ACC Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: ACC Week 3
Another week of ACC play means another week of ACC Men’s Basketball Power Rankings, and with each new week of play the conference slowly starts to take shape. After two weeks of play there are three unbeaten teams and three winless teams in the ACC. That means everyone else is in the middle sitting right around .500.
This week marks another round of uneven conference play as two teams get a bye before another massive all day Saturday ACC free for all. So without further ado, here are this week’s ACC Men’s Basketball Power Rankings.
1. Duke Blue Devils (15-1, 4-0)Last game: won 82-75 against SMU
The Blue Devils continued three conference trends in their win over the Mustangs, starting off slow, SMU opened with 11 unanswered points, maintaining a free throw advantage, which increased to 115-50 in four ACC games, and playing a ranked team without its best player, as Boopie Miller missed the contest with an illness. Duke will look to continue their ACC win streak when they travel to take on the Golden Bears in the first game of their West Coast trip.
Next game: at California (1/14)
2. Clemson Tigers (15-3, 5-0)Last game: won 74-50 against Boston College
The Tigers became the first ACC team to get to five conference wins with their dominant victory over the winless Eagles. The win against Boston College was Clemson’s eighth straight, including three wins on the road, and makes the one of the hottest teams in the conference. The Tigers will look to stay undefeated at home when they welcome in a Hurricanes team that also hasn’t lost this conference season.
Next game: vs Miami (1/17)
3. Virginia Cavaliers (15-2, 4-1)Last game: won 79-70 against Louisville
The Cavaliers won their fourth straight conference game since their season opening triple OT loss to Virginia Tech with their nine point road win over the Cardinals. Virginia’s win over Louisville is their 10th win in their past 11 games as well. The Cavaliers will look to make it three straight conference road wins when they travel to play a Mustangs team that hasn’t lost at home this season.
Next game: at SMU (1/17)
4. North Carolina Tar Heels (14-2, 2-1)Last game: won 87-84 against Wake Forest
The Tar Heels held on to beat the Demon Deacons this weekend after leading by as many as 15 halfway through the second half. Good free throw shooting in the end saved North Carolina from Wake Forest’s upset bid. The Tar Heels will look to get their first conference road win of the season when they travel to play Stanford in the first half of their two-game West Coast trip.
Next game: at Stanford (1/14)
5. Miami Hurricanes (15-2, 4-0)Last game: won 81-69 against Notre Dame
The Hurricanes continued their impressive season under first year head coach Jai Lucas by staying undefeated in conference play with a road win over Notre Dame. Miami, which has more than doubled its win total from last year, now has more ACC wins than it did all of last season. The Hurricanes will be looking at one of the biggest weekends in their school’s history when they travel to take on the Tigers in a battle of conference unbeatens before their football team plays for the National Championship on Monday.
Next game: at Clemson (1/17)
6. Virginia Tech Hokies (13-4, 2-2)Last game: won 78-75 against California
The Hokies were staring at the beginning of a potential three-game losing streak a they battled back and forth with the Golden Bears at home. Virginia Tech, who had been on the wrong side of two straight one possession games, came away with the one possession victory over Cal to end their losing streak at two and get back to .500. The Hokies will next travel to face a Mustangs squad that is undefeated at home this season.
Next game: at SMU (1/14)
7. SMU Mustangs (12-4, 1-2)Last game: lost against Duke 82-75
The Mustangs continue to struggle on the road where they fell to 1-3 this season with their losses to Clemson and the Blue Devils. Give SMU credit though trailing Duke by only 3 with just under two minutes to go as freshman center Jaden Toombs had a career game with 23 points and seven rebounds, both career highs. The Mustangs will look to get back on track as they return home for their next two games starting with their contest against the Hokies on Wednesday.
Next game: vs Virginia Tech (1/14)
8. NC State Wolfpack (12-5, 3-1)Last game: won 113-69 against Florida State
The Wolfpack finally got the dominant conference win their coach had been wanting with their absolute dismantling of the Seminoles. NC State started the game on an 11-0 run and never trailed as they won their third conference game of the season. The Wolfpack gets the week off before welcoming in the Yellow Jackets this weekend.
