The UNC basketball program didn't receive much love in the 2025-2026 Preseason ACC Poll & Honors, which were revealed on Tuesday afternoon.
North Carolina, projected to finish third in the ACC standings, has just one representative among the preseason All-ACC squads, as freshman Caleb Wilson is holding it down for the UNC basketball program as a Second-Team Preseason All-ACC selection.
Preseason All-ACC honors for Caleb 😤
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) October 14, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/CD4lLsHSko pic.twitter.com/K6P7DMsR3x
Wilson received 24 votes from the panel of 49 voters. He also earned two votes for the ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year, and garnered another vote in the ACC Preseason Player of the Year voting.
Duke and Louisville, the top two projected teams in the conference, paved the way with a pair of individual selections each. Notre Dame, NC State, SMU, Syracuse and Georgia Tech also had players who earned preseason accolades among this year's vote.
2025-26 Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Name, School, Votes
Cameron Boozer, Duke, 46
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 46
Darrion Williams, NC State, 45
Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 36
Ryan Conwell, Louisville, 36
Second Team
Isaiah Evans, Duke, 24
Boopie Miller, SMU, 27
J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 27
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 24
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 24
ACC Preseason Player of the Year
Darrion Williams, NC State, 23 votes
Cameron Boozer, Duke, 19
Markus Burton, Notre Dame, 2
J.J. Starling, Syracuse, 2
Donald Hand Jr., Boston College, 1
Baye Ndongo, Georgia Tech, 1
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 1
ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year
Cameron Boozer, Duke, 43 votes
Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville, 3
Caleb Wilson, North Carolina, 2
Neoklis Avdalas, Virginia Tech, 1
Wilson is expected to play a major role for the UNC basketball program this season, as no one will be surprised if he's a first-team selection by the time the end of the regular season comes to a close. These awards also provide some fuel for some notable Tar Heels who did not earn a spot on the list, as they'll now have a chip on their shoulder to prove the conference (and its voters) wrong.