ACC Basketball power rankings: Dukes falls down, NC State and Pittsburgh moves up

6. Duke Blue Devils – 17-7 (8-6)

The Blue Devils were 8-4 in ACC Basketball play but had the toughest week possible in road games at Miami and Virginia. If they managed to get a split, they’d still be in the hunt for a regular-season title. But having to play the Hurricanes 48 hours after an emotional win over rival North Carolina proved to be a tough task for them.

The final score was 81-59 in a blowout, with no one scoring more than 11 points on the night. Dereck Lively continues to play well at least, producing 11 points and six rebounds. Again, this could be chalked up as a “schedule loss” but you want a team with Final Four aspirations to be a little more competitive against a good opponent.

Virginia was up next, the favorite to win the ACC regular-season title. But a road win by Duke would put a dent into that. It was a back-and-forth game that went down to the final seconds but a controversial non-call in the final play of regulation sent the game into overtime where the Blue Devils ultimately lost, 69-62. Jeremy Roach led the way with 16 points, while Dariq Whitehead made his return from injury and scored 10 off the bench. It was the worst game leading scorer Kyle Filipowski could’ve possibly had, going scoreless in 30 minutes of play.

This likely takes them out of the title race but can still improve their seeding for the NCAA Tournament. Up next is Notre Dame at home and Syracuse on the road, a chance for them to bounce back.