clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Sports Illustrated Picks Louisville To Finish Second In ACC

By Mike Rutherford
Andy Lyons

Sports Illustrated joined the ranks of networks unleashing their ACC basketball previews on the world Tuesday, and to no one's surprise, the publication has Louisville finishing second in the league behind only Duke.

CONFERENCE RANK TEAM PROJECTED CONF. RECORD LAST YEAR'S CONF. RECORD
1 Duke 15-3 13-5
2 Louisville 14-4 N/A
3 Virginia 13-5 16-2
4 North Carolina 12-6 13-5
5 Syracuse 10-8 14-4
6 Pittsburgh 10-8 11-7
7 Notre Dame 10-8 6-12
8 Miami (Fla.) 9-9 7-11
9 Florida State 8-10 9-9
10 N.C. State 8-10 9-9
11 Clemson 7-11 10-8
12 Boston College 5-13 4-14
13 Virginia Tech 5-13 2-16
14 Wake Forest 5-13 6-12
15 Georgia Tech 4-14 6-12

The Cards received even more love on the individual awards side of things, where Montrezl Harrell and Rick Pitino were both honored.

Coach of the Year: Rick Pitino, Louisville

Pitino has now won 30 games or more three seasons in a row, but this season will be a challenge. Not only are the Cardinals transitioning to the ACC, they also face a brutal out-of-conference schedule, including their annual showdown with Kentucky. With Montrezl Harrell, Chris Jones and Terry Rozier returning, Louisville will be able to score. And if the Cardinals are in the conversation for an ACC title and a top seed in March, expect Pitino to get his fifth career conference coach of the year honor.

Player of the Year: Montrezl Harrell, Louisville

It'd be easy to pick one of the many super-good Duke or North Carolina players who will probably end up grabbing most of the preseason votes (shout out Triangle Media), but I'm not so sure anyone in the ACC is ready for the type of energy and ferocity Harrell is bringing to the conference. Harrell, a bruising 6-foot-8 junior forward, has the opportunity to (borrowing a text from Johnny Football) wreck this league and boost his draft stock along the way.

You can read the entire preview here.

More From Card Chronicle