Syracuse, N.Y. -- Tyus Battle's return to the Syracuse basketball team for the 2018-19 season means the Orange will have its entire starting lineup back from the team that made a Sweet 16 run.

With the deadline passing Wednesday night for undergrads who had entered their name for the NBA Draft to return to school, here's a fresh look at the ACC power rankings.

Associated Press

15. Pittsburgh

Last year's performance: 8-24 overall, 0-18 ACC



Key departures (played 25 percent of team's minutes)

C Ryan Luther, PG Marcus Carr, SG Parker Stewart, SG Johnathan Milligan



Key returners (played 25 percent of team's minutes)

SF Jared Wilson-Frame, SF Shamiel Stevenson, C Terrell Brown, C Kene Chukwuka, SG Khameron Davis

Key additions (247 Sports recruiting ranking)

PG Malik Ellison a transfer from St. John's, PG/SG Trey McGowens (89), PG/SG Xavier Johnson (226)

Outlook

Pittsburgh will be better. Maybe even good enough to get out of this bottom spot.

But the Panthers still lost three of the top four players from one of the worst teams in ACC history.

The performance was so bad that the school pulled the plug on former coach Kevin Stallings after just two years

New head coach Jeff Capel kept much of the team intact, convinced Malik Ellison to stay and landed one high-level recruit in Trey McGowens right out of the gate.

McGowens will team with the Pitt's leading scorer from last year in Wilson-Frame (13 points per game) and Ellison (7.4 points in 2016-17) to form what should be a fairly competent backcourt.

For the Panthers, that's a start.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

14. Georgia Tech

Last year's performance: 13-19 overall, 6-12 ACC



Key departures

SF Josh Okogie, C Ben Lammers, SG Tadric Jackson



Key returners

PG Jose Alvarado. SG Brandon Alston, PF/C Abdoulaye Gueye, PF Evan Cole, SG Curtis Haywood II, PF Moses Wright

Key additions

SG Shembari Phillips a transfer from Tennessee, SG Michael Devoe (45), SF Kristian Sjolund (202), SF Khalid Moore (208)

Outlook:

Georgia Tech lost three of its four best players off a team that underachieved last year, including its most dynamic option in athletic small forward Josh Okogie and best defender in Ben Lammers. That's a lot from a team that didn't have much.

Jose Alvarado (12.1 points) is Georgia Tech's only returning double-digit scorer but the Yellow Jackets will be their best if they can make him into a distributor. It doesn't seem like Georgia Tech has that type of talent around him.

The best offensive options in addition to Alvarado seem to be highly-regarded recruit Michael DeVoe and transfer Shembari Phillips, who averaged 6.2 points for Tennessee before sitting out last season.

The only plus for the Yellow Jackets is that this season can't be any more of a trainwreck than last year, when head coach Josh Pastner found himself ensnared in legal issues with a former friend that resulted in NCAA violations.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

13. Wake Forest

Last year's performance: 11-20 overall, 4-14 in the ACC



Key departures

PG Bryant Crawford, C Doral Moore, SG Keyshawn Woods, SG Mitchell Wilbekin, PF Terrence Thompson, PF Donovan Mitchell

Key returners

PG Brandon Childress, SG Chaundee Brown, C Olivier Sarr

Key additions

C Ikenna Smart a grad transfer from Buffalo, SG Torry Johnson a grad transfer from Northern Arizona, SF Jaylen Hoard (No. 21), SF Isaiah Mucius (No. 92), PG/SG Jamie Lewis (271), PG Sharone Wright Jr. (292), C Christian Lorng (361)

Outlook

No team had a worse offseason that Wake Forest, which suffered three significant early departures in Bryant Crawford, Doral Moore and Keyshawn Woods.

That leaves the Demon Deacons with just four returning scholarship players from a team that badly underachieved last year.

Any of the three teams at the bottom of this list could be the ACC's worst next season without much of a surprise.

The spate of early departures has left head coach Danny Manning scrambling to try and cobble together a roster with graduate transfers like Buffalo's Ikenna Smart and Northern Arizona's Torry Johnson, neither of whom seem like major impact players.

Manning has traditionally gotten strong recruiting classes, at least by Wake Forest standards, but he has yet to turn them into a performance better than a middle-of-the-pack result.

