ACC Basketball power rankings: Duke ahead of pack as league play starts

ACC Basketball power rankings: Duke ahead of pack as conference play starts

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 31: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils huddles with his team during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at Cameron Indoor Stadium on December 31, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 88-49. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 31: The Duke Blue Devils alumni band attempt to distract Jairus Hamilton #1 of the Boston College Eagles. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

12. team. 431. . 8-6 (2-1). . Eagles

Boston College, while by no means a very good team, have quietly strung together four straight wins. They started their winning streak with a one-point win over Notre Dame. Boston College had suffered four straight losses to the Fighting Irish, so the win had to feel especially good. Due to that victory and their season-opening win over Wake Forest, Boston College is one of three teams in the ACC to have two conference wins already, along with Louisville and Virginia.

Senior guard Derryck Thornton has been great, chipping in 19 points in the win over Notre Dame, 12 in the win over Central Connecticut, and 10 points in the win over California. He was helped against Cal by sophomore Jairus Hamilton. He is averaging 9.6 points per game but exploded for 18 points in 33 minutes against Cal. Hamilton is a talented player but has never shot 31% from 3-point range in a season. He is shooting 35.7% from 3-point range over his last three games and any uptick in shooting from him will greatly aid an offense that is ranked 239th by KenPom.

The Eagles have a rough go of things off the rip, as they will be heading to Cameron Indoor for a matchup with Duke on Tuesday. Former Blue Devil Thornton hopefully has some secrets he can share with teammates, otherwise, it’s almost impossible to see a way in which the Eagles can pull off their biggest win of the season.

After their New Year’s Eve beatdown by Duke, the Eagles will be at home against Virginia, who also have quite a few issues on the offensive side of the ball.