The ACC will open the 2026-27 men’s basketball season with four teams ranked in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, giving the league a solid national presence near the top of the rankings.
Duke leads the conference at No. 2, trailing only preseason No. 1 Florida. The Blue Devils received eight first-place votes and enter the year as both a national title contender and the preseason favorite to win the ACC.
Virginia is the next ACC team at No. 10, followed immediately by No. 11 Louisville. Miami rounds out the conference’s ranked group at No. 17. That gives the ACC four teams inside the Top 17, with three of them appearing in the top 11.
The conference nearly placed a fifth team in the Top 25. North Carolina finished among the teams receiving
votes with 24, leaving the Tar Heels outside the initial rankings despite being picked fifth in the ACC preseason media poll.
The ACC’s four ranked teams also line up closely with the top of the league’s own preseason voting. Duke was picked first in the conference, Virginia second, Louisville third, and Miami fourth, making the national coaches’ poll another indication that those four programs are expected to set the early pace in the league.
For Florida State, the early national picture is clear: the Seminoles will begin the season outside the Top 25 and without receiving votes, leaving Luke Loucks’ team with an opportunity to earn its way into the conversation once games begin.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: ACC places 4 teams in preseason USA TODAY Sports Coaches poll Top 25
