By: Ben McCormick
March 11, 2024
Somehow I got a preseason All-ACC football vote but I don't get to vote in basketball. That's the cruelty of the world, I suppose.
All joking aside, no my vote is not an official ballot this year for All-ACC, but I thought people might be interested to see where I fall on the awards races. I think most of the picks are pretty clear cut. Picking the all-conference teams are probably the most difficult.
I had the most difficult time picking the ACC Rookie of the Year. I've posted about it before, but Jared McCain winning this year would be crucial for upholding the pattern of three Duke winners in a row. And while I think McCain has a terrific case for ROY, I actually went a different route, selecting Notre Dame's Markus Burton.
At just 5-foot-11, Burton was impressive in shouldering the Irish's offense and defense all season long. While I think McCain is the better overall player. This season, Burton has been extremely impressive. His 17.3 points per game leads all ACC rookies, and he helped Notre Dame look solid down the stretch of the season.
Early in conference play, the player of the year race looked like it was going to be close between Duke's Kyle Filipowski and UNC's RJ Davis (with Clemson's PJ Hall even in the discussion). However, Davis has clearly pulled away. For the first time in 15 years, UNC will have a first-team All-American. Davis has been sensational for the Tar Heels. He boasts nearly 2,000 career points and leads the ACC in scoring. He will certainly take home this award, and officially become UNC's first ACC POY since Justin Jackson in 2017.
Duke fans probably aren't the happiest reading through this so far. Admittedly, I expected Duke to take home more awards, too. But as the season played out, other players and individuals stood out.
Also note that I would have gone with Ishmael Leggett from Pitt for sixth man of the year if he hadn't started 14 of 30 games. That a few too many strarts. Quadir Copeland, on the other hand, started just one game for Syracuse .
Anyway, without spending too much time explaining each and every decision, I'll just get to the good stuff. Here are my All-ACC teams and the full ballot:
1st team All-ACC
RJ Davis - North Carolina
Kyle Filipowski - Duke
PJ Hall - Clemson
Blake Hinson - Pittsburgh
Hunter Sallis - Wake Forest
2nd team All-ACC
Reece Beekman - Virginia
Armando Bacot - North Carolina
Judah Mintz - Syracuse
DJ Horne - NC State
Jeremy Roach - Duke
3rd team All-ACC
Norchad Omier - Miami
Joe Girard III - Clemson
Quentin Post - Boston College
Harrison Ingram - North Carolina
Sean Pedulla - Virginia Tech
Honorable Mentions: Jared McCain - Duke, Markus Burton - Notre Dame, Jamir Watkins - Florida State
All-Freshman Team
Markus Burton - Notre Dame
Jared McCain - Duke
Carlton Carrington - Pittsburgh
Baye Ndongo - Georgia Tech
Elliot Cadeau - North Carolina
All-Defense Team
Ryan Dunn - Virginia
Reece Beekman - Virginia Harrison Ingram - North Carolina
Maliq Brown - Syracuse
Markus Burton - Notre Dame
Player of the Year:
RJ Davis - North Carolina
Rookie of the Year:
Markus Burton - Notre Dame
Defensive POY:
Ryan Dunn - Virginia
Coach of the Year:
Hubert Davis - North Carolina
Newcomer of the Year:
Hunter Sallis - Wake Forest
6th Man of the Year:
Quadir Copeland - Syracuse
Ben McCormick | @Duke_Wisdom | @BenMcC33
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