ACC basketball: Preseason poll released ahead of season

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•10/19/21•

Jonathan Wagner

Ahead of the 2021-2022 college basketball season, the ACC has released its preseason poll for the new season. Last season was an interesting one for ACC teams on the court. After an uncharacteristically down season for Duke, where the Blue Devils finished 13-11 overall and 9-9 in conference, they finish as the preseason favorite due to a strong incoming class.

ACC Preseason Poll

  1. Duke (47)
  2. Florida State (14)
  3. North Carolina (5)
  4. Virginia (9)
  5. Virginia Tech (5)
  6. Louisville (1)
  7. Syracuse
  8. Notre Dame
  9. NC State
  10. Georgia Tech
  11. Clemson
  12. Miami
  13. Wake Forest
  14. Pittsburgh
  15. Boston College

Six teams received at least one first place vote in the Preseason ACC poll. Five teams had at least five first place votes.

Four ACC teams are ranked in the preseason AP Top 25

The preseason AP Top 25 poll was released on Monday, and four ACC teams found themselves in it. Duke comes in at No. 9, while North Carolina (No. 19), Florida State (No. 20), and Virginia (No. 25) also crack the list.

This season in the ACC will be a monumental one. North Carolina enters the Hubert Davis era after longtime head coach Roy Williams retired in April. The season will also be the final one for legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach Krzyzewski will have three five-star recruits on the court for him, and Duke is an intriguing team.

Duke’s addition of multiple five-star recruits is just one example of an influx of talent into the conference. Florida State loses multiple playmakers, but Houston transfer Caleb Mills should make a great impact. Virginia also loses some pieces, but Tony Bennett made intriguing transfer additions in East Carolina forward Jayden Gardner and Armaan Franklin from Indiana.

Duke freshman Paolo Banchero was named both the ACC Preseason Player of the Year and the Preseason Rookie of the Year. Keve Aluma, Buddy Boeheim, Armando Bacot, Isaiah Wong, and Banchero round out the Preseason All-ACC First Team.

In addition to Banchero’s honors and Duke’s ranking in the ACC Preseason poll, the Blue Devils also had two players in Mark Williams and Wendell Moore Jr. on the Preseason All-ACC Second Team.