The ACC’s frontcourt could be loaded again, and three programs stand out for the number of NBA Draft names packed into their big-man rotations.
That comes after the conference had three of the top six picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, and it could be back in the hunt for more top-end talent in 2027. Even with 2026 draft names such as Cameron Boozer, Ugonna Onyenso and Henri Veesaar no longer in the picture, the league still has some of the best big men in the country.
Duke looks especially deep. The Blue Devils’ frontcourt includes Belmont transfer Drew Scharnowski, rising junior Patrick Ngongba II, and incoming freshmen Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje and Cameron Williams. Maxime Meyer, a four-star recruit in the 2026 class, is also headed to Durham, though he’ll have to fight for minutes with that group.
Boumtje-Boumtje’s path is different from the others because his age means the 17-year-old must spend two years in the NCAA, making him eligible for the 2028 NBA Draft. Scharnowski could work his way into the 2027 class, but he is not expected to be a premier prospect. Ngongba and Williams, though, have the kind of upside that could land them in the first round in 2027.
Williams arrives with plenty of buzz. The 7-footer weighs 215 pounds and was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 overall player and No. 1 power forward in the 2026 recruiting cycle. Ngongba, listed at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds, already has production to point to after averaging 10.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 60.6% from the field and 25.8% from 3-point range.
Louisville has built out a similarly interesting group. The Cardinals added Iowa transfer Álvaro Folgueiras and 7-foot-5 Gabe Dynes, then went even bigger with five-star Obinna Ekezie Jr. from the 2026 class and Kansas transfer Flory Bidunga.
Ekezie, the son of former NBA big man Obinna Ekezie, was rated by 247Sports as the No. 17 overall player and No. 1 center in the 2026 cycle. Bidunga is coming off a strong sophomore year at Kansas, where he posted 13.3 points, 9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 2.6 blocks per game while shooting 64% from the field. Both Ekezie and Bidunga have the potential to become first-round picks in 2027.
North Carolina enters the 2026-27 season with former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone taking over, and his first team in Chapel Hill includes a pair of young frontcourt pieces who could eventually push into the 2027 draft conversation.
One is Sayon Keita, a five-star prospect listed at 6-foot-11 and 215 pounds. Originally from Mali, Keita spent the last two seasons with FC Barcelona in Spain. In EuroLeague play, he lined up with former NBA players Willy Hernangomez and Tomas Satoransky and averaged 2.5 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 58.3% from the field in 8.7 minutes per game across six contests.
UNC also added 7-foot-1 Greek center Alexandros Samodurov, another 2026 recruit. The 21-year-old averaged 2.6 points per game this season in the EuroLeague with Panathinaikos, a team that features former NBA players Omer Yurtseven, Kenneth Faried, Richaun Holmes, Cedi Osman and Juancho Hernangomez.
Keita and Samodurov are not being projected as 2027 draft picks right now, but a strong season at North Carolina could change that.
In Other News...
Dukes New Offensive Identity Puts All Eyes On Nate Sheppard
The offensive shift Duke has been building toward this fall is pretty clear: the Blue Devils want to lean on the ground game in 2026, and that puts a brighter spotlight on sophomore running back Nate Sheppard. With veteran center Matt Craycraft underscoring the run-first emphasis in camp, the plan looks geared around creating a more physical identity and letting Sheppard carry a heavier load as the main weapon.
The quarterback competition is still unresolved, with transfer Walker Eget and sophomore Dan Mahan both in the mix, but the job description appears to be more about steering the offense than carrying it. Whoever wins the role will be asked to manage the game and work in support of the rushing attack, which leaves Duke with a simpler, more defined blueprint even as the final decision under center remains open. [Read more 🡒]
UNC Just Changed A Duke Edge In This Rivalry Battle
North Carolina added another piece to its future frontcourt picture by signing center Cameron Fens from South Dakota, a move that gives the Tar Heels more size and depth for the 2026-27 season. The addition comes after Fens was granted a fifth season of eligibility following a legal injunction against the NCAA's age-based eligibility model, and it only adds to the sense that both sides of this rivalry are building toward another battle in the paint.
For Duke, it is a reminder that one of its quiet advantages in this matchup may not stay quiet for long. The Blue Devils already have a roster with several tall players, and the expectation around both programs is that frontcourt depth will be a major part of the next meeting, not just a side note. When North Carolina keeps adding size, Duke is pushed to answer in kind, and that familiar tug-of-war could shape the next chapter of the rivalry. [Read more 🡒]
Duke Golf Duo Proved They Belong On A Big Amateur Stage
Katie Li and Rianne Malixi gave Duke a solid showing at the 2026 U.S. Womens Amateur at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee, earning their place in the match-play bracket after both tied for 51st in stroke play with scores of 148. For a Blue Devils program used to competing with national-caliber talent, it was another reminder that these two can handle a demanding amateur stage and bring Duke into the conversation when the competition gets serious.
Malixi made the deeper run of the pair, opening match play with a win over Jasmine Koo before dropping a marathon match to Yujie Liu in 19 holes. Lis stay was shorter, falling to Yurina Hiroyoshi in the round of 64, but both performances underscored the same point: Duke had two players in the field who belonged in the bracket and could make an impact when the format shifted from stroke play to head-to-head pressure. [Read more 🡒]