Lykes chosen first team All-ACC; UM picked 7th; hoops opener postponed
Chris Lykes earned Preseason First Team All-ACC distinction, as announced Wednesday morning by the league office.
A 5-foot-7, 160-pound senior guard, Lykes tallied 50 points in the balloting, tied for the fifth-most of any player in the conference.
The Mitchellville, Md., native is the first two-time Preseason All-ACC honoree in program history; he earned second-team status last year. The other Hurricanes to garner at least one such accolade are Jack McClinton (2008-09), Malcolm Grant (2011-12) and Bruce Brown Jr. (2017-18), the former two of whom also picked up first-team plaudits.
Lykes was also one of eight players to receive a nod for Preseason ACC Player of the Year, tying for sixth among that group with three votes.
The third-leading returning scorer in the league, behind only North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, and Georgia Tech’s Michael Devoe, Lykes averaged 15.4 points per game last year.
Along with the all-conference teams, the ACC also announced Wednesday the preseason predicted order of finish. The Hurricanes placed seventh in the voting with 1,223 points, just 11 behind sixth-place Syracuse.
This is the highest Miami has ranked in the preseason balloting since a fourth-place mark in 2017-18. It is also fifth-highest selection in head coach Jim Larrañaga’s 10-year tenure in Coral Gables.
Lykes and the Hurricanes are set to open the 2020-21 campaign at home Nov. 25 against Stetson.
Preseason All-ACC Team
First Team
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 137
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 89
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 59
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 52
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 50
Chris Lykes, Miami, 50
Second Team
David Johnson, Louisville, 46
Jose Alvarado, Georgia Tech, 43
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 38
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 37
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 32
Preseason ACC Player of the Year
Name, School, Points
Garrison Brooks, North Carolina, 102
Sam Hauser, Virginia, 24
M.J. Walker, Florida State, 10
Wendell Moore Jr., Duke, 7
Aamir Simms, Clemson, 5
Matthew Hurt, Duke, 3
Chris Lykes, Miami, 3
Kihei Clark, Virginia, 1
Preseason ACC Freshman of the Year
Name, School, Points
Scottie Barnes, Florida State, 64
Jalen Johnson, Duke, 60
Caleb Love, North Carolina, 9
Day'Ron Sharpe, North Carolina, 6
DJ Steward, Duke, 4
Reece Beekman, Virginia, 3
Jeremy Roach, Duke, 3
RJ Davis, North Carolina, 3
Mark Williams, Duke, 2
Cam Hayes, NC State, 1
CANES PICKED OT FINISH 7TH IN ACC
ACC Preseason Order of Finish (first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Virginia (97), 2214
2. Duke (34), 2146
3. Florida State (15), 1973
4. North Carolina (7), 1933
5. Louisville (2), 1693
6. Syracuse, 1234
7. Miami, 1223
8. NC State, 1149
9. Georgia Tech, 1147
10. Clemson, 1057
11. Virginia Tech, 794
12. Notre Dame, 769
13. Pittsburgh, 635
14. Boston College, 404
15. Wake Forest, 229
First-place votes in parenthesis; 155 total voters
HOOPS OPENER POSTPONED
The University of Miami and Stetson University announced Wednesday the season-opening men’s basketball game between the two schools has been postponed.
The Hurricanes and Hatters were scheduled to meet Nov. 25 at the Watsco Center. This postponement comes following a positive COVID-19 test within the Stetson basketball program.
The schools are looking into rescheduling options and an update will be provided once available.