NC State men’s basketball picked to finish ninth in ACC

Hey, what do you know, NC State has again been picked to finish somewhere in the middle-ish of the ACC. No reason to go and try putting a fine point on it, as I’m sure State will end up in there somewhere, but the league’s media members are guessing that’ll be ninth.

Duke is the preseason favorite to win the league in Coach K’s final season, and meanwhile, the Tar Heels received five first-place votes despite a completely unproven new head coach.

ACC Men’s Basketball Tipoff - 2021 Preseason Poll
School, Points

1. Duke (47), 1,132
2. Florida State (14), 1,034
3. North Carolina (5), 1,001
4. Virginia (9), 949
5. Virginia Tech (5), 857
6. Louisville (1), 791
7. Syracuse, 781
8. Notre Dame, 599
9. NC State, 555
10. Georgia Tech, 524
11. Clemson, 430
12. Miami, 428
13. Wake Forest, 274
14. Pitt, 253
15. Boston College, 112
First-place votes in parentheses; 81 total voters

Duke freshman Paolo Banchero is the preseason Player of the Year. No NC State players earned first- or second-team honors, though Terquavion Smith got a few votes for Freshman of the Year. Banchero is of course the frontrunner there as well.