CHARLOTTE — The ACC is back in its center, returning the conference tournament to the state of North Carolina for the first time since the 2014-15 season after taking it to the North in D.C. and New York. The league also will do what it does best: produce Final Four and title teams. I could legitimately see four teams winning the title — Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Syracuse. The Cavaliers are the team that is driven to do so, maybe more than any other because of the loss to UMBC last March — in the same building where Wednesday’s media day was held — in the first-ever 16 vs. 1 upset. I struggled with ranking the top three and could easily have put the Cavaliers in the top spot. Look, Virginia and Syracuse have the most experience back. Talent is on the side of Duke and for that reason — for now — the Blue Devils get the edge. 1. Duke: The Blue Devils have the most talent, but the question that will linger will be: Does Duke have the best team? Zion Williamson and R.J. Barrett are just too good not to tab Duke as the team to beat — now. But that could change, especially when Duke goes on the road in the ACC. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament 🎥🎤 ACC Media Day ✅ S/O to all the news outlets and reporters who cover the best conference in America, especially the Little Experts. pic.twitter.com/QyClZQALjN — Duke Basketball (@DukeMBB) October 24, 2018 2. North Carolina: The Tar Heels have hidden experience that isn’t getting as much attention. Luke Maye is an All-American, but do not dismiss the importance of Kenny Williams and Cameron Johnson. This squad will get better and better as the season progresses. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament 3. Virginia: The Cavaliers may be the best team in the ACC by season’s end. A healthy De’Andre Hunter, a driven Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome and the addition of Braxton Key means Tony Bennett has one deep team that could make a run at the title. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament 4. Syracuse: Tyus Battle’s return means the Orange have their five back that made a run to the Sweet 16. Jim Boeheim has that quiet confidence about him. He knows when he’s got a team that could make a Final Four run. And this is one of those teams. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament Check out what the Orange had to say at the #ACCMediaDay Press Conference:https://t.co/iO1hn9xTR0 — Syracuse Basketball (@Cuse_MBB) October 24, 2018 5. Florida State: The ageless wonder Leonard Hamilton didn’t pull off a fluke by reaching the Elite Eight. He had a team that simply got healthy. He’s got another squad that could make a deep run in the NCAAs. There should be no surprises with this crew. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament 6. Clemson: There is no more bubble talk with the Tigers. This squad and program have arrived under Brad Brownell. Experienced guards and a confidence means the Tigers have created a culture of winning. Expect another solid season. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament 7. Virginia Tech: The Hokies have one of the more underrated players in Justin Robinson. If this team can find a bit more consistency late in the season then the Hokies will break through with an NCAA tournament win. Postseason prediction: NCAA tournament 8. Miami: The Hurricanes have the talent to get back in the NCAA tournament, but the question will be if can they connect defensively. Jim Larranaga is waiting for that to occur early in the season. If it does then the ‘Canes will be right back in the mix. Postseason prediction: NCAA bubble 9. NC State: The Wolfpack have top 25 talent, but they’re not a top 25 team yet. The key for the Wolfpack will be whether or not they can be a disruptive force defensively. When NC State is flying around then they can win a lot of games. Postseason prediction: NCAA bubble 10. Notre Dame: The Irish will be able to score. If they defend, then Mike Brey will once again have a squad that is picked low and finishes much higher. Don’t be shocked by the Irish in the hunt for a bid late in the season. Postseason prediction: NCAA bubble As always, @accmbb brings the best to Purcell Pavilion Tickets for all these big games available now - https://t.co/DQHQYwcKpE pic.twitter.com/YOqgHtMpVU — Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) October 22, 2018 11. Louisville: This is the Chris Mack factor. He will have this team ready to play and ultimately be a tough out. Mack said UConn transfer Steven Enoch could end up being a key factor for the Cardinals. If they’ve got the rim protector then this team can make a run toward a bid. Postseason prediction: NIT candidate 12. Boston College: Ky Bowman is going to be a stud for the Eagles. Watch. Bowman will put up numbers for BC and ensure that they will be competitive in games. Expect at least one major surprise again. Postseason prediction: NIT candidate 13. Georgia Tech: Josh Pastner is going through a bit of restart/rebuild/bridge. But expect the Yellow Jackets to improve mightily during the season. Postseason prediction: None 14. