Louisville Picked Fifth in ACC Preseason Poll; David Johnson Named Second Team All-ACC
Press Release from the University of Louisville:
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Louisville was selected to finish fifth in the 2020-21 Atlantic Coast Conference race in a preseason poll of 155 media across the league.
Virginia, ranked No. 4 in the Associated Press preseason poll, was chosen as the favorite to win the ACC title this season, followed in order by Duke, Florida State, North Carolina and Louisville among the top five. North Carolina senior forward Garrison Brooks was selected as the preseason ACC Player of the Year, while Florida State freshman Scottie Barnes was named as the preseason ACC Freshman of the Year. Louisville was picked third in the preseason last year and finished the season in a tie for second.
Louisville sophomore guard David Johnson was honored on the 11-person preseason All-ACC Team, positioned as the leading vote-getter on the second team.
Over the last 15 games of the 2019-20 season, Johnson averaged 8.9 points, 4.4 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game while making 49.5 percent of his field goals (55-of-111). He was the ACC assists leader among freshmen in conference games, averaging 3.8 assists, 7.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in ACC games.
A 6-5, 210-pound hometown product from Louisville, Johnson missed nearly four months leading up to the season after recovering from shoulder surgery. He worked his way into a prominent role on the team for the last half of the season, including a starting role in four of the last five games. Johnson is second among returning scorers for the Cardinals this year (6.3 ppg) and is the returning leader in assists (2.8 apg), He scored 37 points in his first 12 games before totaling 134 points in the last 15 games.
Johnson's finest game of his freshman season came on a big stage, as he led the Cardinals with a season-high 19 points, seven assists and three steals at then-No. 3/3 Duke on Jan. 18, adding four rebounds and three dunks. His 19 points were the most by a Louisville player off the bench against an AP top-three ranked opponent since former All-America guard Russ Smith scored 30 points against No. 3 Kentucky in 2011.
The complete predicted order of finish and preseason All-ACC team is listed below.
2020 ACC Operation Basketball
Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
School, Points
1. Virginia (97), 2214
2. Duke (34), 2146
3. Florida State (15), 1973
4. North Carolina (7), 1933
5. Louisville (2), 1693
6. Syracuse, 1234
7. Miami, 1223
8. NC State, 1149
9. Georgia Tech, 1147
10. Clemson, 1057
11. Virginia Tech, 794
12. Notre Dame, 769
13. Pitt, 635
14. Boston College, 404
15. Wake Forest, 229
First-place votes in parentheses; 155 total voters
Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 137
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 89
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 59
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 52
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 50
Chris Lykes, Miami, 50
Second Team
David Johnson, Louisville, 46
Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 43
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 38
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 37
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 32
