ACC basketball: All-ACC teams, preseason honors released

Ahead of the 2021-22 basketball season, the Atlantic Coast Conference has released the preseason All-ACC teams and conference awards.

The 2021 season officially begins on Tuesday, Nov. 9. Duke gets the action going with a top-25 game versus Kentucky in primetime on ESPN.

Preseason All-ACC Team

First Team
Name, School, Points

Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse, 68
Keve Aluma, Virginia Tech, 52
Paolo Banchero, Duke, 49
Armando Bacot, UNC, 46
Isaiah Wong, Miami, 37

Second Team

Michael Devoe, Georgia Tech, 25
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 23
Prentiss Hubb, Notre Dame, 17
Mark Williams, Duke, 12
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 9
Caleb Love, UNC, 9
Malik Williams, Louisville, 9

Player of the Year candidates

Duke freshman Paolo Banchero is the first ACC freshman in history to be both the top preseason player of the year candidate and the top freshman of the year candidate.

Paolo Banchero, Duke, 28
Keve Aluma, Virginia Tech, 16
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse, 13
Armando Bacot, UNC, 12
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 5
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 3
Caleb Love, UNC, 2
Mark Williams, Duke, 2

Freshman of the Year candidates

Paolo Banchero, Duke, 64
Trevor Keels, Duke, 5
Terquavion Smith, NC State, 3
Dontrez Styles, UNC, 3
Igor Milicic Jr., Virginia 3
Wooga Poplar, Miami, 1
Benny Williams, Syracuse, 1
Cameron Hildreth, Wake Forest, 1

Three ACC players make Dick Vitale’s All-American list

ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale released his preseason All-American picks last week, which included two ACC stars. His veteran-heavy list is made up of five teams heading into the 2021-22 season.

In a controversial move, Vitale opted to exclude freshmen from his preseason All-American team in favor of veterans.

“A lot of people put freshmen on their preseason All-America teams,” Vitale wrote for ESPN. “I believe we have to see them on the collegiate court before we name them All-Americans. I’m sure you will see players like Chet Holmgren of Gonzaga, Jalen Duren of Memphis and Michigan’s Caleb Houstan on the postseason team.”

Syracuse veteran star Buddy Boeheim made Vitale’s preseason All-American first team after averaging 17.8 points per game in 2020-21.

Tar Heel forward Armando Bacot is on Vitale’s fourth team. Bacot posted 12.3 points per game last season, as well as 7.9 rebounds.

Lastly, Duke Blue Devils sophomore Mark Williams made Vitale’s fifth team after his late-season emergence in 2021. Williams was an ACC All-Tournament second-team honoree after averaging 18 points and 10 rebounds in Duke’s victories over Boston College and Louisville to finish the year.