Ryan Conwell

Louisville transfer guard Ryan Conwell shakes hands with Cardinals coach Pat Kelsey before addressing reporters at the ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, N.C.

 ERIC CRAWFORD

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Louisville will open the second season of the Pat Kelsey era with a vote of confidence from the league’s media: the Cardinals were picked second in the ACC preseason poll and were the only program to place two players on the Preseason All-ACC First Team, with freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr. and senior guard Ryan Conwell both earning first-team honors.

Duke, No. 6 in the AP preseason poll, was voted the ACC favorite, receiving 34 of 49 first-place votes and 866 points. Louisville, ranked No. 11 nationally, claimed the other 15 first-place votes and finished close behind with 842 points. North Carolina (AP No. 25) was slotted third, with NC State fourth and Virginia fifth.

Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford

Brown and Conwell join Duke’s Cameron Boozer, NC State’s Darrion Williams, and Notre Dame’s Markus Burton on the Preseason All-ACC First Team. Louisville was the only school with two first-team selections.

Williams was named ACC Preseason Player of the Year, while Boozer was voted Preseason Rookie of the Year.

Preseason All-ACC

First Team: Cameron Boozer (Duke), Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Darrion Williams (NC State), Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville), Ryan Conwell (Louisville)
Second Team: Isaiah Evans (Duke), Boopie Miller (SMU), J.J. Starling (Syracuse), Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina)

Notes on Louisville’s honorees:
• Ryan Conwell enters 2025-26 with 1,353 career points and a 39.3% career 3-point mark; last season at Xavier he averaged 16.5 points and shot 41.3% from three.
• Mikel Brown Jr., a five-star recruit and McDonald’s All-American, won gold with USA Basketball (U19 World Cup) and averaged 29.6 points as a senior at DME Academy.

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