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons are going through a similar patch to Georgia Tech. This could be one of the harder teams to place. There will be a ton of expectations on Brandon Childress to carry this team. Postseason prediction: None 15. Pitt: Jeff Capel will win at Pitt. But this will take time. He’s starting on re-branding this culture. This is the honeymoon season to get the program to begin anew. Postseason prediction: None<doc-sep>With the 2018-19 college basketball season getting underway in two weeks, the preseason AP Poll was released on Monday. Kansas enters the season as the No. 1 squad, with Bill Self’s squad looking to make the Final Four for the second straight season. Kentucky, Gonzaga, Duke, and Virginia round out the top five. The ACC leads the way with seven teams represented, including three in the Top-10. The SEC is second with five teams ranked, followed by the Big 12 with four and the Big Ten and Pac-12 each with three. Villanova, the reigning national champions, check in at No. 9 and are the only Big East squad in the Top-25. Gonzaga, which finished last season with a loss to Florida State in the Sweet 16, comes in at No. 3. Here’s the full poll: AP Poll - Preseason Rank Team Conference Rank Team Conference 1 Kansas Big 12 2 Kentucky SEC 3 Gonzaga West Coast 4 Duke ACC 5 Virginia ACC 6 Tennessee SEC 7 Nevada Mountain West 8 North Carolina ACC 9 Villanova Big East 10 Michigan State Big Ten 11 Auburn SEC 12 Kansas State Big 12 13 West Virginia Big 12 14 Oregon Pac-12 15 Virginia Tech ACC 16 Syracuse ACC 17 Florida State ACC 18 Mississippi State SEC 19 Michigan Big Ten 20 TCU Big 12 21 UCLA Pac-12 22 Clemson ACC 23 LSU SEC 24 Purdue Big Ten 25 Washington Pac-12 This story has been updated to reflect an error by the AP with the original rankings released.<doc-sep>Today’s Headlines The most important news stories of the day, curated by Post editors and delivered every morning. By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy<doc-sep>
The Virginia Tech Hokies Men's Basketball Team has been ranked No. 15 overall in the country by the AP Top 25 polls released on Monday. Head coach Buzz Williams enters his fifth year with Virginia Tech and has compiled a 74-60 (.552 winning %) record in overall play and 32-40 (.444 winning %) in ACC play. After inheriting a team that was 21-41 in its previous two seasons, Buzz Williams came to Blacksburg to attempt a complete makeover of the program. Coach Williams saw through a difficult initial season, where the Hokies finished 11-22, with a 2-16 record in conference play. After Year One, the Hokies have gone 62-38 overall and 30-24 in conference play. The No. 15 Ranking entering the 2018-2019 season is tied for the highest initial ranking in Virginia Tech history. Coach Williams could have his best team by far with a majority of the production returning from a season ago, where Virginia Tech defeated the likes of No. 2 Virginia, No. 5 Duke, No. 10 North Carolina, and No. 15 Clemson. The Hokies lose seniors Justin Bibbs and Devin Wilson, but return the likes of Justin Robinson, Ahmed Hill, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Chris Clarke, Kerry Blackshear and other valuable players on the roster. Virginia Tech joins Duke (No. 4), Virginia (No. 5), North Carolina (No. 8), Syracuse (No. 16), Florida State (No. 17) and Clemson (No. 22) as the seven ranked ACC teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. Full AP Top 25 Poll: 1. Kansas (37) 2. Kentucky (19) 3. Gonzaga (1) 4. Duke (4) 5. Virginia (2) 6. Tennessee (1) 7. Nevada 8. North Carolina 9. Villanova (1) 10. Michigan State 11. Auburn 12. Kansas State 13. West Virginia 14. Oregon 15. Virginia Tech 16. Syracuse 17. Florida State 18. Mississippi State 19. Michigan 20. TCU 21. UCLA 22. Clemson 23. LSU 24. Purdue 25. Washington * - First place votes in parentheses