five ACC players to watch out for in 2024-25 college basketball season

After shining in the McDonald's All-American Game, Cooper Flagg promises to be a standout from day one at Duke.

#5 Tyrese Proctor, Duke

The Blue Devils usually return much of their roster, but this year, several Dukies entered the transfer portal. One who didn't go pro or go elsewhere is Proctor, who will now be the veteran leader for the team. In two seasons at Duke, he played well, if not spectacularly.

Last season, Proctor averaged 10.5 points per game and 3.7 assists per game. The athletic six-foot-five guard will likely improve on both of those marks this coming season. Between Proctor and incoming frosh Cooper Flagg, Duke has a formidable 1-2 punch.

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#4 Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest

As a transfer from Gonzaga to Wake Forest, Sallis blew up last season. After averaging just over 4.0 ppg in two years at Gonzaga, Sallis was all-ACC last year with 18.0 ppg. The six-foot-five guard strongly considered the NBA Draft but elected to return to school.

Sallis is a multi-level scorer who hit 41% of his 3-point tries last year but can still get to the rim. He's capable of taking over games, and if Wake can surround him with some reasonable production, the Demon Deacons could be a surprise team next March.

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#3 PJ Hall, Clemson

A six-foot-10 forward, Hall has been a back-to-back All-ACC pick. In four years at Clemson, he totaled 1,702 points and 634 rebounds. A true floor-stretcher, he has 111 3-pointers in his college career.

Hall had a big game last year in Clemson's takedown of Arizona in the NCAA Sweet 16. His 17 points and eight rebounds were key to the upset. Hall scored in double figures in the last nine games of Clemson's season and has seven double-doubles on the year. He's the kind of solid player who rarely returns to school, but he did.

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#2 Cooper Flagg, Duke

How good is Flagg? It's difficult to know without going into hyperbole. The six-foot-nine forward inevitable inspires the "best since ______" comparisons. Flagg is an all-around talent who's expected to be as tenacious on the defensive end of the floor, as he's game-changing on offense.

On offense, the sky is the limit. Duke has had plenty of recent college stars like Zion Williamson and Jayson Tatum. Suffice it to say that Flagg fits into any company. He's already had a target on his back as the clear best player in the 2024 high school class. Now, he has got another as the star of the Duke Blue Devils.

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#1 RJ Davis, North Carolina

Apologies to Flagg, the best player in the ACC might be a returnee. The red-hot six-foot guard who chose to return to Carolina, RJ Davis is a man among boys. In four seasons at UNC, Davis has totaled 2,088 points, 533 rebounds and 433 assists. He's a returning consensus All-American.

Last year, Davis scored 21.2 ppg while draining 40% of his 3-point tries. He's pretty consistent in that he finds a way to score, even when his outside shot isn't falling.

He failed to reach double figures just twice last season, but he's also capable of devestating runs. The Tar Heels would have been tough without him, but with him, they're a title contender.

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Which ACC hoopers are you looking forward to seeing in the 2024-25 c:ollege basketball season? Drop your thoughts below in our comments section