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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:
- Duke
- Florida State
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Virginia Tech
- Louisville
- Syracuse
- Notre Dame
- NC State
- Georgia Tech
- Clemson
- Miami FL
- Wake Forest
- Pittsburgh
- Boston College
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:
-Buddy Boeheim – Syracuse
-Keve Aluma – Virginia Tech
-Paolo Banchero – Duke (Preseason ACC Player of the Year)
-Armando Bacot – North Carolina
-Isaiah Wong – Miami FL
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:
Michael Devoe – Georgia Tech
-Kihei Clark – Virginia
-Prentiss Hubb – Notre Dame
-Mark Williams – Duke
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-It’s never a surprise to see Duke at the top of the preseason poll. They are always rich with talent and well coached, and this year is no different. They once again have a strong roster with multiple NBA prospects. This is to be Mike Krzyzewski’s last season as head coach. You will hear that even more frequently than you’ll hear that Duke and North Carolina are just eight miles apart and that they have never met in the NCAA Tournament. But, they will likely be ranked in the top-ten, end up as a protected seed, and go at least a couple of rounds into the NCAA Tournament.
-I like this Florida State team as much as I like anyone else in the ACC. They have an outstanding frontcourt and some outstanding new players to mix in with the experienced guys that have come back. Florida State isn’t really thought of as being a basketball blue blood, but two years ago they won the ACC regular season title and would have been at least a #2 seed going into the NCAA Tournament. Since 2017 they have been a protected seed every year but once, and that was in 2018 when they actually went all the way to the Elite Eight. This is a top ten caliber team who could win the conference.
-North Carolina had a down year last year. That means they only earned an 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament and failed to get out of the first round. Most programs would consider that an outstanding year. With four starters back, and with some big pieces on top of that, the Tarheels should be back to their normal protected seed level of play this year.
-Virginia is picked to finish 4th and I guess that makes sense. Just one starter is back, and while they were still really good last year they didn’t set the world on fire like they typically do. Here is the thing about Virginia, though. They always seem to end up being better than you expect. So…I’m not counting them out. Of anything. Tony Bennett is a phenomenal coach who has been as successful as anyone else in the ACC, but yet still seems to always be underestimated.
-Mike Young enters his second year at Virginia Tech, and with three starters back should once again have a big year and end up safely inside the bubble. They also add a key transfer in Storm Murphy, who was a fantastic player for Wofford last year.
-Louisville continues to be a soap opera off the court. Coach Chris Mack will start the season off with a suspension. The reason for this is because a former assistant coach (and presumably now a former friend) is accused of trying to basically extort Chris Mack. So why is Chris Mack in trouble? They say he didn’t properly report that he was being extorted. Okay. Whatever. But, on the court Louisville should once again be safely inside the bubble and perhaps a top-25 caliber team. Just two starters are back, but they have some key transfers and should be much improved from a season ago.
-Syracuse is in their typical preseason spot. In the middle of the conference, and looking like they’ll make the NCAA Tournament, but that it’ll be close. I actually like this Syracuse team this year and think they’ll finish in at least the top half of the conference and be safely inside the bubble come Selection Sunday. They are coming off a Sweet Sixteen run (after barely getting in as a 11 seed), and have some key pieces back, and are still very tough defensively.
-Notre Dame has not been in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, and with just one starter back they appear to be in reset mode. But, that may be what the Irish kind of need. They do have a few decent looking transfers and a few exciting looking new players, so it will be interesting to see if they can develop.
-NC State was cruising last year until a key injury took their legs out from under them (no pun intended). I believe Kevin Keatts is a really good coach, and I think they’ve got some good pieces, and they can certainly end up being in the mix come the end of the year.
-Josh Pastner has done an amazing job at Georgia Tech. When he first got the job, I did not think he would, and I’m pleased to say that I have been proven wrong because on top of everything else, Josh Pastner is an easy guy to like and someone you want to see do well. That being said, he’s got his work cut out for him this year. Their two best players are gone, and while they do have some key pieces coming back, it’s questionable as to whether they have enough guys who can step up to the point of getting them back to The Dance.
-Clemson is another team that made the NCAA Tournament a year ago who could have trouble getting back this year. They do have some key transfers mixed in with their returning players, and will once again be a really tough defensive team, so it isn’t an impossibility.
-Miami FL struggled last year with just ten wins and a 13th place finish in the conference. While I like Jim Larranaga as a coach, and expect him to build this program back up to being top 25 caliber some day, I don’t think that day is today.
-Wake Forest, Pitt, and Boston College also all look to be in for long seasons.