ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Duke Blue Devils gelling at the right time

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 10: Teammates Jordan Goldwire #14, Wendell Moore Jr. #0 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 08: Xavier Johnson #1 of the Pittsburgh Panthers (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

13. Pittsburgh Panthers 15-11 (6-9 ACC)

The Pittsburgh Panthers are a tough out because of their strong defense but the immense struggles of their offense see them fall in our ACC power rankings. The Panthers have gone 1-3 since our last power rankings, with their lone win coming at home over Georgia Tech. Pittsburgh has the 122nd ranked offense via KenPom and it has looked like over the last five games in which they are averaging a paltry 63.2 points.

Far too often we have seen Pitt fold in games if they don’t get a big offensive output from standout freshman Justin Champagnie (12.5 points per game). Champagnie had 30 points on 70.6% shooting in the win over Georgia Tech but has cooled off over the Panthers’ consecutive losses. Trey McGowens has been uneven over the past few weeks. McGowens had 14 points in the win over Georgia Tech followed by 7.5 points per game on 23.5% shooting over his last two games against Clemson and Virginia Tech.

Sophomore guard Xavier Johnson is good for the occasional offensive outburst but he has been quiet since a 17-point performance in a February 2 win over Miami (FL). It is incredibly tough to imagine the Panther gaining ground in the ACC standings too, with three of their next five games on the road. And on top of that, their two home games are against the stout Virginia and Syracuse defenses.