Slotting two-time defending champion Duke at No. 1 was the easiest part of submitting my ballot for the preseason ACC basketball poll, which will be revealed Oct. 13.
I'm still not sure to do what to do with Nos. 2-4.
In my first crack at predicting the final ACC standings, for the USA TODAY Network, I had Louisville right behind the Blue Devils. Roughly a week after I turned in that ballot, however, the Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolved a ruling that granted former North Carolina guard Seth Trimble a fifth year of eligibility to suit up for Pat Kelsey's Cardinals.
There's still a chance Trimble emerges victorious in court and plays the entire 18-game conference schedule. But, with the former Tar Heels standout in limbo when it came time to submit my official ballot to the ACC, I had to swap UofL with last season's runner-up, Virginia — led by my Preseason Player of the Year, Thijs De Ridder.
And get this: I had the Cavaliers fourth in my initial prognostication — behind Miami. Wishy-washy, I know, but the competition is real. Brace yourself for a winter of high-level hoops.
Without further ado, here's how I voted in the ACC basketball preseason poll — and my picks for the conference's preseason awards:
Brooks Holton's preseason ACC basketball poll
- Duke
- Virginia
- Louisville
- Miami
- Clemson
- North Carolina
- Virginia Tech
- Florida State
- Pittsburgh
- SMU
- NC State
- Syracuse
- Stanford
- California
- Boston College
- Notre Dame
- Wake Forest
- Georgia Tech
Brooks Holton's preseason ACC basketball awards
- Player of the Year: Thijs De Ridder (Virginia)
- Rookie of the Year: Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (Duke)
- All-ACC (first team): Thijs De Ridder (Virginia), Malik Reneau (Miami), John Blackwell (Duke), Flory Bidunga (Louisville), Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje (Duke)
- All-ACC (second team): Shelton Henderson (Miami), Chance Mallory (Virginia), Patrick Ngongba II (Duke), Amani Hansberry (Virginia Tech), Jackson Shelstad (Louisville)
Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@gannett.com and follow him on X at @brooksHolton.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Our Louisville basketball reporter's preseason ACC poll, awards ballot