Welcome to basketball season! For some fans in the ACC, it can't come soon enough (we're looking at you in Chapel Hill and Louisville).
We polled writers within the USA TODAY Network who cover ACC schools for their preseason predictions, all-conference teams and preseason awards ahead of ACC media days, which run Oct. 6-7 in Charlotte.
Duke was a unanimous pick to win the conference and the Blue Devils swept the preseason awards, too. But this is more than just the Duke Invitational.
How will the Mike Malone experiment in Chapel Hill go? Can Gerry McNamara reignite Syracuse? Will Louisville's transfer business make
the Cardinals a contender? And can Jai Lucas and Ryan Odom take the next step with Miami and Virginia, respectively?
Here's a look at how our writers think the 2026-27 season will shake out in the ACC:
ACC basketball preseason poll, predicted order of finish
- Duke (unanimous)
- Virginia
- Louisville
- Miami
- North Carolina
- Clemson
- Virginia Tech
- Florida State
- Syracuse
- NC State
- SMU
- Stanford
- Pitt
- Cal
- Wake Forest
- Notre Dame
- Boston College
- Georgia Tech
2026-27 preseason All-ACC basketball team
* denotes unanimous selection
FIRST TEAM
- Thijs DeRidder, Virginia*
- John Blackwell, Duke
- Patrick Ngongba II, Duke
- Flory Bidunga, Louisville
- Shelton Henderson, Miami
SECOND TEAM
- Jackson Shelstad, Louisville
- Dame Sarr, Duke
- Acaden Lewis, Miami
- Chance Mallory, Virginia
- Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Duke
ACC basketball preseason Player of the Year
John Blackwell, Duke
The Wisconsin transfer was one of the top players in the portal this offseason after averaging 19.1 points with 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game last season, earning all-Big Ten third-team honors.
Also receiving votes: Patrick Ngongba II, Duke; Thijs DeRidder, Virginia; Flory Bidunga, Louisville; Seth Trimble, Louisville.
ACC basketball preseason Newcomer of the Year (non-freshman)
John Blackwell, Duke
Blackwell joins a deep Duke backcourt that returns Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster and brings in true freshman Deron Rippey Jr., and has ability to play both the point and shooting guard.
Also receiving votes: Flory Bidunga, Louisville.
ACC basketball preseason Freshman of the Year
Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, Duke
Just 17, Boumtje Boumtje was originally part of Duke's 2027 recruiting class before skipping a year. At 7-2, he's the tallest player on the Blue Devils' roster and the son of former Georgetown standout Ruben Boumtje Boumtje. Despite his age, his teammates don't think JBB will be fazed by college ball. "He's looked like he's belonged out there," Patrick Ngongba II said. "The physicality doesn't seem like it's been impacting him at all."
Also receiving votes: Caleb Gaskins, Miami; Cameron Williams, Duke; Aziz Olajuwon, Stanford; Maximo Adams, North Carolina.
Poll participants: Tom Noie (South Bend Tribune), Jordan Mendoza (USA TODAY), John Leuzzi (USA TODAY Network), Brooks Holton (Louisville Courier Journal), Nick Coppola (Greenville News), Craig Meyer (USA TODAY Network), Liam Rooney (Tallahassee Democrat), Anna Snyder (Fayetteville Observer), Rodd Baxley (Fayetteville Observer).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Everyone agrees on Duke. Nobody agrees on what comes next in ACC basketball preseason poll
