Receiving 85 of the 91 available first place votes, the Duke Blue Devils are expected to be in the drivers seat in the ACC this season. North Carolina was the only other team to receive any first place votes with six.
Rounding out the top five are Virginia, Louisville, Syracuse.
The Blue Devils return to familiar territory atop the preseason list. They had finished in the top two every year since 2005 before finishing third last season. Expected to be a large part of their success is junior guard Grayson Allen.
Allen was named the preseason player of the year and is coming off of a breakout season as a sophomore in which he averaged 21.6 points per game. He was named an All-American for his efforts last season.
Reflected in the polls is the certainty over the top 5 teams in the conference and the uncertainty regarding selections six through 12. There is a steep drop off between Syracuse at No. 5 and N.C. State at No. 6.
Below is the complete list.
