15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – 8-15 (1-12)
One cool thing about power rankings is that you have some leeway to not fully rely on the standings but on how teams are playing so you can reward a team for playing above expectations while punishing another that is seeing rock bottom.
And there’s no bigger way to hit “rock bottom” than to lose to Louisville. And that’s what happened to Georgia Tech, falling 68-58 in a near wire-to-wire defeat to the Cardinals. They shot just 30% from the field, with the top two scorers, Kyle Sturdivant, and Miles Kelly, combining for 33 points on 11/32 shooting from the field. It was a miserable offensive performance for the Yellow Jackets and still, they were within range of the home win.
Of course, the team responded by putting a major scare into NC State on the weekend, leading late in the second half in an upset alert. But again, the offense fell apart in the last minutes, losing 72-64 to the Wolfpack. Kelly led the team with 17 points and nine rebounds while Javon Franklin had his best all-around game of the season, producing 16 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five blocks.
Louisville has looked worst but with the Yellow Jackets losing the head-to-head battle and having the same number of wins overall, that warrants a new team into the ACC Basketball basement.