ACC Basketball: Who was 2017-18 preseason Player of the Year?

The 2017-18 preseason awards for the ACC have been given out by the media, but who is the conference’s preseason Player of the Year?

The 2016-17 preseason ACC Player of the Year was Duke’s Grayson Allen who, excuse the bad joke, tripped over his own expectations, en route to a disappointing campaign.

However, rather than giving it to a returning Allen once again heading into the 2017-18 season, the latest preseason Player of the Year is Notre Dame’s Bonzie Colson, who might be in a great position to meet these lofty expectations.

Last season, Colson averaged a 17.8 point and 10.1 rebound double-double as he led the Fighting Irish to the ACC Championship game and the second-round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament. What’s more impressive, however, is what he is able to do on defense, as, when combined with his offensive stats, his average of 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals per game make him one of the best two-way players in the country.

Colson is absent in most 2018 NBA mock drafts, meaning that he will have to live up to the Player of the Year expectations if he wants to sneak into the second-round. Even if he goes undrafted, his all-around skill set and his undeniable defensive effort should be enough to impress NBA scouts and earn a chance to make a roster during the 2018 Summer League.

Next: ACC Power Rankings for 2017-18

Either way, Notre Dame will go the way Colson goes next season and should be considered a dark horse in the ACC – even with Duke and North Carolina clearly the favorites.