UVA Basketball: A Fifth-Place Finish? Here's What the ACC Media Thinks
Alright, let's dive into the ACC basketball preseason predictions for the 2025-2026 season. The buzz is out, and the media has spoken: UVA is slated to finish fifth. My initial thought? Honestly, I can live with that.
But here's where it gets interesting. The press release tells us that 49 media members cast their votes this year. Now, consider this: back in 2018, a whopping 121 media members participated. The number dropped to 101 in 2022 before plummeting into the 50s in 2023 and 2024. The sports media landscape is evolving, and it's shrinking. What does this mean for the accuracy of these predictions?
So, UVA at fifth. Duke takes the top spot, as expected. With no Cooper Flagg this year, Duke's rotation will be filled with young players, mostly 18-year-olds, going up against teams with older, more experienced players in their rotations, some being 22 and 23 years old. Louisville (2) and NC State (4) are among those older teams. North Carolina (3) is another familiar face, much like how Clemson is often favored in football.
The voting represents the collective opinion of those 49 media members who made it to Charlotte during football season. Translation: expect a significant presence of local Carolina-based media among the voters. This could potentially skew the results.
A fifth-place finish means Ryan Odom's team is in the running for a double-bye in the ACC Tournament and in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament spot. That's a good place to be.
2025-2026 Preseason ACC Voting Results:
- Duke (34 first-place votes), 866 total points
- Louisville (15), 842
- North Carolina, 741
- NC State, 710
- Virginia, 623
- SMU, 616
- Clemson, 510
- Miami, 500
- Syracuse, 489
- Notre Dame, 477
- Wake Forest, 412
- Virginia Tech, 355
- Georgia Tech, 315
- Pitt, 301
- Florida State, 221
- California, 156
- Stanford, 138
- Boston College, 107
2025-26 Preseason All-ACC Team:
- First Team:
- Cameron Boozer, Duke, 46 votes
- Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 46
- Darrion Williams, NC State, 45
- Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 36
- Ryan Conwell, Louisville, 36
- Second Team:
- Isaiah Evans, Duke, 24
- Boopie Miller, SMU, 27
- J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 27
- Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 24
- Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 24
ACC Preseason Player of the Year:
- Darrion Williams, NC State, 23
- Cameron Boozer, Duke, 19
- Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 2
- J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 2
- Donald Hand Jr., Boston College, 1
- Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 1
- Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 1
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year:
- Cameron Boozer, Duke, 43
- Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 3
- Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 2
- Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech, 1
A Controversial Take?
Do you think the reduced number of voters significantly impacts the accuracy of these predictions? Are the media's picks reflective of the actual team strengths, or are other factors at play? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
