1. Syracuse: It has been business as usual for the Orange, which remained undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Arizona. With respect to Wake Forest, Syracuse’s opponent Wednesday, the Orange should take that unbeaten mark into Saturday’s huge clash with Duke at the Carrier Dome.

2. Duke: These past couple weeks have also been strong for the Blue Devils, who have not lost since being upset at Clemson Jan. 11 and throttled Pittsburgh by 15 points on the road Monday. Freshman forward Jabari Parker has been as good as advertised, averaging 18.3 points and eight rebounds entering the game against the Panthers and posted his 12th game with more than 20 points in the Duke win. 

3. Virginia: The Cavaliers  have not let an unfortunate bounce at Cameron Indoor Stadium derail them, having won three straight since losing at Duke two weeks ago. Lurking just outside the Top 25, Tony Bennett’s group steamrolled UNC-Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech at home last week and has two big road games at Notre Dame and Pitt coming up. 

4. Pittsburgh: The second of three ACC newcomers falls to fourth place after dropping a home match to hot-shooting Duke Monday. The Panthers have no time to feel sorry for themselves as they face another big test on Super Bowl Sunday when Virginia comes to town.

5. Florida State: The Seminoles are rated this high basically by default, with their three conference losses being to Duke and Virginia twice. As is customary of Leonard Hamilton-coached teams, they play great defense but struggle to put the ball in the basket. They visit Raleigh Wednesday night in a big game for both teams.

6. Wake Forest: While still on the outside looking in for a potential NCAA Tournament bid, the Demon Deacons had a strong week, defeating Virginia Tech on the road and Notre Dame at home. They have a chance for a signature win when Syracuse visits on Wednesday night

7. N.C. State: Like the Deacs, the Wolfpack got busy climbing out of a hole this past week by collecting two wins, one of them without do-everything sophomore forward T.J. Warren. State’s next two opponents, FSU and Carolina, provide opportunities for much-needed resumé-enhancing victories.

8.  UNC-Chapel Hill: After getting pasted in Charlottesville on Monday night, the Tar Heels came out and destroyed Clemson on Sunday. They too have a crucial two-game stretch this week, traveling to Georgia Tech on Wednesday before hosting State in a rivalry game on Saturday. 

9. Maryland: The Terrapins have not had any embarrassing losses in conference, nor do they have any wins that jump off the page. Victories this week against Miami and Virginia Tech would not beef up the resume, but they will get Mark Turgeon’s bunch over .500 in the ACC.

10: Clemson: The Tigers take a tumble this week after being blown out of the gym by Pitt and UNC in its two tests last week. Clemson has one of the top defenses in the nation but also one of the worst offenses. Their record looks okay at 13-6 and 4-3, but the computer polls are not kind to the Tigers.

11: Miami: The new-look Hurricanes had its chances to get back into the mix with games against Duke and Syracuse last week, but they lost both. Those are not bad defeats, but at 10-9 and 2-5 in the ACC, Miami has to act fast or it will fade into oblivion.

12: Notre Dame: Ever since upsetting Duke in the conference opener on Jan 4., not much has gone right for the Fighting Irish. Its defense ranks second-to-last in the ACC, which neutralizes its fifth-best offense. Virginia visits South Bend on Tuesday night, giving the Irish a chance for a big win before hosting Boston College on Saturday.

13: Georgia Tech: Had the Yellow Jackets closed the deal in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon and defeated the Wolfpack, they would be a little higher up. As it is, they need to sweep this week against UNC and Wake with teams like Duke and Virginia looming later on the schedule.

14: Virginia Tech: It was yet another rough week for the Hokies, losing at home to Wake and getting thumped on the road at rival Virginia. Third-leading scorer Adam Smith missed those two games, but even with him healthy, it likely wouldn’t have made a difference. The silver lining? Tech keeps games close, with five of its six losses being decided by 10 points or fewer.

15: Boston College: Virginia Tech may have a slightly worse conference record, but no team in the ACC has looked as hapless as the Eagles this season. BC has won just five games total and if it does not defeat the Hokies at home this week, it may not get another ACC win.

