Men's Basketball Picked to Finish Fourth in the ACC Basketball Preseason Poll
October 26, 2016 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C.– The University of Louisville men's basketball team was picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to a vote of the media attending the league's annual 'Operation Basketball' on Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C.
The Cardinals return 10 lettermen, including starters Quentin Snider and Jaylen Johnson, from last season's squad that finished with a 23-8 record. Louisville finished fourth in the ACC and beat two Final Four participants in North Carolina and Syracuse. It was the 14th consecutive season UofL has won 20 or more games and the Cardinals were ranked 16th in the Final Associated Press national rankings. Under the direction of 16th-year coach Rick Pitino, the Cards have won 146 games over the last five years, the fifth-most in the nation during that stretch.
Duke was picked as the 2016-17 Atlantic Coast Conference favorite. The Blue Devils received 85 of 91 first-place votes in the preseason poll released Wednesday.
Defending ACC champion North Carolina (six first-place votes) finished second in the voting, followed by Virginia, the Cardinals and Syracuse. All four teams have joined Duke in virtually every preseason Top 25 national ranking.
ACC preseason voters selected NC State sixth, followed by Notre Dame, Florida State and Miami. Virginia Tech was picked 10th, while Clemson, Pitt, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Boston College rounded out the voting.
The Blue Devils' Grayson Allen was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. NC State's Dennis Smith, Jr., a 6-foot-3 guard from Fayetteville, North Carolina, received the nod as the Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Allen also led the balloting for the Preseason All-ACC First Team, where he was joined by Clemson's Jaron Blossomgame, North Carolina's Joel Berry II, Virginia's London Perrantes and NC State's Smith.
The Preseason All-ACC Second Team consists of North Carolina's Justin Jackson, Duke's Jayson Tatum, Syracuse's Tyler Lydon, Florida State's Dwayne Bacon and Pitt's Michael Young.
The regular season begins for all 15 ACC teams the weekend of November 11. In addition to an 18-game regular-season conference schedule, the 64th annual ACC Tournament will be played for the first time at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, tipping off with first round games on Tuesday, March 7, and concluding with the Saturday night championship game on March 11,
ACC Operation Basketball 2016-17 Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Team & Points
1. Duke (85) - 1359
2. North Carolina (6) - 1239
3. Virginia - 1125
4. Louisville - 1034
5. Syracuse - 905
6. NC State - 772
7. Notre Dame - 716
8. Florida State - 705
9. Miami - 650
10. Virginia Tech - 645
11. Clemson - 623
12. Pitt - 511
13. Wake Forest - 309
14. Georgia Tech - 199
15. Boston College – 128
2016-17 Preseason All-ACC Team
(votes in parenthesis)
First Team
Grayson Allen, Duke (87)
Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson (70)
Joel Berry II, North Carolina (45)
London Perrantes, Virginia (36)
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (34)
Second Team
Justin Jackson, North Carolina (22)
Jayson Tatum, Duke (21)
Tyler Lydon, Syracuse (20)
Dwayne Bacon, Florida State (16)
Michael Young, Pitt (14)
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
Grayson Allen, Duke (70)
Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson (7)
London Perrantes, Virginia (5)
Joel Berry II, North Carolina (5)
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (2)
Andrew White, Syracuse (1)
Davon Reed, Miami (1)
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (51)
Jayson Tatum, Duke (20)
Harry Giles, Duke (10)
Tyus Battle, Syracuse (5)
V.J. King, Louisville (2)
Jonathan Isaac, Florida State (2)
Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech (1)
The Cardinals return 10 lettermen, including starters Quentin Snider and Jaylen Johnson, from last season's squad that finished with a 23-8 record. Louisville finished fourth in the ACC and beat two Final Four participants in North Carolina and Syracuse. It was the 14th consecutive season UofL has won 20 or more games and the Cardinals were ranked 16th in the Final Associated Press national rankings. Under the direction of 16th-year coach Rick Pitino, the Cards have won 146 games over the last five years, the fifth-most in the nation during that stretch.
Duke was picked as the 2016-17 Atlantic Coast Conference favorite. The Blue Devils received 85 of 91 first-place votes in the preseason poll released Wednesday.
Defending ACC champion North Carolina (six first-place votes) finished second in the voting, followed by Virginia, the Cardinals and Syracuse. All four teams have joined Duke in virtually every preseason Top 25 national ranking.
ACC preseason voters selected NC State sixth, followed by Notre Dame, Florida State and Miami. Virginia Tech was picked 10th, while Clemson, Pitt, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Boston College rounded out the voting.
The Blue Devils' Grayson Allen was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. NC State's Dennis Smith, Jr., a 6-foot-3 guard from Fayetteville, North Carolina, received the nod as the Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Allen also led the balloting for the Preseason All-ACC First Team, where he was joined by Clemson's Jaron Blossomgame, North Carolina's Joel Berry II, Virginia's London Perrantes and NC State's Smith.
The Preseason All-ACC Second Team consists of North Carolina's Justin Jackson, Duke's Jayson Tatum, Syracuse's Tyler Lydon, Florida State's Dwayne Bacon and Pitt's Michael Young.
The regular season begins for all 15 ACC teams the weekend of November 11. In addition to an 18-game regular-season conference schedule, the 64th annual ACC Tournament will be played for the first time at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, tipping off with first round games on Tuesday, March 7, and concluding with the Saturday night championship game on March 11,
ACC Operation Basketball 2016-17 Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Team & Points
1. Duke (85) - 1359
2. North Carolina (6) - 1239
3. Virginia - 1125
4. Louisville - 1034
5. Syracuse - 905
6. NC State - 772
7. Notre Dame - 716
8. Florida State - 705
9. Miami - 650
10. Virginia Tech - 645
11. Clemson - 623
12. Pitt - 511
13. Wake Forest - 309
14. Georgia Tech - 199
15. Boston College – 128
2016-17 Preseason All-ACC Team
(votes in parenthesis)
First Team
Grayson Allen, Duke (87)
Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson (70)
Joel Berry II, North Carolina (45)
London Perrantes, Virginia (36)
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (34)
Second Team
Justin Jackson, North Carolina (22)
Jayson Tatum, Duke (21)
Tyler Lydon, Syracuse (20)
Dwayne Bacon, Florida State (16)
Michael Young, Pitt (14)
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
Grayson Allen, Duke (70)
Jaron Blossomgame, Clemson (7)
London Perrantes, Virginia (5)
Joel Berry II, North Carolina (5)
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (2)
Andrew White, Syracuse (1)
Davon Reed, Miami (1)
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (51)
Jayson Tatum, Duke (20)
Harry Giles, Duke (10)
Tyus Battle, Syracuse (5)
V.J. King, Louisville (2)
Jonathan Isaac, Florida State (2)
Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech (1)
Players Mentioned
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