ACC Basketball power rankings: UNC, Wake Forest rises while Pitt drops

Dec 20, 2022; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Tyree Appleby (1) shoots a free throw against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: William Howard-USA TODAY Sports /

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ACC Basketball Louisville Cardinals head coach Kenny Payne Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports /

A week ago, my latest ACC Basketball power rankings had Clemson at No. 1 and Louisville at No. 15, since one was unbeaten and the other was winless in league play. That has changed (at least for one of them), along with a number of other interesting results that occurred.

Here’s my latest power ranking for the ACC, including a shakeup among the top tier of teams.

15. Louisville Cardinals – 2-17 (0-8)

The Cardinals had been making progress in the ACC in the past couple of weeks and in their lone game, last week was at home against the Pittsburgh Panthers, one of the smaller teams in the conference. There was a chance that the team could make this an interesting one. It looked that way early, leading 14-10 in the first half and grabbing a few offensive rebounds.

Unfortunately for them, that was the highlight of the game. A 19-2 run by the Panthers gave them a lead Louisville never could come back from, with the final score being 75-54. The Cardinals shot just 34% from the field, along with 5/20 from three-point range. El Ellis had a team-high 19 points and five assists, while JJ Traynor had a career-high 14 points off the bench.

For every step forward Louisville seems to take, they then take a step back. This upcoming week could decide whether or not they end up with a win in league play, as they take on both Notre Dame and Boston College. But with both of them on the road, it’ll still be a difficult task for them.