CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Duke has been picked to win its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference championship and 25th overall, while Virginia sophomore forward Thijs De Ridder was tabbed as the conference’s preseason player of the year on Tuesday.
The Blue Devils received 45 of the possible 48 first-place votes from the panel of media members.
Virginia was picked to finish second, followed by Louisville and Miami, with each school receiving one vote. North Carolina was predicted to finish fifth, followed by Clemson. Syracuse, under new coach Gerry McNamara was chosen to finish 11th.
The 23-year-old De Ridder, who helped Virginia reach the ACC title game a year ago before losing to Duke 74-70, averaged 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game as a freshman.
He received 30 first-place votes for preseason player of the year, while Duke’s John Blackwell had 12.
De Ridder and Blackwell were joined on the first-team All-ACC preseason team by Louisville center Flory Budinga, a Kansas transfer and last year’s Big 12 Conference defensive player of the year, Duke’s Patrick Ngongba II and Miami’s Shelton Henderson.
The second team All-ACC included Miami’s Malik Reneau, Louisville’s Jackson Shelstad, Virginia’s Chance Mallory, Virginia Tech’s Amani Hansberry and Duke’s Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje.
Boumtje Boumtje was the overwhelming choice for ACC preseason rookie of the year with 34 votes. Also making the All-Rookie team were Miami’s Caleb Gaskins, Duke’s Cameron Williams and Deron Rippey, North Carolina’s Maximo Adams and Clemson’s Harris Reynolds.
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