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The ACC is expected to be one of the most talked about conferences in the upcoming 2024-25 men's basketball season. This is due to its expansion, welcoming Pac-12 teams California, Stanford and AAC squad SMU, to make it an 18-team division.
Another storyline that college basketball fans would likely talk about is the abundance of talent that the conference will offer this season. The names of Cooper Flagg, RJ Davis, Markus Burton, Hunter Sallis, Terrence Edwards and Ian Schieffelin have sprung up into the minds of ACC fans.
These names could be this year's contenders for the conference's top individual award — the ACC Player of the Year. Let's take a look at the most likely contenders for the award and how will they shape up this coming season.
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Three most likely candidates for the 2025 ACC Player of the Year award
#1 Cooper Flagg
The consensus five-star forward has everyone in the college basketball scene on their feet due to his uncanny ability to score easily on almost every part of the court.
From the games he played during his high school stint to various high school all-star games he's joining, almost every expert is seeing this 6-foot-9 sensation as a sure-fire No. 1 pick.
The case for Cooper Flagg winning the ACC Player of the Year award: Over the last 10 seasons, Duke has seen four players winning the conference trophy and three of them — Jahlil Okafor, Marvin Bagley III and Zion Williamson — were one-and-done players.
Flagg could become the fifth Duke player in 11 years to win the ACC Player of the Year plum by helping the Blue Devils win their first title since 2015.
What would prevent Cooper Flagg from winning the ACC Player of the Year Award?: The overwhelming talent that Duke has this season could give coach Jon Scheyer an opportunity to look for the right combination during the regular season. Scheyer may likely deploy different lineups that could possibly affect Flagg's production and usage rate if the games' outcomes are decided early.
#2 RJ Davis
The reigning ACC Player of the Year is back for his fifth season with North Carolina. RJ Davis won last season's top conference honor on averages of 21.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Davis led North Carolina to a regular season title and the top seed in the West Regionals in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. His leadership handed him the ACC Player of the Year plum.
The case for RJ Davis winning the ACC Player of the Year award: A season removed from the Tar Heels' exit in the Sweet 16, RJ Davis used his fifth year of eligibility to help North Carolina win its seventh national crown, and the first since 2017.
Being the only longest-tenured player in the Tar Heels roster would entitle him to a lot of responsibility moving forward. That would also mean tallying unprecedented statistics this season as the team's No. 1 producer.
What would prevent RJ Davis from securing an ACC POTY back-to-back?: North Carolina hasn't been a consistent basketball program in recent years. Since placing second in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels have been inconsistent in the next two seasons.
The 2022-23 season saw them booted out of the NCAA Tournament after going 11-9 in conference play and 20-13 overall. This past season, North Carolina bounced back, won the ACC regular season and made the tournament.
If Davis and his teammates would fall into the inconsistency trap, the chances of the guard claiming a back-to-back would easily go away. This is because most voters rarely cast their picks on a player who belongs to a losing team.
#3 Markus Burton, Notre Dame
Notre Dame point guard Markus Burton is back after having a breakout freshman season that handed him the ACC Rookie of the Year and the All-ACC third-team honors. Last season, Burton tallied 17.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 4.3 apg and 1.9 spg to lead Notre Dame's offense.
The case for Markus Burton winning the 2024 ACC Player of the Year: Markus Burton is the Fighting Irish's top offensive option this season. The ball will certainly move through him being Micah Shrewsberry's primary playmaker.
Burton is expected to lead Notre Dame's attack this year and will likely improve on his work rate and offensive production moving forward.
What would prevent Markus Burton from winning the 2025 ACC POTY race?: Notre Dame's bad record over the past few seasons had affected the Fighting Irish's overall production in the ACC. Last season, Burton was able to show glimpses of his game that led him to winning the ACC Freshman of the Year.
If Notre Dame continues to lag in the conference team standings, Burton's ACC Player of the Year bid would be in big jeopardy.
2025 ACC Player of the Year prediction
The talent surrounding Duke is so deep that everyone can top every statistical category in each game. It is interesting to see what kind of rotation pattern will Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer employ to manage their playing time and maximize the production the players will have in a short amount of time.
Cooper Flagg is the early favorite to win the 2024 ACC Player of the Year award in his rookie season. But the superb strength of his team might be detrimental to his search for individual awards in the next few months.
Markus Burton is a compelling candidate to win the Player of the Year as he'll be the go-to guy this season for Notre Dame. However, his team's possible win-loss record in the coming season would be scrutinized and may likely affect his chances if the Fighting Irish's record falls into oblivion once more.
And that leaves us to the guy who decided to use his fifth season to lead North Carolina. RJ Davis may not have the upside of Cooper Flagg or even be a step slower compared to Burton. But what he has is veteran leadership and his take-charge quality that would sway many college basketball writers to choose him as back-to-back ACC Player of the Year.
Which among Cooper Flagg, RJ Davis and Markus Burton will be the most likely win the 2024 ACC Player of the Year Award? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
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