Coming off an Atlantic Coast Conference title and a trip to the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season, Duke was voted first in the annual ACC Women’s Basketball Predicted Order of Finish by the league’s 18 coaches and members of the Blue Ribbon Panel.
Virginia Tech is picked eighth out of the 18 teams. The Blue Devils earned 49 first-place votes and 1,649 total points from 76 voters. Duke finished ahead of Louisville, which earned 22 first-place votes and 1,580 points. North Carolina (1,462 points, one first-place vote) and Notre Dame (1,450 points, four first-place votes) earned the final five first-place votes and finished third and fourth, respectively, in the poll, while NC State rounded out the top five with 1,337 points. Headlining this year’s Preseason All-ACC Team is two-time ACC Player of the Year and three-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Hidalgo of Notre Dame. The winner of the 2025-26 Nancy Lieberman Award, recognizing the top point guard in the country, Hidalgo set the ACC single-season scoring record with 909 points last season, surpassing the previous mark of 908 set by Clemson’s Barbara Kennedy in 1982.
The Merchantville, New Jersey, native was also named the Naismith and WBCA National Defensive Player of the Year. Hidalgo headlines the 10-member Preseason All-ACC Team, featuring players from eight different teams. Eight players who earned First-Team All-ACC honors a season ago from either the coaches or Blue Ribbon Panel were selected for this year’s preseason team.
This season marks the second year of the Preseason All-Freshman Team, but the first in which only true freshmen were eligible for the selection. North Carolina guard Kate Harpring was the leading vote-getter, finishing with 493 points, more than 100 points ahead of second-place Jacy Abii of Notre Dame.
Virginia Tech was shunned on both the preseason and freshman teams. Last season, the ACC sent a record nine teams to the NCAA Tournament, with five teams advancing to the Sweet 16, the most since 2015. Duke and Notre Dame each advanced to the Elite Eight a season ago, extending the nation’s longest streak of 24 consecutive seasons of having at least one team in the national quarterfinals. Staff report
