Duke enters the 2026-27 ACC men’s basketball season with the strongest possible vote of confidence, but Virginia forward Thijs De Ridder is the name that stands out in the league’s preseason hardware.
The Blue Devils were picked first in the ACC preseason poll announced Tuesday, collecting 45 of 48 first-place votes and 861 total points. Virginia came in second with 778 points, followed by Louisville, Miami and North Carolina. At the individual level, De Ridder was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year, while Duke freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje took preseason rookie honors.
The result gives Duke the headline edge, but Virginia the marquee player. That split makes for a sharp early-season setup: one program carries the league’s overwhelming preseason backing, while another has the conference’s top returning star leading the way.
For Duke, the expectations are nothing new. The Blue Devils were chosen to win the ACC for a third straight season and for the 11th time in the last 14 years, according to the conference. Virginia, Louisville and Miami each picked up one first-place vote apiece, but none came close to challenging Duke’s grip at the top.
The ACC’s first-team preseason selections underline that balance of power. Duke placed two players on the first team in John Blackwell and Patrick Ngongba II. De Ridder was the lone unanimous pick, joined on the first team by Louisville’s Flory Bidunga and Miami’s Shelton Henderson.
De Ridder earned the recognition after a productive first season in Charlottesville. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.2 rebounds over 36 games last season, while shooting 50.8% from the field and 35.7% from 3-point range, the ACC reported. His selection made him Virginia’s first preseason ACC Player of the Year since Malcolm Brogdon before the 2015-16 season.
That award also gives Virginia a real foothold in the conversation near the top of the league. The Cavaliers’ second-place finish in the poll suggests the conference sees them as more than just a one-man story.
Louisville and Miami were close behind enough to keep the race from feeling locked in after Duke. The Cardinals finished with 758 points and the Hurricanes with 753, while North Carolina was fifth with 658.
The poll sets the tone, but it doesn’t settle anything. The ACC doesn’t begin conference play until late December, which leaves plenty of time for nonconference games to reshape the picture before the league race really starts.
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Virginia Defense Faces One Fixable Problem Before ACC Play Gets Ugly
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The encouraging part for Virginia is that the biggest issues still look fixable. If the tackling gets cleaner and the pass rush turns more pressure into actual sacks, the defense should look a lot more stable, especially once the secondary gets healthier. Injuries have already thinned the group, and the Cavaliers are waiting on help to return before the conference schedule really starts to demand answers. [Read more 🡒]
Virginia Faces A Brutal Early ACC Test In Dallas
Virginias first ACC road test of the season is shaping up as a harsh one, with a trip to Dallas to meet an SMU program that has quickly made itself at home in its new league. It will be the Cavaliers first visit to SMU and only their fourth game ever played in Texas, so the setting alone adds a layer of unfamiliarity to a matchup that already carries plenty of pressure this early in conference play.
SMU has paired its recent success with veteran firepower, leaning on senior quarterback Kevin Jennings and senior running back Kendrick Raphael to keep defenses on edge. For Virginia, the challenge is not just adjusting to a new venue, but doing it against a team that has been a difficult out in ACC play and has made a habit of turning games into stressful, fast-moving affairs. [Read more 🡒]