Duke was chosen as the unsurprising preseason favorite at the Atlantic Coast Conference Media Day heading into the college basketball season.

Defending league champion UNC was picked behind the rival Blue Devils as the Tar Heels are coming off of an appearance in the NCAA Championship game last season.

This year’s version of the Tar Heels looks a bit different without Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, who both graduated at the conclusion of last season.

Duke enters the season with several returning stars and the top-ranked recruiting class in the country. The Blue Devils received 85 of the 91 first-place votes in the preseason poll; Carolina received the other six.

Following Duke and UNC in the poll is Virginia, Louisville and Syracuse. NC State is also expected to be improved this season and was picked to finish sixth.

UNC junior point guard Joel Berry, who was named the MVP of the ACC Tournament last season, was selected preseason first-team All-ACC. Junior forward Justin Jackson was named to the second team.

No Tar Heels received votes in the Player of the Year balloting, where Duke’s Grayson Allen dominated the vote. NC State point guard Dennis Smith led the Rookie of the Year voting followed by Duke’s talented duo Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles – who both may be out of the lineup due to injuries to start the season.

Carolina is dealing with a key injury as well. Junior forward Theo Pinson underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot on Wednesday. Pinson was expected to make a major impact and likely start for the Tar Heels. There is no timeline for his return.

UNC starts regular season play on November 11 at Tulane.

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