Hopefully everyone is enjoying their summer thus far! Most of you are preparing for the upcoming College Football season, as our writers here at the Saturday Edge are, but it’s never too early to begin looking at the upcoming College Basketball season. Over the next few weeks we’ll have updates and predictions for the 2015-16 season, starting this week with the top contenders in the ACC (listed in predicted order):

1) Duke: The returning champions have a lot to look forward to in this upcoming season. Although the Blue Devils lost Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, and Tyus Jones to the NBA, Coach K has once again found a way to bring in an incredible recruiting class. The biggest recruit was Brandon Ingram, the #1 ranked small forward in the class of 2015 who will fit nicely into the gap that Winslow left when he departed for the NBA. In addition to Ingram, Duke received commitments from the #4 ranked center and #3 ranked point guard, Chase Jeter and Derryck Thornton. Jeter hails from Bishop Gorman high school in Las Vegas, the same school that produced Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic, while Thornton comes from Findlay Prep, a basketball powerhouse featuring NBA alumni like Avery Bradley, Anthony Bennett, and Cory Joseph. Coach K was also able to land Luke Kennard, a shooting guard from Ohio who rounds up the #2 ranked recruiting class in the country. With Grayson Allen and Matt Jones coming off fantastic performances in the NCAA tournament, Duke has all of the weapons to win the ACC and make a deep tournament run.

2) UNC: After landing three 5-star recruits in 2014, the Tarheels had one of the more disappointing draft classes of 2015, with only 2 recruits in the ESPN Top 100. However, Roy Williams was able to return most of his starting five (except for J.P. Tokoto), and after a tough loss to Wisconsin in the Sweet Sixteeen, this team will be set on revenge in the 2015-16 season. Marcus Paige will return for his senior season with an incredible resume of clutch shots from his first 3 years at UNC, and he will look to lead this team to an ACC Championship. With Justin Jackson showing a much improved game during the tournament, and Kennedy Meeks consistently putting up double-doubles, this team shows a lot of promise in a relatively undersized conference. The key for the Tarheels last season was rebounding, and it got them through a lot of tough games. However, this year the question has to be the defense. Tokoto was one of the best on-ball defenders in the NCAA last year, but without him there isn’t much to like on the defensive end. Paige is undersized on the perimeter, and Meeks and Jackson are more offensively minded players. If Williams can get his team to commit to defense the way the next team has, UNC will give Duke a run for the ACC title. If not, this team can very easily fall behind in the conference.

3) Virginia: The Cavaliers had a very disappointing end to their season in 2014-15, losing to Michigan State in the second round of the tournament. To add insult to injury, Justin Anderson left for the NBA after missing a large part of the season with an injury and never really finding his form in the postseason. Although Virginia never seems to have a standout recruiting class, Tony Bennett always seems to get the most out of his players, and this team will be dangerous again this season. With Anderson gone, Malcolm Brogdon and Anthony Gill will be the primary offensive weapons, a role that both players are more than capable of handling. Brogdon is an excellent shooter and Gill is a much improved offensive weapon who added a mid range shot that makes him nearly unguardable. Point guard London Perrantes returns in 2015-16 as well, and he is the staple of the perimeter defense that won Virginia the 2014-15 ACC regular season championship. I expect this team to compete admirably in a tough ACC but it will be difficult for them to keep up with Duke.

4) N.C. State: The Wolfpack showed the world how good they can be when they upset Villanova in last year’s tournament. Although their recruiting class is virtually nonexistent (one 3-star recruit), Mark Gottfried is an exceptional coach who will have a much more mature team in 2015-16. With size, scoring, defense, and a solid point guard, N.C. State has everything needed to be a consistent, winning team. Anthony “Cat” Barber is a quick point guard who can score the ball efficiently while also getting his teammates involved. Trevor Lacey showed that he’s capable of being the primary offensive threat for his team, featuring a great 3-point shot with the ability to drive the ball and finish through contact. The trio in the paint of Kyle Washington, Beejay Anya, and Abdul-Malik Abu can compete with any front court in the ACC on the offensive and defensive end. The Wolfpack are talented enough to finish in the Top 4 in the ACC, but if they are inconsistent again this season, they could find themselves on the bubble when it gets to the NCAA tournament.

5) Notre Dame: Much like UNC and Virginia, Notre Dame is not getting much from this year’s recruiting class. Rex Pflueger is the only ESPN Top 100 recruit coming in to the Fighting Irish, but that doesn’t mean this team won’t have a good season. After giving Kentucky a scare in the tournament, Mike Brey’s team had to face the harsh reality of losing two players that had become central to their success. Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton will be missed this season, but they left the team in capable hands. Demetrius Jackson is a dynamic guard who can make spectacular plays in the open court and also run the offense, while Zach Auguste showed how dominant he can be in the post during the NCAA Tournament. Auguste was in foul trouble regularly throughout the 2014-15 season, but hopefully he will learn from last year’s mistakes and mature into one of the best big men in the ACC. Steve Vasturia is the other returning starter from last year’s Elite Eight team, and he proved that he was a consistent 3-point shooter and a capable defender, and Brey will need him to step up his activity on the offensive end to try and make up for the loss of Connaughton and Grant. The Irish don’t have the means to make a run for a conference championship, but look for them to earn an at-large bid and a 4 or 5 seed in the tournament.

6) Louisville: Rick Pitino’s team will have a very different look this season. After losing Chris Jones mid-season, the Cardinals really struggled offensively and ultimately it cost them a shot at the Final Four. In addition to Jones, Louisville lost Montrezl Harrell, Terry Rozier, and Wayne Blackshear to graduation and the NBA Draft. Pitino was able to bring in a few 4-star recruits (SF Deng Adel, PF Raymond Spalding, SG Donovan Mitchell), but what is most promising for the Cardinals is the potential of the returning talent. Quentin Snider, though not much of a scoring threat last year, showed that he could lead run the offense without turning the ball over. One thing this team does not lack for is size, as Mangok Mathiang and Chinanu Onuaku both stand at 6-10 with the potential to be effective if they learn how to operate in the post and shoot a mid range jumper. If the recruits that Pitino brought in can be effective offensively, the Cardinals look poised to finish in the top 5 in the ACC.  However, if they are unable to execute on offense, they could easily fall into the bottom half of the conference.