Next game: vs Georgia Tech (1/17)
9. Stanford Cardinal (13-4, 2-2)Last game: lost against Virginia 70-55
The Cardinal continue to play .500 ball in conference play, pulling off spectacular wins to coincide with low scoring losses, which is what happened this week when they beat Virginia Tech in Blacksburg only to get pummeled by the Cavaliers in Charlottesville. Stanford will try do better this week as they host the Tar Heels before welcoming in Duke this weekend.
Next game: vs North Carolina (1/14)
10. Louisville Cardinals (12-5, 2-3)Last game: lost against Virginia 79-70
The Cardinals continue to tumble down these rankings having now gone 3-4 since Mikel Brown Jr. went out following a back injury against Memphis. Louisville has some impressive wins over some middle of the road at best teams but is now 0-3 against ranked teams with the home loss to the Cavaliers. The Cardinals should be able to get back to .500 though, when they travel to play the Panthers on Saturday.
Next game: at Pittsburgh (1/17)
11. Syracuse Orange (12-5, 3-1)Last game: Won 94-86 against Florida State
The Orange won their third straight conference game since their season opening loss to Clemson with their home victory over the Seminoles. All three of Syracuse’s wins this conference season have come against teams that are ranked at the very bottom of these rankings. The Orange will look to keep that a trend alive with a fourth win this weekend against such teams when they travel to play the Eagles.
Next game: at Boston College (1/17)
12. California Golden Bears (13-4, 1-3)Last game: lost against Virginia Tech 78-75
The Golden Bears have now lost three of their past four games after only losing once in their first 13 games. Now California returns home looking to stop their current skid to take on the Blue Devils in the first of two Tobacco Road games, with the next contest being against North Carolina on Saturday.
Next game: vs Duke (1/14)
13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (10-7, 1-3)Last game: lost against North Carolina 87-84
The Demon Deacons could’ve easily given up trailing North Carolina by 15 with just over nine minutes to go in the second half. Instead they kept attacking with guards Nate Calmese and Juke Harris and almost came away with a road upset. It is the third time that Wake Forest has had a chance to take down a ranked team, but they have lost all three of those games by a combined five points (they also lost to a ranked Vanderbilt by 31, but still). The Deacons also get the week off before becoming the fourth team from North Carolina to face the Seminoles this conference season.
Next game: at Florida State (1/17)
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-7, 1-3)Last game: lost against Miami 81-69
The Fighting Irish lose their third straight conference game since their season opening road win over Stanford. There loss to Miami is also Notre Dame’s fourth in its past five games including it’s third straight loss at home, a streak that started with a home loss to Purdue Fort Wayne. The Irish will look to end their current streak when they travel to take on the Hokies this weekend.
Next game: at Virginia Tech (1/17)
15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-7, 1-3)Last game: lost against Miami 91-81
The Yellow Jackets lost another conference game this time falling to a Miami squad who is undefeated at home. Georgia Tech’s only win this season came against Boston College, a winless team at the bottom of these rankings, though they will look to double that number when they welcome in the Panthers this week, another winless team at the bottom of these rankings.
Next game: vs Pittsburgh (1/14)
16. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-9, 0-3)Last game: lost against Syracuse 83-72
The Panthers fall to 0-3 for the second time in their past three seasons with their loss to the Orange. Pittsburgh, who has lost eight of their past 11 games, will look to end their current three-game losing streak, their second of the season, when they travel to play the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.
Next game: at Georgia Tech (1/14)
17. Florida State Seminoles (7-10, 0-4)Last game: lost against Syracuse 94-86
The Seminoles lost their fourth straight conference game with their road defeat to the Orange. Florida State, which has now lost eight of its last ten games, will look to get first year coach Luke Loucks his first ACC win when they welcome in the Demon Deacons for their fourth team from the Tar Heel State in five conference games this season.
Next game: vs Wake Forest (1/17)
18. Boston College Eagles (7-10, 0-4)Last game: lost against Clemson 74-50
The Eagles continued their losing ways with their fourth straight conference loss, this time to the currently undefeated Tigers. Boston College, who has lost 5 of their last seven and is 0-5 against P5 schools, will look to finally get an ACC win this weekend against the Orange.
Next game: vs Syracuse (1/17)
