Duke was voted college hoops’ preseason favorite in USA Today’s first coaches poll for the first time since the 2010-2011 season. With the return of All-American Grayson Allen, Matt Jones and Amir Jefferson from injury, in addition to Luke Kennard and the nation’s #1 recruiting class, there’s no surprise coaches view the Blue Devils as the team to beat as we head into college hoops season. Duke was also predicted to finish first in the ACC Operation Basketball preseason poll.
When asked about the Blue Devils’ ranking, Coach K put it into perspective with a nice online dating analogy.
“It’s an honor to be picked, but our school has, our program has, and you have to remember that nobody as seen anybody yet. It’s like internet dating or something. Until you see the real person, you know, we can create a big, nice picture of who we’re supposed to be.”
Four other ACC teams including North Carolina, Virginia, Louisville and Syracuse were also ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today Coaches Poll.
You can find the complete results of both polls below:
USA Today Coaches Poll
1. Duke (27)
2. Kansas (1)
3. Villanova (1)
4. Kentucky (2)
5. Oregon (1)
6. North Carolina
7. Virginia
8. Xavier
9. Michigan State
10. Wisconsin
11. Arizona
12. Indiana
13. Gonzaga
14. Louisville
15. Purdue
16. Connecticut
17. Syracuse
18. West Virginia
19. Saint Mary’s
20. UCLA
21. Maryland
22. Texas
23. Creighton
24. Rhode Island
25. Cincinnati
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)
VJ King, Louisville (2)
Jonathan Isaac, Florida State (2)
Josh Okogie, Georgia Tech (1)