Seventh-ranked Duke has been named the favorite to claim the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) men’s basketball title in the upcoming season, sitting just ahead of their traditional rival, ninth-ranked North Carolina. RJ Davis from North Carolina, who is an All-American, earns the distinction of being the preseason player of the year.

These predictions were made public after a voting session conducted among media representatives during last week’s “ACC Tipoff” preseason media days.

The Blue Devils secured 42 out of 54 first-place votes, thanks to a complete overhaul of their roster which includes 10 new players. They have also attracted an elite recruiting class featuring standout freshman Cooper Flagg, who fell just short of being unanimously named the league’s rookie of the year.

Last season, Duke was similarly favored to finish at the top; however, the Tar Heels managed to sweep their matches against the Blue Devils on their way to clinching the regular-season championship. Duke made it to the NCAA Elite Eight, advancing further than North Carolina’s Sweet 16 exit.

In the rankings for this season, Wake Forest has been placed third, followed by Clemson, which made its first Elite Eight appearance last year since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. Virginia and Miami follow in fourth and fifth, respectively. Pittsburgh and North Carolina State were ranked seventh and eighth, with the former enjoying an unlikely Final Four run last season. The top 10 is completed by Louisville and Notre Dame.

Syracuse was featured at 11th place, trailed by Georgia Tech, SMU, Virginia Tech, Florida State, California, Stanford, and Boston College in this newly expanded 18-team conference.

RJ Davis, standing at 6 feet tall, is the sole returning first-team Associated Press All-American from 2024. As a fifth-year guard, he enters the season ranked fifth in all-time scoring for his program, having led the league with an average of 21.2 points per game last season. He received 40 out of 54 votes for player of the year, significantly ahead of Flagg, who garnered 10 votes. Davis was also a unanimous selection for the preseason all-ACC first team.

Joining Davis and Flagg on the all-ACC preseason first team are Wake Forest’s Hunter Sallis, Markus Burton from Notre Dame, and Nijel Pack from Miami. The second team features Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter, alongside Florida State’s Jamir Watkins, Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo, and Pitt’s Ishmael Leggett.