Tag Archives: ACC

No. 6 Duke picked to win ACC again; NC State’s Darrion Williams named Preseason Player of the Year

No. 6 Duke picked to win ACC again; NC State’s Darrion Williams named Preseason Player of the Year

By STEVE REED AP Sports Writer

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The No. 6 ranked Duke Blue Devils have been picked to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference champions despite losing Cooper Flagg and four other players to the NBA draft, while N.C. State senior forward Darrion Williams was pegged as the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year.

Duke received 34 of 49 first place votes from the panel of media voters.

No. 11 Louisville, which lost to the Blue Devils in the 2025 ACC championship game following a stunning bounce back season under first-year coach Pat Kelsey, received the other 15 first-place votes and was selected to finish second.

North Carolina, N.C. State and Virginia rounded out the to five. SMU was chosen to finish sixth, followed by Clemson, Miami, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Florida State, California, Stanford and Boston College.

“I’ve seen great hunger, which is what gives me great confidence for this team,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said last week at the ACC media days in Charlotte. “So do I wish we had a little bit more experience? Yeah, of course. But at the end of the day, you want the best combination of skill sets complementing one another, but then also, you need really good talent that fits for how we’re going to play, which I believe we have.”

Williams, who averaged 15.1 points and 5.5 rebounds last season for the Wolfpack, received 23 first-place votes to win the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, edging out Duke’s Cameron Boozer by four votes. Boozer was named Preseason Rookie of the Year, receiving 43 votes.

Williams was named first-team All-ACC along with Boozer, Notre Dame’s Markus Burton and Louisville’s Mikel Brown Jr. and Ryan Conwell.

SMU’s Boopie Miller, Syracuse’s J.J. Starling, Duke’s Isaiah Evans, Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo and North Carolina’s Caleb Wilson were named to the second team.

No. 16 Notre Dame pulls away from NC State in second half for fourth consecutive win

No. 16 Notre Dame pulls away from NC State in second half for fourth consecutive win

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — C.J. Carr passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns and No. 16 Notre Dame pulled away from N.C. State in the second half for a 36-7 victory. Carr connected on 19 of 31 passes, including TD tosses of 18 yards to K.K. Smith and 12 yards to Will Pauling in the third quarter. Jeremiyah Love rushed for 86 yards and two touchdowns for Notre Dame (4-2), which has won four in a row. The Fighting Irish outscored the Wolfpack 26-0 in the second half. C.J. Bailey connected with Terrell Anderson on a 45-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter for the Wolfpack (4-3).… Continue Reading

No. 3 Miami’s visit to No. 18 Florida State headlines ACC slate; Swinney vs. Belichick on undercard

No. 3 Miami’s visit to No. 18 Florida State headlines ACC slate; Swinney vs. Belichick on undercard

No. 3 Miami’s visit to No. 18 Florida State headlines the week ahead in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hurricanes are playing a third straight game against an instate opponent after beating South Florida and Florida. The Seminoles beat Alabama in Week 1 but are coming off a double-overtime loss at now-ranked Virginia. The schedule includes the 24th-ranked Cavaliers visiting unbeaten Louisville. Additionally, Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and North Carolina’s Bill Belichick meet in a game between high-profile coaches leading struggling teams.… Continue Reading

ACC moving to 9-game football schedule starting next year, aligning with rest of Power Four peers

ACC moving to 9-game football schedule starting next year, aligning with rest of Power Four peers

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference is moving to a nine-game league schedule for football while having teams play at least 10 games against power-conference opponents, though there will be variables due to the league’s odd number of football-playing member schools. Going from an eight- to a nine-game model would align the ACC with its power-conference peers in the Big 12, Big Ten and Southeastern conferences. The ACC would join the SEC in playing 10 games against Power Four opponents. The SEC announced its plans for a nine-game schedule last month.… Continue Reading

