THE APEX TIMES
Louisville picked third in ACC men’s basketball preseason poll, Duke tabbed No. 1
In the league’s annual preseason forecast, Duke earned the most first-place support and Louisville was slotted behind Virginia and above the rest of the conference.
The Atlantic Coast Conference released its men’s basketball preseason poll, and Louisville enters the upcoming season ranked third in the league. The Cardinals were placed behind preseason favorite Duke and Virginia, with the full conference ballot also listing Miami, North Carolina, Clemson, Florida State, NC State, Virginia Tech, SMU, Syracuse, Pitt, Stanford, Wake Forest, and California in descending order based on total points.
Duke was selected as the top team by ACC voters, receiving 45 first-place votes and 861 points. Virginia followed closely with one first-place vote and 778 points, setting a tight distinction between the league’s top two preseason picks at the top of the ballot.
Louisville earned one first-place vote and 757 points, landing at No. 3 in a preseason ranking that positions the Cardinals as one of the conference’s immediate contenders. Miami checked in next with 75 points on the ballot after also drawing one first-place vote, finishing with 753 points as the No. 4 team in the ACC forecast.
The next group of teams formed the middle of the league’s preseason picture. North Carolina was slotted at No. 5 with 658 points. Clemson came in at No. 6 (623), Florida State was chosen at No. 7 (519), and NC State was No. 8 (502). Those placements suggest a cluster of programs viewed as capable of challenging for the upper tier of the league standings.
Virginia Tech was listed at No. 9 with 489 points, while SMU received a No. 10 ranking with 443 points. Syracuse and Pitt were placed next, at No. 11 (353) and No. 12 (323), respectively, followed by Stanford at No. 13 (267). Wake Forest and California rounded out the bottom of the preseason poll at No. 14 (234) and No. 15 (202).
Preseason polls do not predict outcomes, but they do offer a useful snapshot of how league coaches and voters view each program’s near-term ceiling. Louisville’s placement at third reflects expectations that the Cardinals can contend in ACC play quickly, rather than being viewed primarily as a developmental team or a long shot for the top half of the standings.
What to watch next is how these preseason expectations translate into the early rhythm of ACC games. In a conference as deep as the ACC, small differences in non-conference preparation, early league matchups, and the ability to manage close games often determine whether preseason rankings hold. Louisville’s spot near the top makes its early conference stretch particularly important for establishing credibility against other teams positioned to finish in the upper tier.
Why It Matters
- A preseason top-three slot places Louisville among the ACC’s immediate title-contending tier in the league’s collective expectation-setting exercise.
- The poll’s spread across multiple programs indicates a wide middle-to-upper range of teams seen as plausible challengers, which can intensify the race for seeding in the conference tournament.
- How Louisville performs against other preseason top-8 programs will likely shape whether it can translate preseason status into a top-tier league finish.
- The rankings can also influence fan and media attention early in the season, which often affects how quickly a team is judged when results fluctuate.
Key Facts
- Duke was picked No. 1 in the ACC men’s basketball preseason poll with 45 first-place votes and 861 points.
- Virginia was picked No. 2 with one first-place vote and 778 points.
- Louisville was picked No. 3 with one first-place vote and 757 points.
- Miami was picked No. 4 with one first-place vote and 753 points.
- The remaining preseason order listed North Carolina (No. 5), Clemson (No. 6), Florida State (No. 7), NC State (No. 8), Virginia Tech (No. 9), SMU (No. 10), Syracuse (No. 11), Pitt (No. 12), Stanford (No. 13), Wake Forest (No. 14), and California (No. 15).