On Thursday evening, the ACC announced its preseason rankings and team selections voted on by members of the media, which featured a litany of Blue Devils.
The most prominent was sophomore center Kyle Filipowski, who was named to the Preseason All-ACC First Team by unanimous selection as well as Preseason Player of the Year.
Filipowski — named to the Preseason All-American First Team and and Karl Malone watchlist spot earlier in the week — returns for his second season in college as one of the country's most productive players, nearly averaging a double-double in points and rebounds in his freshman campaign. The Westtown, N.Y., native finished the year as ACC Rookie of the Year and was named ACC Tournament MVP, just the fourth player in conference history and second in Duke history (alongside Zion Williamson) to do so.
As a team, Duke was predicted to finish first among the 15-team ACC field, and sophomore guard Tyrese Proctor earned one vote for Preseason Player of the Year on top of his All-ACC Second Team designation.
Head coach Jon Scheyer's team exploded in the final stretch of last season, winning 10 consecutive games to close out the season before dropping its second-round matchup to No. 4-seed Tennessee in the NCAA tournament. That winning run included a record-22nd ACC tournament title, and was just the third time in history a head coach won the event in his first season.
Proctor shook speculation about his future by announcing his return for a second year in Durham rather than heading to the NBA, keeping one of the Blue Devils' most talented playmakers in the locker room. The Australian guard headlines perhaps the nation's deepest backcourt in 2023-24, which also features veteran captain Jeremy Roach and newcomers Jared McCain and Caleb Foster.
Duke kicks off its season Nov. 6 against Dartmouth at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.