CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Duke has been picked to win its third straight Atlantic Coast Conference championship and 25th overall. The Blue Devils received 45 of the 48 votes from the panel of media members. Virginia was picked second, followed by Louisville and Miami. On Tuesday, Virginia's Thijs De Ridder was selected as the conference's preseason player of the year. The 23-year-old helped Virginia reach the ACC title game before losing to Duke 74-70. He averaged 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game as a freshman. Duke's Joaquim Boumjte Boumjte was the overwhelming choice for ACC preseason rookie of the year.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Duke women's basketball team has been selected to win a third straight Atlantic Coast Conference championship, and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo was named the conference’s preseason player of the year. The announcement came Tuesday. Duke received 49 of the possible 76 first-place votes from a panel of coaches and media members. Louisville was picked to finish second, followed by North Carolina, Notre Dame and N.C. State. The preseason All-ACC team includes players from Duke, N.C. State, Louisville and others. The All-Freshman team features players from North Carolina, Notre Dame, Duke, Florida State and Clemson.
UNDATED (AP) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed an executive order allowing the state's colleges and universities to let athletes who graduated high school in 2022 play a fifth year. This move defies the NCAA's new five-year eligibility rule. DeWine emphasizes fairness, stating Ohio athletes should have the same opportunities as those in other states. The order permits public and private universities in Ohio to allow athletes to play, even if they've already played four seasons. The NCAA has not yet responded. This decision could mirror California's past action on name, image, and likeness compensation, which influenced other states.
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia Tech senior linebacker Kyle Efford says he is retiring for health reasons. Efford says he made the decision due to an accumulation of injuries during his career. Efford finished his career with 250 tackles, including 222 from 2023 through 2025 when he led the team in tackles three consecutive seasons. He had 81 tackles in 2023 as a freshman. A surgically repaired shoulder limited Efford to three games this season. He matched his career high with 13 tackles in a 14-13 loss to Colorado to open the season.
UNDATED (AP) — Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman is excited about the challenge of taking the second-ranked Fighting Irish on the road to face No. 8 BYU. Freeman says he loves playing in an environment “when it's us against everybody.” The Irish are putting a 16-game win streak on the line when they face the unbeaten Cougars in Provo, Utah. For the Irish, it's a chance to prove they are capable of winning their first national championship since 1988. It’s also the toughest matchup of the season so far for BYU.
UNDATED (AP) — Jason Kidd has been involved with girls basketball for the past five years with his own AAU team. Now the former NBA star and coach is partnering with alma mater California by putting on an exhibition game Wednesday against defending champion UCLA. Proceeds from the event will benefit Kidd’s foundation. Kidd was thrilled to bring the Bruins to Cal. The two former Pac-12 Conference opponents will play in Haas Pavilion for the first time since 2024. It’s the first time the defending champion will play at Cal since Stanford did it in 1993.
