UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis (James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports)
UNC Basketball Trails Two Teams in Projected ACC Standings
Last season, not only was UNC basketball the projected favorite to win the ACC, but the Tar Heels, under then-second-year head coach Hubert Davis, ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. They became the first preseason No. 1 in history to come up short of an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Tar Heels amassed an 11-9 record in conference action (20-13 overall), coming in at No. 7 in the standings.
Now, as Davis' third batch of Tar Heels gear up for an exhibition game against visiting St. Augustine's at 7:30 p.m. ET Friday in the Dean E. Smith Center, they rank No. 19 in the AP Top 25. As of Thursday, the media has pegged them to finish No. 3 in the ACC, below No. 1 Duke (No. 2 AP ranking) and No. 2 Miami (No. 13 AP ranking).
Four squads received at least one first-place vote in Duke (44), Miami (five), UNC (one), and Virginia (one).
Duke and Miami have players on the Preseason All-ACC First Team (Duke's Kyle Filipowski and Miami's Norchad Omier) and Preseason All-ACC Second Team (Duke's Tyrese Proctor and Miami's Nijel Pack).
UNC's only representation between either team is its preseason All-American in fifth-year center Armando Bacot, who finished second behind Filipowski in the ACC Preseason Player of the Year voting this go-round. However, the Tar Heels boast the ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year in five-star guard Elliot Cadeau.
Stay tuned to All Tar Heels on SI.com for more UNC basketball news.
