An absolutely stacked ACC has Duke as its preseason pick to win the league. The conference held its media day on Wednesday, and at its conclusion, formally revealed the results of the preseason poll and player awards. The votes were tallied by all league coaches in addition to select media that extensively cover the league.
Duke is the consensus choice for No. 1 team in the country, so it's no surprise to see the Blue Devils picked atop the ACC. The season begins Nov. 11. Grayson Allen -- the CBS Sports No. 1 player in America -- is part of a Duke squad that also features standout freshmen Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, Marques Bolden and Frank Jackson. Plus, vets like Amile Jefferson and Matt Jones will be big factors, in addition to breakout sophomore candidate Luke Kennard.
Duke took 85 out of 91 available first-place votes. North Carolina, which will have a veteran-laden starting five to compete with Duke, comes in second. Remember, Carolina barely lost in the national title game last season. Virginia, which was shockingly upended by Syracuse in the Elite Eight, comes in third.
Here's the poll, with first-place votes in parenthesis
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
The league is so stacked this season. Pitt, which places a firm 12th, has reasonable expectations of making the NCAA Tournament with new coach Kevin Stallings. Duke, UNC, Virginia, Louisville and Syracuse are all Final Four teams, potentially, and NC State could wind up having top-three talent in the league by the end of the season.
Allen was the overwhelming choice for ACC preseason player of the year. He received 70 votes; Clemson's Jaron Blossomgame, who had seven votes, came in second. Here's the All-ACC 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)
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)
Now, rookie of the year is going to be interesting. The ACC is stocked with as many as five potential first-round picks in 2017. But it's Dennis Smith, Jr. at NC State who gets the nod.
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year voting:
Dennis Smith, Jr., NC State (51)
Jayson Tatum, Duke (20)
Harry Giles, Duke (10)
Tyus Battle, Syracuse (5)
VJ King, Louisville (2)
Jonathan Isaac, Florida State (2)
Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech (1)
