ACC Media Day is being held today in Charlotte, North Carolina, and here is a look at the ballot we submitted for the Predicted Order of Finish, All-ACC Team, ACC Player of the Year, and ACC Freshman of the Year.
Atlantic Division
1. Duke
2. Miami
3. North Carolina
4. Notre Dame
5. Louisville
6. Virginia
7. Virginia Tech
8. Georgia Tech
9. FSU
10. NC State
11. Clemson
12. Syracuse
13. Boston College
14. Wake Forest
15. Pittsburgh
Our Take: Heading into the season, there is a gap between the first six teams based on the returning experience/talent. Duke is loaded, Miami is talented with experience, North Carolina should be strong, Notre Dame has maybe the league's top returning player in Bonzi Colson, and Louisville has plenty of athletes returning.
After Virginia, who should still be really good despite losing four-year starter London Perrantes, the rest of the teams, outside of Pittsburgh, could be picked to finish as high as seven and as low as 14... we think it's that close.
We believe NC State is going to surprise this season. With four seniors, including two grad transfers, as major contributors, this team has experience and talent... look for the Wolfpack to be picked lower than 10th by most; we've seen as low as 14th... shocked if the Pack finishes that low, barring injury.
Seeing Wake Forest and Boston College this low tells you how strong the ACC is, but we think Wake will really miss John Collins and Dinos Mitoglu up front this season and BC still lacks a reliable frontcourt option (although the backcourt is very good).
Preseason All-ACC Team
G Grayson Allen
G Joel Berry
G Bruce Brown
F Bonzi Colson
C Ben Lammers
Our Take: Colson, Allen, and Berry are considered locks given their experience, the success they've had in the league, and expected roles. They are "the guys" for three of the league's best teams.
Lammers was one of favorite players to watch last year. He impacts on both ends of the court, plays a ton of minutes because he stays out of foul trouble, and has a big role offensively for Georgia Tech, which is critical because stats often matter in terms of postseason accolades. Look for him to lead the ACC in blocked shots and rank among the league's best in rebounding.
The fifth spot was hard to choose... we considered several players such as Marvin Bagley III, Josh Okogie, Deng Adel, and Jerome Robinson, but ultimately Miami's Bruce Brown is our pick. A two-way player, Brown frequently flashed as a freshman, and he should have a huge year playing on the wing this season for Miami.
Preseason ACC Player Of The Year
Notre Dame Forward Bonzi Colson
Our Take: A double-double machine, Colson averaged 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds last season. He's going to have a monster year.
Preseason ACC Rookie Of The Year
Duke Forward Marvin Bagley III
Our Take: Potentially the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NBA draft, Bagley is a force in the frontcourt. He is excellent in transition, finishes everything around the rim, and plays on both ends of the floor. Given Duke's lack of perimeter shooting this could be a frontcourt-based team, and that will enable Bagley to showcase his immense talent.
