Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Duke falls flat, North Carolina rises in latest power rankings

By Tristan Freeman

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 02: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts following a play during the first half of their game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Dean Smith Center on January 02, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 02: Caleb Love #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts following a play during the first half of their game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Dean Smith Center on January 02, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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ACC Basketball Isaiah Mucius Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
ACC Basketball Isaiah Mucius Wake Forest Demon Deacons (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-8, 3-8)

After losing six straight games to start ACC play, Wake Forest has since won 3 of 5, including wins over Boston College, Pittsburgh, and Miami. It’s a positive sign of what can come for the program and first-year head coach Steve Forbes, as he’s still working out a rotation after such a late start to the season.

Transfers continue to lead the way this season for the Deacons, starting with leading scorer and passer Daivien Williamson (12.6 ppg ad 3.0 apg). The team also has gotten a big boost from grad transfer Ian Dubose, who had 17 points off the bench in the win over Boston College earlier this week.

With freshman guard Carter Whitt now getting starts and the team is relatively healthy, Wake Forest will be looking to play “spoiler” against the top teams in the ACC. They’ll have plenty of opportunities, with future matchups against Florida State, Duke, Clemson, and Virginia Tech coming up.

13. NC State Wolfpack (8-8, 4-7)

It has been an absolutely brutal run for NC State, ever since the start of the new year. They’ve gone 2-7 in the past nine games, with the wins coming against both NC State and Wake Forest. Outside of Miami, the other six losses aren’t considered “bad”, which meant that their Bracketology standing didn’t take a big plunge.

However, there’s little to no sign that the Wolfpack will be coming back into the at-large picture. Devon Daniels, who was averaging a team-leading 16.5 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 3.1 apg, is now out for the season with an injury. And big man DJ Funderburk and Manny Bates have been dealing with injuries of their own, leaving them in and out of the lineup.

NC State has Duke and Pittsburgh coming up next and will need to beat them both to have any chance of getting back in the at-large conversation. Without their best player to rely on, those hopes look like they have faded.