Louisville Picked Sixth in ACC Preseason Poll, Malik Williams Named Second Team All-ACC
GREENSBORO, N.C. - The 2021-22 Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball preseason poll and All-ACC team was released Tuesday, and Louisville was selected to finish sixth in the conference race, according to a vote of 81 media members across the league.
Forward/center Malik Williams, who is heading into his fifth season with the Cardinals, was honored on the 12-man preseason All-ACC team, garnering nine votes to land on the Second Team.
Duke, who was recently ranked as the No. 9 team in the nation in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll, was chosen as the favorite to win the ACC title this season. Florida State, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech round out the top five. Duke freshman power forward Paolo Banchero earned both Preseason ACC Player and Freshman of the Year honors.
Williams missed most of the 2020-21 season due to a right foot injury. The 6-foot-11, 250-pound big man missed the first 15 games after developing a fracture in the fifth metatarsal in the preseason, then played in three games before re-injuring it in the second half at Duke. He averaged five points and six rebounds during that stretch.
During his junior campaign, the Fort Wayne, Ind. native averaged 8.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 26 games and three late season starts. He scored nine or more points in 15 of his last 22 games, and hauled in five or more rebounds in 16 of his last 22 games. He finished as a the runner-up in the 2019-20 ACC Sixth Man of the Year voting.
The Cardinals will tip-off the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Southern at the KFC Yum! Center. The complete predicted order of finish and preseason All-ACC team is listed below.
ACC Men’s Basketball Tipoff - 2021 Preseason Poll
School, Points
1. Duke (47), 1,132
2. Florida State (14), 1,034
3. North Carolina (5), 1,001
4. Virginia (9), 949
5. Virginia Tech (5), 857
6. Louisville (1), 791
7. Syracuse, 781
8. Notre Dame, 599
9. NC State, 555
10. Georgia Tech, 524
11. Clemson, 430
12. Miami, 428
13. Wake Forest, 274
14. Pitt, 253
15. Boston College, 112
First-place votes in parentheses; 81 total voters
Preseason All-ACC
First Team
Name, School, Votes
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse, 68
Keve Aluma, Virginia Tech, 52
Paolo Banchero, Duke, 49
Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 46
Isaiah Wong, Miami, 37
Second Team
Name, School, Votes
Michael Devoe, Georgia Tech, 25
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 23
Prentiss Hubb, Notre Dame, 17
Mark Williams, Duke, 12
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 9
Caleb Love, North Carolina, 9
Malik Williams, Louisville, 9
Preseason Player of the Year
Name, School, Votes
Paolo Banchero, Duke, 28
Keve Aluma, Virginia Tech, 16
Buddy Boeheim, Syracuse, 13
Armando Bacot, North Carolina, 12
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 5
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 3
Caleb Love, North Carolina, 2
Mark Williams, Duke, 2
Preseason Freshman of the Year
Name, School, Votes
Paolo Banchero, Duke, 64
Trevor Keels, Duke, 5
Terquavion Smith, NC State, 3
Dontrez Styles, North Carolina, 3
Igor Milicic Jr., Virginia, 3
Wooga Poplar, Miami, 1
Benny Williams, Syracuse, 1
Cameron Hildreth, Wake Forest, 1
(Photo of Malik Williams, Chris Mack: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)
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