1. Duke (20-3, 7-3 ACC)
The Blue Devils throttled Notre Dame Saturday, blowing them away with three pointers in the first half. Duke led by 26 at halftime and never gave Notre Dame a chance. The Devils then narrowly escaped Florida State with a win yesterdayand now head+ to Syracuse.
2. Virginia (21-1, 9-1 ACC)
The Cavaliers gained a huge win over Louisville in a defensive battle, but it came at a huge cost. Potential ACC Player of the Year guard Justin Anderson fractured his finger and will miss 4-6 weeks.
3. Louisville (19-4, 7-3 ACC)
The Cardinals could do nothing offensively against Virginia’s vaunted defense, but a five-point loss on the road to the No. 3 team in the nation isn’t any reason to panic, and Louisville is still in the middle of the logjam at the top of the ACC standings.
4. UNC-Chapel Hill (18-6 ,8-3 ACC)
The Tar Heels had a quiet week, only racking up a win over lower-ranking Boston College. UNC Chapel-Hill has all week to prepare for a road trip to Pittsburgh on Saturday.
5. Notre Dame (21-4, 9-3 ACC)
The Fighting Irish were embarrassed by Duke and the loss likely ends their hopes of catching Virginia for first in the ACC. The Irish still have the best offense in the ACC and can score on anyone, but opponents have proved that their defense is exploitable.
6. Miami (15-8, 5-5 ACC)
The Hurricanes finally ended their skid by beating Clemson Sunday. The ‘Canes boast big wins but have been one of the coldest teams in the ACC in the past couple of weeks.
7. Clemson (14-9, 6-5 ACC)
Clemson’s defense buckled down against Florida State, but their offense couldn’t pull off a victory against Miami (FL). The Tigers are not a contender in the ACC but are the prettiest of an extremely ugly group in the middle of the ACC.
8. NC State (14-10, 5-6 ACC)
The Wolfpack fell victim to the cursed city of Winston-Salem once again, losing to Wake Forest 88-84. Sophomore guard Anthony “Cat” Barber has emerged as a scoring threat but the Wolfpack’s defense is porous. NC State may be on the outside looking in come tournament time.
9. Pittsburgh (16-8, 5-5 ACC)
The Panthers finished strongly beating Syracuse in an old Big East rivalry. The Zoo was rocking and it finally felt like Pitt had a home court advantage. The Panthers’ erratic play in 2014-15 has likely cost them a chance at the NCAA Tournament, but they are still a dangerous and capable team when playing well.
10. Syracuse (15-8, 6-4 ACC)
Expecting NCAA backlash for academic violations on the team, Syracuse pulled the plug on the 2014-2015 season, self-imposing a post-season ban. The self-imposed penalty isn’t extreme; however, considering that the Orange had almost no chance of making the NCAA Tournament outside of winning the ACC Tournament.
11. Florida State (13-12, 5-7 ACC)
The Seminoles have been up and down recently and nearly upset Duke Monday evening but eventually fell to the Devils 73-70. Last week, FSU took care of business on the road against Virginia Tech but fell to Clemson as well. Their tough week continues at Georgia Tech on the road Saturday.
12. Georgia Tech (11-13, 2-10 ACC)
Georgia Tech can play with any team on any given night, making them a dangerous team. Unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, they struggle with finishing games, which is why their conference record is 2-10 and they are 12th on our list.
13. Wake Forest (11-13, 3-8 ACC)
The Demon Deacons rained threes in the first half and then held on to fight off NC State at home, but they were also easily beaten by Georgia Tech on the road. It’s been an up and down season for Wake Forest with too many missed opportunities.
14. Virginia Tech (10-14, 2-9 ACC)
The Hokies blew a late lead on the road in Syracuse by committing multiple turnovers before succumbing to the Orange on a last second floater, but did squeak past Georgia Tech Monday. The Hokies are young and untalented, but they play hard.
15. Boston College (9-13, 1-9 ACC)
Still last in our rankings, the Eagles continue to struggle in ACC play and add nothing of value to the conference’s RPI or strength of schedule. The Eagles are flat out bad.
