WRAL Sports Fan

College Basketball

Duke, UNC tied for preseason favorite in ACC basketball

By Dane Huffman

Oct 26, 2009

Greensboro, N.C. — The ACC media couldn't decide between Duke and North Carolina Sunday, so the long-time rivals wound up in a tie for the preseason favorite in the league.

It's the first time in the 41 years of the preseason poll that two schools finished in a tie for first.

Both schools finished with 545 total points from media at the league's Operation Basketball. Duke had 25 first-place votes and UNC 20.

Georgia Tech got two first-place votes and Wake Forest one.

N.C. State was picked to finish 12th, with 76 points overall.

The preseason all-conference team was Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (45 points), Clemson's Trevor Booker (44), Duke's Kyle Singler (43), Virginia Tech's Malcom Delaney (24) and UNC's Ed Davis (21).

Singler was the pick for preseason player of the year and Georgia Tech's Derrick Favors was the overwhelming choice for rookie of the year.

By the way, UNC has been the preseason favorite 18 times and won the league 11 of those times. Duke has been the preseason favorite 12 times and won it seven.

ACC preseason men's basketball picks

1, tie, Duke (25) 545

1, tie, UNC (20) 545

3, Clemson 409

4, Georgia Tech (2) 387

5, Maryland 378

6, Wake Forest (1) 315

7, Florida State 314

8, Virginia Tech 273

9, Boston College 251

10, Miami 135

11, Virginia 116

12, N.C. State 76