ACC Basketball: Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh rises in latest power rankings

After a few weeks into league play, ACC Basketball is doing its best to chug along. At no point in the past month has all 15 programs been able to play, with postponements and cancellations all around. The conference has been rescheduling at best they can but at this point, teams have played anywhere between 4-8 games to this point.

If the 20-game schedule is still a goal, we could be having teams play three games a week starting in February. Let’s see the impact of that. Meanwhile, the results we’ve seen so far have been fairly surprising. With both Duke and North Carolin taking the proverbial backseat this season, other programs have stepped up.

That gives us a very interesting set of power rankings based on results through January 20. Here’s my updated look at the ACC, from 15-1.

15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-6, 0-6)

The month-long pause may have made the Demon Deacons fresher for this matchup but certainly not more prepared for the ACC schedule. They’re the only ones in the league without a win, although everyone they’ve played is a projected NCAA Tournament team right now.

It also doesn’t help that they’ve been without key players Ian Dubose and Tariq Ingraham in league play, as Wake Forest simply doesn’t have the star power to afford injuries. ETSU transfer Davien Williamson leads the team with 13.1 ppg and 3.1 apg, while forward Isaiah Mucius is averaging 12.1 ppg and 5.6 rpg. No one else is putting up double figures and there’s just not enough shooting and frontcourt play to be competitive in a 20-game league schedule.

But don’t expect Wake Forest to go winless either. They play hard and have a fair amount of depth, while also being solid defensively. This is the kind of team that can cause heartbreak for an ACC team on the bubble, including potentially their next opponent this weekend in the Pittsburgh Panthers.