Wake Forest announced it had signed Manning to a contract extension through 2024-25 before last season. There will likely be some significant grumbling when this year is through.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

12. Boston College

Last year's performance: 19-16 overall, 7-11 in the ACC, lost in first round of NIT

Key departure

SG Jerome Robinson

Key returners

PG Ky Bowman, SG Jordan Chatman, SF Steffon Mitchell, C Nik Popovic, PF Johncarlos Reyes

Key additions

SF Jairus Hamilton (No. 70), PG/SG Wynston Tabbs (282)

Outlook: This is where things start to get complicated and games for even the best ACC teams will start to get tricky. Boston College has a legitimate chance to challenge for an NCAA Tournament spot.

The loss of Jerome Robinson, one of the ACC's top players last year, is substantial. But the Eagles return nearly everyone else from a roster that struggled on the road but was exceptionally dangerous at home.

With Ky Bowman (17.6 points) deciding to return to school and Jordan Chatman (12.9 points) also back the Eagles should have solid scoring. The BC frontcourt returns a bunch of role players that proved themselves competent in their roles last year.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

11. Notre Dame

Last year's performance: 21-15 overall, 8-10 in the ACC, lost in second round of the NIT

Key departures

PF Bonzie Colson, PG Matt Farrell, C Martinas Geben

Key returners

SF T.J. Gibbs, SG Rex Pflueger, C John Mooney, PF Nikola Djogo

Key additions

PF Juwan Durham (transfer from UConn), PF Nate Laszewski (61), SG Robby Carmody (80), PG Prentiss Hubb (81), SG Dane Goodwin (95), PF Chris Doherty (314)

Outlook: It's really hard to put a Mike Brey team this low, especially one that includes what could be his best recruiting class on paper.

Still, it usually takes players a year to get comfortable in Notre Dame's free-flowing offense and few teams in the ACC lost more of their production than the Fighting Irish, who lost three high-level starters.

There are reasons to be optimistic that Notre Dame will beat this ranking. T.J. Gibbs showed signs of becoming a star, Pflueger feels like he's been playing forever and Mooney makes a fascinating stretch four or five.

Still, the Fighting Irish are likely a year away from being a major threat in the ACC again.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Associated Press

10. Louisville

Last year's performance: 22-14 overall, 9-9 ACC, lost in third round of NIT

Key departures

SF Deng Adel, PF Ray Spalding, PG Quentin Snider, C Anas Mahmoud

Key returners

SF V.J. King, SG Jordan Nwora, PG Darius Perry, SG Ryan McMahon, SF Dwayne Sutton, C Malik Williams

Key additions

C Steven Enoch a transfer from Connecticut, PG Christen Cunningham a graduate transfer from Samford

Outlook

Just how much magic can a new coach work? We're likely to find out as Louisville goes from inexperienced interim David Padgett to former Xavier coach Chris Mack.

Louisville lost four of its five leading scorers from a team that failed to make the NCAA Tournament last year under Padgett. Sophomore wing V.J. King (8.6 points) is the leading returning scorer.

But Louisville's Class of 2017 included three Top 100 freshmen who didn't produce much so there should be some raw material for Mack, who has developed a reputation as one of the country's best coaches.

Mack did address one need this offseason by adding Cunningham, who owns the most assists in Samford history, as a graduate transfer.

It will be fascinating to see if Mack can get immediate results from this group or if the Cardinals have to wait a few years to get a payoff on their coaching investment.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

9. Miami

Last year's performance: 22-10 overall, 11-7 ACC, lost in first round of NCAA Tournament

Key departures

SG Bruce Brown, SF Lonnie Walker, PG Ja'Quan Newton

Key returners

PF/C Dewan Huell, PG Chris Lykes, SF Anthony Lawrence ,C Ebuka Izundu, SG Dejan Vasiljevic

Key additions

SG Miles Wilson (transfer from Mount St. Mary's)

SG Zach Johnson (graduate transfer from Florida Gulf Coast)

Outlook

Miami had a rough offseason with multiple players leaving early for the NBA, though neither was a real surprise. The Hurricanes underachieved last year with Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker and now must replace most of their backcourt production.

Miami does return a team with seven upperclassmen and four players that averaged at least 8.8 points last year. That group is led by power forward Dewan Huell (11.4 points) who tested the NBA waters but ultimately returned to school.

The big questions are whether the two transfer guards can make an impact and whether a more mature group can do a better job of getting results that equal their talent level.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

8. North Carolina State

Last year's performance: 21-12 overall, 11-7 ACC, lost in first round of NCAA Tournament

Key departures

SF Allerik Freeman, C Omer Yurtseven, C Abdul-Malik Abu, PF Lennard Freeman, SG Sam Hunt

Key returners

SF Torin Dorn, PG Markell Johnson, SG Lavar Batts, SG Braxton Beverly

Key additions

SF C.J. Bryce a transfer from UNC-Wilmington, SG Devon Daniels a transfer from Utah, C Wyatt Walker a graduate transfer from Samford, PG Blake Harris a transfer from Missouri, SF Eric Lockett a graduate transfer from Florida International, C Derek Funderburk a transfer from Northwest Florida State Community College, C Immanuel Bates (No. 99), C Ian Steere (No. 132), SF Jericole Hellems (No. 135)

Outlook

For the second consecutive year Kevin Keatts will be tasked with overhauling the North Carolina State roster in a single season, something he did incredibly successfully last year.