1. Syracuse: It has been business as usual for the Orange, which remained undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Arizona. With respect to Wake Forest, Syracuse’s opponent Wednesday, the Orange should take that unbeaten mark into Saturday’s huge clash with Duke at the Carrier Dome.

2. Duke: These past couple weeks have also been strong for the Blue Devils, who have not lost since being upset at Clemson Jan. 11 and throttled Pittsburgh by 15 points on the road Monday. Freshman forward Jabari Parker has been as good as advertised, averaging 18.3 points and eight rebounds entering the game against the Panthers and posted his 12th game with more than 20 points in the Duke win. 

3. Virginia: The Cavaliers  have not let an unfortunate bounce at Cameron Indoor Stadium derail them, having won three straight since losing at Duke two weeks ago. Lurking just outside the Top 25, Tony Bennett’s group steamrolled UNC-Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech at home last week and has two big road games at Notre Dame and Pitt coming up. 

4. Pittsburgh: The second of three ACC newcomers falls to fourth place after dropping a home match to hot-shooting Duke Monday. The Panthers have no time to feel sorry for themselves as they face another big test on Super Bowl Sunday when Virginia comes to town.

5. Florida State: The Seminoles are rated this high basically by default, with their three conference losses being to Duke and Virginia twice. As is customary of Leonard Hamilton-coached teams, they play great defense but struggle to put the ball in the basket. They visit Raleigh Wednesday night in a big game for both teams.

6. Wake Forest: While still on the outside looking in for a potential NCAA Tournament bid, the Demon Deacons had a strong week, defeating Virginia Tech on the road and Notre Dame at home. They have a chance for a signature win when Syracuse visits on Wednesday night

7. N.C. State: Like the Deacs, the Wolfpack got busy climbing out of a hole this past week by collecting two wins, one of them without do-everything sophomore forward T.J. Warren. State’s next two opponents, FSU and Carolina, provide opportunities for much-needed resumé-enhancing victories.

8.  UNC-Chapel Hill: After getting pasted in Charlottesville on Monday night, the Tar Heels came out and destroyed Clemson on Sunday. They too have a crucial two-game stretch this week, traveling to Georgia Tech on Wednesday before hosting State in a rivalry game on Saturday. 

9. Maryland: The Terrapins have not had any embarrassing losses in conference, nor do they have any wins that jump off the page. Victories this week against Miami and Virginia Tech would not beef up the resume, but they will get Mark Turgeon’s bunch over .500 in the ACC.

10: Clemson: The Tigers take a tumble this week after being blown out of the gym by Pitt and UNC in its two tests last week. Clemson has one of the top defenses in the nation but also one of the worst offenses. Their record looks okay at 13-6 and 4-3, but the computer polls are not kind to the Tigers.

11: Miami: The new-look Hurricanes had its chances to get back into the mix with games against Duke and Syracuse last week, but they lost both. Those are not bad defeats, but at 10-9 and 2-5 in the ACC, Miami has to act fast or it will fade into oblivion.

12: Notre Dame: Ever since upsetting Duke in the conference opener on Jan 4., not much has gone right for the Fighting Irish. Its defense ranks second-to-last in the ACC, which neutralizes its fifth-best offense. Virginia visits South Bend on Tuesday night, giving the Irish a chance for a big win before hosting Boston College on Saturday.

13: Georgia Tech: Had the Yellow Jackets closed the deal in Raleigh on Sunday afternoon and defeated the Wolfpack, they would be a little higher up. As it is, they need to sweep this week against UNC and Wake with teams like Duke and Virginia looming later on the schedule.

14: Virginia Tech: It was yet another rough week for the Hokies, losing at home to Wake and getting thumped on the road at rival Virginia. Third-leading scorer Adam Smith missed those two games, but even with him healthy, it likely wouldn’t have made a difference. The silver lining? Tech keeps games close, with five of its six losses being decided by 10 points or fewer.

15: Boston College: Virginia Tech may have a slightly worse conference record, but no team in the ACC has looked as hapless as the Eagles this season. BC has won just five games total and if it does not defeat the Hokies at home this week, it may not get another ACC win.