Mensah, Castle lead Duke to comeback past N.C. State, 45-33

Mensah, Castle lead Duke to comeback past N.C. State, 45-33

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Darian Mensah threw three touchdown passes and Duke snapped a two-game losing streak, overcoming a 13-point deficit to beat N.C. State 45-33. The Blue Devils scored 21 points in a span of less than four minutes of game time spanning the two halves to surge into the lead. Anderson Castle added three rushing touchdowns, including a clinching 66-yard dash on third down with 2:19 remaining. CJ Bailey tossed two touchdowns passes to Terrell Anderson and was intercepted three times for N.C. State. Hollywood Smothers rushed for 123 yards and one touchdown and Will Wilson had two 1-yard TD runs. Anderson picked up 166 yards on six catches.… Continue Reading

Bailey, Smothers lead N.C. State comeback against Virginia, 35-31

Bailey, Smothers lead N.C. State comeback against Virginia, 35-31

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — CJ Bailey rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another as North Carolina State defeated visiting Virginia 35-31 in a non-league clash between the two Atlantic Coast Conference teams. Bailey completed 16-of-22 passes for 200 yards and rushed for 44 yards on six carries for the Wolfpack. N.C. State running back Hollywood Smothers added 136 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Virginia was powered by J’Mari Taylor’s 150 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. The Wolfpack outscored Virginia 21-7 in the third quarter after falling behind by 10 points in the first half.… Continue Reading

Virginia Tech is reviewing claim that coach tried to lure NC Central player into transfer portal

Virginia Tech is reviewing claim that coach tried to lure NC Central player into transfer portal

BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech is looking into an allegation by North Carolina Central’s football coach that a Hokies assistant improperly tried to lure running back J’Mari Taylor into the transfer portal last season. Virginia Tech released a statement saying it was made aware of the allegation on Friday. ESPN reported that the allegation surfaced when N.C. Central coach Trei Oliver said he discovered a Virginia Tech assistant coach on the sideline for one of the Eagles’ 2024 games. Oliver said that assistant was trying to contact his running back. Taylor, a star RB, eventually transferred to Virginia.… Continue Reading

Clemson returns most experienced team in football in search of 3rd national title in 10 years

Clemson returns most experienced team in football in search of 3rd national title in 10 years

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Clemson Tigers have all the pieces to win another national championship. They return the most experienced team in college football, with eight starters on both sides and a high return production rate. Cade Klubnik, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, leads the team as quarterback. Coach Dabo Swinney emphasizes that experience alone doesn’t guarantee success. Clemson’s retention rate is strong, thanks to programs like P.A.W. Journey, which supports players’ development. Despite challenges, Clemson remains consistent, joining elite teams with at least nine wins in 14 straight seasons. The Tigers aim to maintain this streak and achieve more success.… Continue Reading

The ACC has moved past lawsuits and uncertainty. Commissioner Jim Phillips sees stable years ahead

The ACC has moved past lawsuits and uncertainty. Commissioner Jim Phillips sees stable years ahead

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Atlantic Coast Conference is entering the 2025-26 sports season having moved past uncertainty from its legal fight with member schools Clemson and Florida State. Earlier this year, the league reached a settlement in those cases that reshaped the league’s revenue-sharing model. The league also saw ESPN pick up the option to extend its base-rights media deal with the league. That’s why commissioner Jim Phillips described recent months as “the restabilization of a great league” in an interview with The Associated Press. Phillips spoke at the opening of the league’s preseason football media days.… Continue Reading

Chris Pollard hired as Virginia’s baseball coach after 13 seasons at Duke

Chris Pollard hired as Virginia’s baseball coach after 13 seasons at Duke

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — Chris Pollard has been hired as Virginia’s baseball coach after spending the past 13 seasons at Atlantic Coast Conference rival Duke. Pollard succeeds Brian O’Connor, who left June 1 for Mississippi State. Pollard was 420-296 and led the Blue Devils to seven NCAA regionals, four super regionals and two ACC Tournament championships. Duke hosted a super regional this season, losing in three games to Murray State. Pollard takes over a Virginia program that went to 18 NCAA regionals, nine super regionals and seven College World Series in 22 years under O’Connor. The 2015 team won the national championship.… Continue Reading

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