Duke men’s basketball picked as preseason favorite in ACC poll; UNC voted third

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WNCN) — The Atlantic Coast Conference released its 2023-24 men’s basketball media preseason poll Thursday afternoon, and for the eighth time in the last 11 years, Duke has been picked as the conference favorite.

The Blue Devils, who received 44 of 51 first-place votes, finished last season with a 27-9 record overall (14-6 in the ACC). They are ranked No. 2 in this year’s AP preseason poll behind Kansas.

Two of last year’s standout freshmen, Dariq Whitehead and Dereck Lively II, are now in the NBA, but two others, Tyrese Proctor and Kyle Filipowski, are back for their sophomore seasons.

Filipowski, the 7-foot-tall shot-blocker who can also stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, was voted the ACC Preseason Player of the Year. He finished last season averaging 15.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

New-look UNC ranks in Top 3

North Carolina is third in the poll, with the Miami Hurricanes coming in second following the school’s first-ever trip to the Final Four.

Coming off a disappointing year in which they started the year season as the No. 1 team in the nation and ended it without making the NCAA Tournament, the Tar Heels, who finished last season 20-13 overall (11-9 ACC) have a completely revamped roster.

Only four players, including starters Armando Bacot and RJ Davis, remain from last season’s team. UNC has mostly used the transfer portal to reload, picking up guards Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown) as well as forwards Harrison Ingram (Stanford) and James Okonkwo (West Virginia).

Heralded recruit Elliot Cadeau will also be suiting up in Carolina blue for the first time. The five-star prospect originally from New Jersey was picked as the ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year.

Bacot joins Filipowski on the preseason All-ACC First Team, along with Clemson’s PJ Hall, Virginia’s Reece Beekman and Miami’s Norchad Omier.

NC State coming off Tournament season

NC State finished seventh in ACC preseason voting. The Wolfpack finished last season 23-11 overall (12-8 ACC) and made their first NCAA Tournament since 2018.

Kevin Keatts’ squad lost Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner to the pros, but last year’s third and fourth-leading scorers, DJ Burns and Casey Morsell, return this season as graduate players.

The ACC preseason accolades are voted on by members of the media, including those present at ACC Tip-Off events earlier this week in Charlotte.

2023-24 ACC Preseason Poll with point totals

All-ACC Preseason First Team

All-ACC Preseason Second Team