Cards picked 12th in ACC poll; Heels' Bacot named top player

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (KT) -- Kenny Payne's first season as Louisville's head men's basketball coach comes with low expectations but, on a positive note, the Cardinals can use their lack of notoriety as motivation and can make their rookie coach look good by a perceived overachieving.

It won't take much. U of L was projected to finish 12th in the ACC this season in a media poll released Tuesday by the league, ahead of only Boston College, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech.

The Cards finished 11th last year with a 6-14 record (13-19 overall) in a turbulent season under Chris Mack and interim coach Mike Pegues.

A couple of Louisville players who attended the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C. last week, guard El Ellis and center Sydney Curry, seemed to anticipate what was coming in the team poll.

"...We know what we have in our locker room and we know what we have on our coaching staff," Ellis said. "We have everything we need to win games, everything we need to be successful."

Said Curry: "I feel like we're a good team. We're going to show a lot of people are wrong this year."

Payne will undoubtedly be asked about the low expectations when U o L holds its annual media day Thursday afternoon.

The team picked to win the ACC title was no surprise -- North Carolina, voted No. 1 in the Associated Press preseason poll with significant pieces of last year's Final Four club returning and the addition of a highly-rated recruiting class.

The Tar Heels were an overwhelming choice, receiving 90 of the 101 first-place votes and 1,504 points. Duke was forecast to finish second, with two first-place votes and 1,339 points, while Virginia was third, with 1,310 points and six first-place votes. Miami was picked fourth and Florida State fifth.

The Cards get a break in the 20-game ACC schedule by having to face UNC and Duke just once, the Heels in the KFC Yum! Center and the Blue Devils on the road. They will have home and away games with the other three teams in the top five.

UofL failed to place any players on the preseason All-ACC teams. North Carolina's Armando Bacot was named preseason Player of the Year. The 6-11 senior led the Heels in scoring (16.3), rebounding (13.1), field goal percentage (.569) and blocked shots (65) last season. Joining him on the first team were Miami's Isaiah Wong; Caleb Love of UNC; Terquavion Smith, NC State; and Jeremy Davis, Duke. The second team consists of Jayden Gardner, Virginia; Dereck Lively II, Duke; Justyn Mutts, Virginia Tech; PJ Hall, Clemson; and RJ Davis, UNC.

Lively was named the preseason Rookie of the Year, beating out teammates Dariq Whitehead, Tyrese Proctor and Mark Mitchell, who were in the next three spots. Another Blue Devil, Kyle Filipowski, also received votes.

TEAM PREDICTED ORDER FINISH--1. North Carolina; 2. Duke; 3. Virginia; 4. Miami; 5. Florida State; 6. Notre Dame; 7. Virginia Tech (reigning champ); 8. Syracuse; 9. Wake Forest; 10. NC State; 11. Clemson; 12. Louisville; 13. Boston College; 14. Pitt; 15. Georgia Tech.

HARLOW, SIVA McCOUGHTRY TO HOST LOUISVILLE LIVE

Grammy Award-nominated artist and Louisville native Jack Harlow will be the special guest host at Friday's Louisville Live preseason basketball event at Louisville Slugger Field featuring both the men's and women's teams. In addition to Harlow, former UofL stars Angel McCoughtry and Peyton Siva will also serve as hosts.

The 90-minute event that is kicking off homecoming weekend is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. with gates opening at 7 p.m. Tickets are available at GoCards.com/LouisvilleLive. All free student tickets have been claimed, but students can purchase tickets through the link.

Fans will be introduced to both teams, who will then compete together with special guests in 3-point and Hot Shot competitions. The evening will conclude with the men's Mountain Dew Dunk Contest and a fireworks show.

U of L's men's team will make its first public appearance of the season with a Red-White scrimmage at 3 p.m. Sunday in the KFC Yum! Center. The Cards will play exhibition games against Lenoir-Ryhne on Oct. 30 and Chaminade on Nov. 3, then open the regular season by hosting Bellarmine on Nov. 9.