CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jim Boeheim widened his eyes, let out a high pitch “No” and leaned back so fast that the backdrop behind him wobbled in place.

He had just been told that Syracuse received one first-place vote in the preseason media poll. Before he knew it was the media and not coaches, Boeheim suggested that Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon may be playing a practical joke on him. Then he poked some fun at the one person who used their top vote on the Orange.

“I think we need to review the credentials of some of the media here,” Boeheim said at ACC Basketball Media Day on Wednesday.

When all the votes were tallied up, Syracuse was picked ninth in the preseason poll. North Carolina was picked first, and Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame and Miami rounded out the top five. SU did not have any players selected to the All-ACC preseason first or second team, which is also voted on by the media.

The media’s preseason choices are listed below, with the team poll at the bottom.

First team
Marcus Paige, G, North Carolina
Malcolm Brogdon, G, Virginia
Xavier Rathan-Mayes, G, Florida State
Brandon Ingram, F, Duke
Demetrius Jackson, G, Notre Dame

Second team
Anthony Gill, F, Virginia
Grayson Allen, G, Duke
Zach Auguste, F, Notre Dame
Anthony “Cat” Barber, G, N.C. State
Brice Johnson, F, North Carolina
Preseason Co-Players of the Year
Marcus Paige, G, North Carolina
Malcolm Brodgon, G, Virginia

Preseason Freshman of the Year
Brandon Ingram, F, Duke

Preseason poll (first-place votes)
1. North Carolina (60)
2. Virginia (18)
3. Duke (8)
4. Notre Dame (1)
5. Miami
6. Florida State (1)
7. Louisville
8. N.C. State
9. Syracuse (1)
10. Pittsburgh
11. Wake Forest
12. Clemson
13. Georgia Tech
14. Virginia Tech
15. Boston College

Published on October 28, 2015 at 5:57 pm

Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse