North Carolina State University Athletics
Pack Picked Eighth in ACC Preseason Poll
11/11/2020 8:53:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State Opens the 2020-21 Season in Two Weeks
RALEIGH, N.C. – The NC State men's basketball team was picked eighth in the Atlantic Coast Conference Operation Basketball Preseason Poll that was announced on Wednesday.
Media members covering the ACC voted in the poll.
The Pack returns five of its top-seven scorers from last season's 20-12 squad.
DJ Funderburk (12.8 ppg and 6.1 rpg), Devon Daniels (12.7 ppg, and 5.3 rpg) and Braxton Beverly (7.1 ppg) are the three seniors on this season's NC State squad.
Also returning for the Pack is junior Jericole Hellems (9.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg) and sophomore Manny Bates (5.1 ppg and 2.9 bpg). Bates led the ACC and ranked sixth in the NCAA last season with 83 blocked shots.
Redshirt junior Thomas Allen. The Raleigh native played at Nebraska for two seasons before sitting out last season as a transfer. Allen averaged 8.7 points per game and started 25 games as a sophomore with the Cornhuskers.
The six veterans are joined by six freshmen who will be making their college debuts this season. The five true freshmen and redshirt freshmen combine to form one of the top incoming freshmen classes in the country.
Freshman Cam Hayes, the top-ranked player in NC State's freshman class, received one vote for Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year.
NC State opens its fourth-season under head coach Kevin Keatts in two weeks when it begins play at the Mako Medical Wolfpack Invitational.
2020 Operation Basketball
Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
School, Points
1. Virginia (97), 2214
2. Duke (34), 2146
3. Florida State (15), 1973
4. North Carolina (7), 1933
5. Louisville (2), 1693
6. Syracuse, 1234
7. Miami, 1223
8. NC State, 1149
9. Georgia Tech, 1147
10. Clemson, 1057
11. Virginia Tech, 794
12. Notre Dame, 769
13. Pitt, 635
14. Boston College, 404
15. Wake Forest, 229
First-place votes in parentheses
Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 137
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 89
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 59
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 52
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 50
Chris Lykes, Miami, 50
Second Team
David Johnson, Louisville, 46
Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 43
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 38
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 37
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 32
Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 102
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 24
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 10
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 7
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 5
Matthew Hurt, Duke, 3
Chris Lykes, Miami, 3
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 1
Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year
Name, School, Points
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 64
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 60
Caleb Love, North Carolina, 9
Day'Ron Sharpe, North Carolina, 6
DJ Steward, Duke, 4
Reece Beekman, Virginia, 3
Jeremy Roach, Duke, 3
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 3
Mark Williams, Duke, 2
Cam Hayes, NC State, 1
Media members covering the ACC voted in the poll.
The Pack returns five of its top-seven scorers from last season's 20-12 squad.
DJ Funderburk (12.8 ppg and 6.1 rpg), Devon Daniels (12.7 ppg, and 5.3 rpg) and Braxton Beverly (7.1 ppg) are the three seniors on this season's NC State squad.
Also returning for the Pack is junior Jericole Hellems (9.5 ppg and 3.4 rpg) and sophomore Manny Bates (5.1 ppg and 2.9 bpg). Bates led the ACC and ranked sixth in the NCAA last season with 83 blocked shots.
Redshirt junior Thomas Allen. The Raleigh native played at Nebraska for two seasons before sitting out last season as a transfer. Allen averaged 8.7 points per game and started 25 games as a sophomore with the Cornhuskers.
The six veterans are joined by six freshmen who will be making their college debuts this season. The five true freshmen and redshirt freshmen combine to form one of the top incoming freshmen classes in the country.
Freshman Cam Hayes, the top-ranked player in NC State's freshman class, received one vote for Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year.
NC State opens its fourth-season under head coach Kevin Keatts in two weeks when it begins play at the Mako Medical Wolfpack Invitational.
2020 Operation Basketball
Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
School, Points
1. Virginia (97), 2214
2. Duke (34), 2146
3. Florida State (15), 1973
4. North Carolina (7), 1933
5. Louisville (2), 1693
6. Syracuse, 1234
7. Miami, 1223
8. NC State, 1149
9. Georgia Tech, 1147
10. Clemson, 1057
11. Virginia Tech, 794
12. Notre Dame, 769
13. Pitt, 635
14. Boston College, 404
15. Wake Forest, 229
First-place votes in parentheses
Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 137
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 89
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 59
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 52
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 50
Chris Lykes, Miami, 50
Second Team
David Johnson, Louisville, 46
Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 43
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 38
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 37
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 32
Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 102
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 24
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 10
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 7
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 5
Matthew Hurt, Duke, 3
Chris Lykes, Miami, 3
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 1
Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year
Name, School, Points
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 64
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 60
Caleb Love, North Carolina, 9
Day'Ron Sharpe, North Carolina, 6
DJ Steward, Duke, 4
Reece Beekman, Virginia, 3
Jeremy Roach, Duke, 3
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 3
Mark Williams, Duke, 2
Cam Hayes, NC State, 1
Players Mentioned
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