Duke named preseason ACC men’s basketball favorite

Duke has been voted the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s basketball championship for the third consecutive season. The media poll results place Virginia in second, followed by Louisville, Miami, and North Carolina in the top five. Clemson was projected to finish sixth, while Cal was picked near the bottom in 15th place.

Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder was named the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, becoming the first Cavalier to receive the honor since 2015. Duke’s Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje was selected as the Preseason Rookie of the Year.

The Preseason All-ACC First Team includes De Ridder, Louisville’s Flory Bidunga, Duke’s John Blackwell and Patrick Ngongba II, and Miami’s Sheldon Henderson. The Second Team features Malik Reneau (Miami), Jackson Shelstad (Louisville), Chance Mallory (Virginia), Amani Hansberry (Virginia Tech), and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (Duke).