Despite having the ACC Preseason player of the year on the roster, Notre Dame is only predicted to finish fourth in the ACC this season.
Duke Selected as ACC Favorite, Hidalgo Named Preseason Player of the Year
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Coming off an Atlantic Coast Conference title and a trip to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, Duke was voted first in the annual ACC Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish by the league’s 18 coaches and members of the Blue Ribbon Panel.
The Blue Devils earned 49 first-place votes and 1,649 total points from 76 voters. Duke finished ahead of Louisville, which earned 22 first-place votes and 1,580 points. North Carolina (1,462 points, one first-place vote) and Notre Dame (1,450 points, four first-place votes) earned the final five first-place votes and finished third and fourth, respectively, in the poll, while NC State rounded out the top five with 1,337 points.
The 2026-27 campaign begins Sunday, November 1, when Notre Dame takes on Villanova in the Eternal City Tip-Off in Rome, Italy. A total of 13 ACC teams open their respective seasons a day later, headlined by North Carolina facing Oklahoma in Oui Play in Paris, France and Stanford squaring off with Arizona in the Hall of Fame Series in Las Vegas.
Last season, the ACC sent a record nine teams to the NCAA Tournament, with five teams advancing to the Sweet 16, the most since 2015. Duke and Notre Dame each advanced to the Elite Eight a season ago, extending the nation’s longest streak of 24 consecutive seasons of having at least one team in the national quarterfinals.
Predicted Order of Finish (76 voters)
- Duke (49) – 1,649
- Louisville (22) – 1,580
- North Carolina (1) – 1,462
- Notre Dame (4) – 1,450
- NC State – 1,337
- Virginia – 1,085
- Syracuse – 1,009
- Virginia Tech – 1,003
- Clemson – 988
- California – 786
- Miami – 689
- Georgia Tech – 684
- Stanford – 674
- Florida State – 603
- SMU – 373
- Wake Forest – 296
- Pitt – 236
- Boston College – 170