With Torin Dorn returning to school after testing the NBA Draft waters, the Wolfpack will return three players who averaged at least 8.9 points including Johnson, who led the ACC in assists.

North Carolina State will also welcome two relatively proven transfers. Daniels performed well at Utah in 2016-17, averaging 9.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Bryce averaged 17.4 points and 5.4 rebounds under Keatts during his previous stop at UNC-Wilmington.

That seems like a lot of potential scoring from the guards and wings in the Wolfpack system, but there is also a potential problem.

North Carolina State's only players taller than 6-foot-5 are either true freshmen or players transferring up from significantly lower levels of play. It will be interesting to see how they hold up over the course of the season but Keatts will have bodies to throw at the problem.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

7. Clemson

Last year's performance: 25-10 overall, 11-7 ACC, Lost in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Key departures

SG Gabe Devoe, PF Donte Grantham, C Mark Donnal

Key returners

SG Marcquise Reed, C Elijah Thomas, PG Shelton Mitchell, SF Aamir Sims, PF David Skara

Key additions

Javan White a transfer from Oral Roberts, SG John Newman (158), C Trey Jemison (205), SF Hunter Tyson (244)

Outlook

Last year's Clemson team was an impressive example of the value of putting five capable veteran players on the floor together despite not having a true star. Five different players averaged double-figures last season.

With the decisions of Marcquise Reed and Shelton Mitchell to return, three of them are back. Reed (15.8 points) was the leading-scorer and Elijah Thomas (10.7) provided an interior presence with some scoring ability.

Clemson was better than the sum of its parts last year as Brad Brownell got his team to buy into defense and share the ball. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers can conjure that type of performance again?

Don't Edit

Associated Press

6. Florida State

Last year's performance: 23-12 overall, 9-9 ACC, lost in Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament

Key departures

SF Braian Angola, PG C.J. Walker, C Ike Obiagu

Key returnees

SF Terrance Mann, PF Phil Cofer, SG P.J. Savoy, PG Trent Forrest, SF M.J. Walker, C Christ Koumadje, PF/C Mifondu Kabengele

Key additions

David Nichols a graduate transfer from Albany SG Devin Vassell (193)

Outlook

Florida State brings three starters and seven significant contributors back from last year's Elite Eight team. The group should be long and athletic, like most of Leonard Hamilton's teams at FSU have been.

The NCAA's decision to grant Phil Cofer (12.8 points) a medical redshirt means the Seminoles will have their two leading scorers back with he and Terrance Mann (12.6 points). All seven key contributors averaged at least 6.5 points last season.

While the players have the look of a traditional FSU team it's unclear if the Seminoles will have the depth they've become accustomed to under Hamilton and how he will adjust if forced to play with a slightly shorter rotation.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Associated Press

5. Virginia Tech

Last year's performance: 21-12 overall, 10-8 ACC, lost in first round of NCAA Tournament

Key departures

SF Justin Bibbs, SG Devin Wilson

Key returnees

PG Justin Robinson, SF Nickeil Alexander-Walker, PF Chris Clarke, C Kerry Blackshear, SF Ahmed Hill

Key additions

SF Ty Outlaw missed last season with injury, SF Landers Nolley (63), PG Jon Kabongo (230), SG Jarren McAllister (253)

Outlook

All-ACC Second Team point guard Justin Robinson will continue to lead a fast-paced Virginia Tech offense that thrives around layups and 3-point shots.

Clarke played well last year but will likely be improved physically this season when he will be more than a year recovered from an ACL tear.

Small forward Nickeil Alexander-Walker has room to grow as a sophomore, and the Hokies will also get back 3-point specialist Ty Outlaw, who missed last season due to an injury and has been granted a sixth year of eligibility.

The Hokies will once again field a small roster, leaving them susceptible inside, particularly when center Kerry Blackshear encounters foul trouble.

This should be be head coach Buzz Williams' best team at Virginia Tech.

