North Carolina will enter the 2015-16 season as the Atlantic Coast Conference favorite, according to a vote of media in attendance at the league's annual "Operation Basketball."
The Tar Heels, who return four starters from last year's team that reached the finals of the ACC Tournament and the "Sweet 16" of the NCAAs, received 60 of 89 first-place votes in Wednesday's preseason poll. In addition to point guard Marcus Paige, the Tar Heels will welcome back forwards Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks and sophomore guard Justin Jackson. Five additional players that saw significant playing time from last season's 26-12 team are also set to return.
Virginia, which has won a total of 60 games over the past two seasons while claiming the 2014 ACC championship and placing atop the ACC regular-season standings in both 2014 and '15, received 18 first-place votes and placed second in the overall preseason voting. Defending national champion Duke (eight first-place votes) placed third.
Defending ACC champion Notre Dame received one first-place and placed fourth, followed by Miami, Florida State (one first-place vote) and Louisville.
NC State placed eighth, while Syracuse received the remaining first-place vote and finished ninth. Pitt placed 10th, while Wake Forest, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Boston College rounded out the voting.
North Carolina senior guard Marcus Paige and Virginia senior guard Malcolm Brogdon were named Preseason ACC Co-Players of the Year after each received 36 votes among those casting ballots. Paige averaged 14.1 points and 4.5 assists last season while shooting .395 from 3-point range and .865 from the foul line. Brogdon (14.0 ppg) was a finalist for the 2015 John Wooden Award and was named a second-team All-American by four publications.
Duke freshman Brandon Ingram, a 6-foot-9, 190-pound swing man from Kinston, North Carolina, was the overwhelming choice as ACC Preseason Freshman of the Year on 82 of the ballots cast. Ingram averaged over 24 points and 10 rebounds as a high school senior and led Kinston High to four consecutive state titles.
Paige, Brogdon, Ingram, Florida State's Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Notre Dame's Demtrius Jackson were voted to the Preseason All-ACC first team. Virginia's Anthony Gill, Duke's Grayson Allen, Notre Dame's Zach Auguste, NC State's Anthony "Cat" Barber and North Carolina's Johnson were second-team selections.
UNC was picked as the ACC preseason favorite for a league-high 21st time (20 times outright, one tie) in the 47-year history of the poll, and the sixth time under current head coach Roy Williams. Media voters tabbed Duke as the preseason favorite each of the previous two seasons.
The Tar Heels tied with Kentucky for the No. 1 spot in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll, while Duke ranked fourth and Virginia sixth. Notre Dame was voted 18th, while Louisville, NC State, Florida State and Miami all received votes.
The regular season begins for all 15 ACC teams the weekend of Nov. 13-15. In addition to an 18-game regular-season conference schedule, the 63rd annual ACC be held March 8-12 (Tuesday through Saturday at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
ACC Operation Basketball 2015-16 Preseason Poll
- North Carolina (60): 1292
- Virginia (18): 1226
- Duke (8): 1187
- Notre Dame (1): 949
- Miami: 841
- Florida State (1): 827
- Louisville: 821
- NC State: 808
- Syracuse (1): 666
- Pitt: 623
- Wake Forest: 391
- Clemson: 359
- Georgia Tech: 296
- Virginia Tech: 260
- Boston College: 134
2015-16 Preseason All-ACC Team
First team
Marcus Paige, Sr., North Carolina (86)
Malcolm Brogdon, Sr., Virginia (77)
Xavier Rathan-Mayes, So., Florida State (43)
Brandon Ingram, Fr., Duke (29)
Demetrius Jackson, Jr., Notre Dame (28)
Second team
Anthony Gill, Sr., Virginia (27)
Grayson Allen, So., Duke (27)
Zach Auguste, Sr., Notre Dame (24)
Anthony "Cat" Barber, Jr., NC State (22)
Brice Johnson, Sr., North Carolina (22)
ACC Preseason Co-Players of the Year
Marcus Paige, Sr., North Carolina
Malcolm Brodgon, Sr., Virginia
ACC Preseason Freshman of the Year
Brandon Ingram, Duke
Comments
Virginia Tech will finish better than 14th.
We've been upgraded to "Don't buy"!
Yeah, that's wrong.
I believe we will finish in top 10. Believe!
I'm no basketball expert, and I haven't done any research whatsoever....but it seems to me that VT should be better than both GT and Clemson at least. I think we're gonna surprise a LOT of teams in the ACC this season, we're gonna give a lot of teams a run for their money. I love flying under the radar, MWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!
What, no votes for Brendan Motley as POY? /s
Hahahahaha.
Nice one.
I guess I'd rather VT be an underdog than overrated.
Nowhere to go but up!
I know on paper we have more talent than what credit we've been given, but finishing last in the ACC four years in a row hasn't given anybody any tangible basis to think we won't be towards the bottom again. Personally I think we win 6-8 games in the conference, which would place us better than 2nd to last.
Preseason Kool-Aid Mode Engaged:
Virginia Tech will receive a bye to the quarterfinals at the ACC Tournament
Remember what happened last time we started talking like this?
nope
Regardless of OUR perception of how we will do after drinking Buzz-flavored kool aid, going off the general perception of our team...
Boston College, you got picked to finish BELOW us?! How shit must you be.
Yeah! Suck it BC!
Somewhat surprised we're not expected to be a slot or two higher, but hell....I'll take it anyway. It just means we will surprise more people when we're a pain in the ass for all the other ACC teams.
I smell an upset or two coming this season, especially of Duke. It has to happen in the bizarro world that Tech is currently caught in...
Almost any ACC win will be an upset. That being said I think you are right. The team was on the fringe of a signature win last year and didn't quite finish it but I expect this year will be different.
On the fringe of a couple - Duke and loluva and if you want you can count Syracuse too
I feel like Buzz is licking his chops wrt this. He seems like a guy that prefers to prove people wrong rather than be held to lofty expectations. Also seems like he spends a lot of time focusing his players on an underdog mentality. But what do I know.
I thought we would finish about 10th on this list, not ready to have expectations for the team, but I think they pick up a few ACC wins and one big upset at home this year.
Their very existence repulses me. Lying, cheating, bastards. Each and everyone of them. Any network or magazine that mentions their program without also mentioning the fact that everything they do is and has been tainted isn't worth #%$&
We finished last in the ACC last year by one game. We were the victim of several close losses than can ultimately be chalked up to lack of talent and inexperience, two things that aren't as much of a factor this year. I predict a finish anywhere from 9 to 11, win the first game of the tournament, and maybe sneak into the NIT.
Looking for the HYPE train.