Brandon Ingram Was Obvious Choice For ACC Basketball Freshman Of The Year

For the fourth time in five years, the Duke Blue Devils see one of their own take home ACC freshman of the year honors as their All-Star forward Brandon Ingram is the latest to bring the trophy to Durham. Ingram was one of the highlights in another spectacular crop of freshmen for the Blue Devils as they entered this year with the nation’s top recruiting class. He was also named a member of the ACC All-Conference second team.

It wasn’t a year in which anyone thought Duke would repeat as NCAA champions or anything, but Ingram figured to at least make the team interesting. He delivered by averaging just under 17 points a game, two assists, almost seven rebounds and one rejection.

Things were up and down as the season began. He was silenced with a four-point performance against the Kentucky Wildcats in 19 minutes in the third game of the season; however, once he put up 24 against the Indiana Hoosiers, he began to grow into the Ingram that the Cameron Crazies would grow to love. The highlight of the season for all fans of the Blue Devils would come against the rival North Carolina Tar Heels on the road in Chapel Hill. The Blue Devils stunned most of the country in a game they had no business winning by defeating a team with superior talent despite being undermanned for part of the first half and the entire second half. Ingram was a standout by scoring twenty points, hitting two important three pointers and pulling down ten boards.

Here’s good news and bad news. The good news is that it wasn’t always certain, but this is a team that could make an impressive tournament run. Ingram figures to be solid through the entire journey. The bad news is that this is certain to be your last chance to enjoy Ingram in the Duke colors. He’ll enter the NBA draft once the season ends and should be picked quickly. In what is starting to become a Duke custom, they bring in the No. 1 recruiting class again next year. Don’t expect that string of ACC freshman of the year awards to end next year. They’ll be seeking their fourth straight.