Don't Edit

Dennis Nett | Syracuse.com

4. Syracuse

Last year's performance: 23-14 overall, 8-10 ACC, lost in Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament

Key departure

PF Matthew Moyer

Key returners

SG Tyus Battle, SF Oshae Brissett, PG Frank Howard, PF Marek Dolezaj, C Paschal Chukwu, C Bourama Sidibe

Key additions

SG Elijah Hughes a transfer from East Carolina, PG/SG Jalen Carey (57), PF Robert Braswell (136), SG Buddy Boeheim (295)

Outlook

Tyus Battle made Syracuse basketball one of the offseason's biggest winners on Wednesday when he chose to return to school for his junior season.

Syracuse advanced to the Sweet 16 last year and will return all five starters and nearly all of its production from that postseason run.

Battle is one of just six All-ACC players to return to school and will be the conference's leading returning scorer at 19.2 points per game.

The Orange had one of the country's best defenses last year and was the country's tallest team. That shouldn't change.

There's room to grow on offense where Syracuse struggled to find enough shooting to space the floor. There's reason to expect that to improve with second-year growth from Oshae Brissett and Marek Dolezaj, as well the program's new additions.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

3. North Carolina

Last year's performance: 26-11 overall, 11-7 ACC, lost in second round of NCAA Tournament

Key departures

PG Joel Berry II, SF Theo Pinson

Key returners

PF/C Luke Maye, SF/PF Cameron Johnson, SG Kenny Williams, PF/C Garrison Brooks, C Sterling Manley

Key additions

SF Nassir Little (3), SG Coby White (22), SF Rechon Black (67)

Outlook

North Carolina returns a lot of pieces from a team that was the likely the third-best in the ACC last season including Maye, the only returning All-ACC First Team performer.

The combination of skill and size from Maye and Johnson allows the Tar Heels to play small if they want, while the additions of McDonald's All-Americans Nassir Little and Coby White should introduce a level of athleticism that the Tar Heels lacked last season.

The biggest issue will be finding a point guard capable of running the Tar Heels' up-tempo approach. The two likely candidates are White, a true freshman combination guard, and junior Seventh Woods, a former top prospect who hasn't necessarily looked like one with North Carolina.

Pinson was also the top defender on a team that wasn't particularly good on defense.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

2. Virginia

Last year's performance: 31-3 overall, 17-1 ACC, lost in first round of the NCAA Tournament



Key departures

PG Devon Hall, PF Isaiah Wilkins, PG Nigel Johnson



Key returnees

PF De'Andre Hunter, SG Kyle Guy, SF Ty Jerome, C Jack Salt, C Mamadi Diakite

Key additions

C Francisco Caffaro (173), SF Kody Stattmann (328), PG Kihei Clark (384)

Outlook: Virginia became the first team to lose to a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament last year, an outcome that has the potential of wiping out the biggest lesson we should have learned.

Never bet against Tony Bennett fielding one of the ACC's best teams.

Bennett won the league in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Now he returns a solid offensive core along with his incredible defensive pedigree.

Guy and Jerome are returning All-ACC players and will make up a strong backcourt but UVA's best player will almost certainly be blossoming small forward De'Andre Hunter, a ferocious 6-foot-7 defender who can defend virtually any position on the floor.

UVA will need to figure out its point guard position and will have to replace Hall and Wilkins, two of its top defenders.

But with all the motivation that a coach could ask for heading into the offseason, here's betting that Bennett figures it out again.

Don't Edit

Associated Press

1. Duke

Last year's performance: 29-8 overall, 13-5 ACC, lost in Elite Eight of NCAA Tournament

Key departures

PF Marvin Bagley III, SG Grayson Allen, C Wendell Carter Jr., SF Gary Trent, PG Trevon Duval

Key returners

PF/C Javin DeLaurier, C Marques Bolden, SG/SF Alex O'Connell

Key additions

SG R.J. Barrett (1), SF Cameron Reddish (2), PF Zion Williamson (5), PG Tre Jones (12), SF Joey Baker (31)

Outlook

Duke loses its entire starting five from last year but replaces it with what is considered one of the best recruiting classes in the history of college basketball.

The Blue Devils' Class of 2018 includes the top-ranked recruit at four different positions, including the top two overall players in Canadian shooting guard R.J. Barrett and former SU recruit Cameron Reddish, a small forward.

The only position Duke didn't land the country's leading recruit was at center where it has a pair of returning role players in DeLaurier and Bolden.

Last year's Duke team showed that defense can be a significant issue for young teams, and it certainly has the potential to derail this group as well.

Still, it's going to take an exceptionally-talented offensive team to score at a high enough rate to keep pace with the Blue Devils.

There is no denying that the Blue Devils are, once again, the most talented team in the ACC.

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

MORE ORANGE BASKETBALL