The ACC led all conferences with seven first-round draft picks in the 2009 NBA Draft – the Pac-10 was second with six. Since 1986, the ACC has had 88 players selected in the first round of the NBA draft, the Big East is second with 76 and the Pac-10 third with 67.
The ACC extended its streak of having at least one first-round draft pick in 21 consecutive NBA drafts. The ACC has had the most, or tied for the most, first-round picks in the NBA draft in five of the of the last eight years and in 11 of the last 17.
National champion North Carolina had three players (Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington) selected in the first round for the second time in five years … Wake Forest’s James Johnson and Jeff Teague became the first Demon Deacon duo to be selected in the first round of the same NBA Draft … for the second time in three years, Florida State had a first round draft pick as Toney Douglas became FSU’s 10th overall first round pick.
Duke has had at least one player selected in 11 of the past 12 years … Florida State has had at least one player selected in five of the past six years … North Carolina has had six “Lottery Picks” over the last four years … 20 of the last 25 North Carolina players selected in the NBA Draft have gone in the first round … this year¹s draft marked the ninth time that two or more Tar Heels were chosen in the first round.
With the selection of North Carolina’s Ty Lawson by the Minnesota Timberwolves, 38 ACC Players of the Year have been drafted in the first round.
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