Georgia Tech Picked 12th in ACC Basketball Preseason Poll, Baye Ndongo Makes Pre-Season All-ACC Team

Georgia Tech has been picked to finish 12th in the ACC media preseason poll and forward Baye Ndongo has made the 2nd team All ACC

Feb 24, 2024; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets forward Baye Ndongo (11) shoots the basketball over Miami Hurricanes guard Wooga Poplar (5) during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The 2024-2025 ACC Basketball Preseason Poll was released today and Georgia Tech has been picked to finish 12th out of 18 teams in the conference. Forward Baye Ndongo has also been voted as a 2nd team All-ACC player.

The 6-9 forward from Mboro, Senegal was the Yellow Jackets’ No. 2 scorer (12.4 points per game) and top rebounder (8.2 per game) last season, earning a spot on the ACC’s All-Rookie team and being named a finalist for the Kyle Macy Award as the nation’s top freshman. Ndongo ranked No. 7 in the ACC in rebound average, No. 6 in offensive rebounds (2.55 per game), No. 2 in field goal percentage (55.8) and No. 12 in blocked shots (1.10 per game).

He stepped up to pace the Jackets’ strong finish, averaging 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds over Tech’s final four games while hitting 55.3 percent of his shots from the floor and 14-of-17 from the free throw line. He had six double-doubles for the season, and missed four others by one rebound.

Duke was picked to win the ACC in the poll and came away with 42-first place votes. North Carolina was picked to finish 2nd and got 11 first place first, while third place Wake Forest received a first place vote.

Preseason ACC Poll

School, Points

1. Duke (42), 956

2. North Carolina (11), 924

3. Wake Forest (1), 800

4. Clemson, 765

5. Virginia, 743

6. Miami, 659

7. Pitt, 636

8. NC State, 550

9. Louisville, 518

10. Notre Dame, 462

11. Syracuse, 454

12. Georgia Tech, 433

13. SMU, 344

14. Virginia Tech, 252

15. Florida State, 251

16. California, 206

17. Stanford, 165

18. Boston College, 116

First-place votes in parentheses; 54 total voters

North Caroina's RJ Davis ran away with the preseason ACC Player of the Year voting. Davis received 40 votes, while Duke freshman sensation Cooper Flagg received 10.

Preseason ACC Player of the Year

RJ Davis, North Carolina, 40 votes

Cooper Flagg, Duke, 10

Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 3

Maxime Raynaud, Stanford, 1

Here is how the rest of the voting shook out.

Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year

Cooper Flagg, Duke, 53 votes

Jeremiah Wilkinson, California, 1

 

Preseason All-ACC Team

First Team

RJ Davis*, North Carolina, 54

Hunter Sallis, Wake Forest, 52

Cooper Flagg, Duke, 52

Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 41

Nijel Pack, Miami, 37

 

Second Team

Ian Schieffelin, Clemson, 36

Chase Hunter, Clemson, 31

Jamir Watkins, Florida State, 26

Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 21

Ishmael Leggett, Pitt, 20

This is going to be an interesting year for Damon Stoudamire and Georgia Tech. They return talented players in Ndongo, Nait George, Kowacie Reeves and Lance Terry while also bringing in new comers such as Oklahoma guard Javian McCollum, Colorado transfer Luke O'Brien, and one of the best recruiting classes in the country, this has a chance to be a much better team than last year's. While they were voted 12th, there is plenty of wiggle room in the ACC and they could finish higher.