UNC Men’s Basketball Picked to Win ACC, Bacot Named Preseason Player of the Year

Everyone is high on the UNC men’s basketball team.

The Tar Heels, recently voted No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, were picked to win the ACC Tuesday afternoon. In addition, senior forward Armando Bacot and junior guard Caleb Love were named to the preseason All-ACC First Team — with Bacot being named Preseason Player of the Year. Junior guard R.J. Davis was named to the preseason All-ACC Second Team.

Carolina received 90 of 101 first-place votes in the ACC poll to slot well ahead of Duke, who received two. Virginia, Miami and Florida State round out the top five of the poll. Duke, Virginia and Miami each received first-place votes, as did Virginia Tech in seventh place. The Hokies are the defending ACC Tournament champions.

Bacot received 82 of 101 votes in the Preseason Player of the Year poll. He was named First Team All-ACC last season and finished second in the running for ACC Player of the Year, losing out to Wake Forest’s Alondes Williams. Bacot was also the leading vote-getter among players named to the preseason All-ACC First Team with 100 votes. Miami’s Isaiah Wong, NC State’s Terquavion Smith and Duke’s Jeremy Roach joined Bacot and Love in the first team. Love received 58 votes. On the second team, Davis is joined by Virginia Jayden Gardner, Duke’s Dereck Lively, Virginia Tech’s Justyn Mutts and Clemson’s P.J. Hall.

Freshmen Tyler Nickel, Jalen Washington and Seth Trimble each received votes for preseason ACC Rookie of the Year, but that honor went to Lively.

For a full look at the ACC’s preseason honorees, click here.

Featured image via Todd Melet

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