CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Coming off a historic season that included their first Final Four appearance in program history, the University of Miami's men's basketball team was selected Thursday to finish second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The Hurricanes, led by head coach Jim Larrañaga, earned five first-place votes from media panel voters and totaled 693 points to finish second in the poll.
This marked Miami's highest preseason projection in program history. The previous high was fourth, which they achieved in three seasons — 2009, 2018 and 2023.
Duke, who won last year's ACC tournament, was voted the preseason favorite to win the conference, earning 44 first-place votes. This is the eighth time in the last 11 seasons that the Blue Devils have received this honor.
The Hurricanes are ranked No. 13 in the preseason Associated Press poll and return three starters from last year's Final Four team, including forward Norchad Omier and guard Nijel Pack.
Omier earned first-team, preseason all-ACC honors while Pack received second-team honors.
The team lost guard Isaiah Wong and forward Jordan Miller to the NBA but will be bolstered by Florida State transfer Matthew Cleveland, who led the rival Seminoles with 13.8 points a game.
Larrañaga begins his 13th season in Coral Gables and will look to build on last season's achievements, which saw the team finish third in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll.
Miami tied a school record with 29 wins during the 2022-2023 campaign, which resulted in Larrañaga receiving a contract extension through the 2026-27 season.
The Hurricanes tip off the season Nov. 6 at the Watsco Center where they will take on the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Their first conference game is Dec. 2 against Notre Dame.
