CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia second-year forward Thijs De Ridder was named Preseason ACC Player of the Year, and the Cavaliers are predicted to finish second in the ACC men’s basketball standings, the league announced Tuesday (Oct. 13).
In addition, UVA second-year point guard Chance Mallory was selected to the preseason All-ACC second team.
Duke is the preseason favorite, followed by Virginia, Louisville, Miami and North Carolina in the top five.
ACC preseason voters selected Clemson sixth, followed by Florida State, NC State, Virginia Tech and SMU. Syracuse was picked 11th, while Pittsburgh, Stanford, Wake Forest, California, Notre Dame, Boston College and Georgia Tech, rounded out the voting.
The Cavaliers were selected fifth in the 2025-26 ACC Preseason Poll and finished second with a 15-3 record. UVA has finished at or higher than its predicted finish in 15 of the last 18 seasons.
De Ridder and Malcolm Brogdon are the only Cavaliers to garner preseason ACC Player of the Year honors. Brogdon was selected as co-Player of the Year prior to the 2015-16 season. De Ridder earned All-ACC first-team honors last season after leading Virginia in scoring (15.6 ppg) and rebounding (6.2 rpg). Flory Bidunga (Louisville), John Blackwell (Duke), Shelton Henderson (Miami) and Patrick Ngongba II (Duke) joined De Ridder on the Preseason All-ACC first team.
Mallory enjoyed a standout rookie season in 2025-26, averaging 9.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Malik Reneau (Miami), Jackson Shelstad (Louisville), Amani Hansberry (Virginia Tech) and Joaquim Boumjte Boumjte (Duke) joined Mallory on the second team.
Duke’s Joaquim Boumjte Boumjte was selected as the ACC’s Preseason Rookie of the Year.
Virginia opens the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 3 vs. Drexel. Tipoff at John Paul Jones Arena is set for 7:30 p.m. on the ACC Network.
ACC Preseason Poll
1. Duke (45), 861
2. Virginia (1), 778
3. Louisville (1), 758
4. Miami (1), 753
5. North Carolina, 658
6. Clemson, 623
7. Florida State, 519
8. NC State, 502
9. Virginia Tech, 489
10. SMU, 443
11. Syracuse, 353
12. Pitt, 323
13. Stanford, 267
14. Wake Forest, 234
15. California, 225
16. Notre Dame, 153
17. Boston College, 150
18. Georgia Tech, 119
First-place votes in parentheses; 48 total voters
Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Thijs De Ridder, Virginia, 48
Flory Bidunga, Louisville, 47
John Blackwell, Duke, 44
Shelton Henderson, Miami, 44
Patrick Ngongba II, Duke, 42
Second Team
Malik Reneau, Miami, 30
Jackson Shelstad, Louisville, 24
Chance Mallory, Virginia, 23
Amani Hansberry, Virginia Tech, 21
Joaquim Boumjte Boumjte, Duke, 21
Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Thijs De Ridder, Virginia, 30 votes
John Blackwell, Duke, 12
Flory Bidunga, Louisville, 3
Malik Reneau, Miami, 2
Joaquim Boumjte Boumjte, Duke, 1
Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year
Joaquim Boumjte Boumjte, Duke, 34 votes
Caleb Gaskins, Miami, 5
Cameron Williams, Duke, 4
Maximo Adams, North Carolina, 3
Harris Reynolds, Clemson, 1
Deron Rippey, Duke, 1