Syracuse was picked to finish 10th in the 2017 ACC preseason poll, the league announced Thursday afternoon at its annual media day event. The ACC sent nine teams to the 2017 NCAA Tournament and the Orange barely missed out, regularly attributed to the team’s rough start to the year before nearly playing itself into the postseason in conference play.

Duke, which the Orange upset in the Carrier Dome last season on a buzzer-beater by then-starting point guard John Gillon, earned the top spot. Defending national champion North Carolina earned the second spot, and Notre Dame rounds out the top three. The Fighting Irish’s big man Bonzie Colson received 49 votes for All-ACC preseason player of the year. The next highest total, for Duke’s Grayson Allen, was nine.

The Blue Devils’ much-hyped, reclassified forward Marvin Bagley III was picked for ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year. Oshae Brissett, a forward for the Orange, received one vote.

Syracuse starts its season at home against Cornell on Nov. 10.

ACC 2017-18 Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Team & Points
1. Duke (57) – 1020
2. North Carolina (7) – 921
3. Notre Dame (4) – 852
4. Miami (1) – 809
5. Louisville – 733
6. Virginia – 690
7. Virginia Tech – 549
8. Florida State – 519
9. Georgia Tech – 468
10. Syracuse – 420
11. Wake Forest – 378
12. NC State – 310
13. Clemson – 289
14. Boston College – 181
15. Pittsburgh – 141