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

By Tristan Freeman

Jan 14, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Jarkel Joiner (1) and forward Ernest Ross (24) embrace during the overtime against Miami Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2023; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Jarkel Joiner (1) and forward Ernest Ross (24) embrace during the overtime against Miami Hurricanes at PNC Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports /
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ACC Basketball North Carolina State Wolfpack guard Casey Morsell (14) and guard Jarkel Joiner Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports /

4. NC State Wolfpack – 20-6 (10-5)

When looking at the head coaches of the ACC, Brad Brownell got the initial hype when Clemson was the last unbeaten team in the league. And recently, Jeff Capel of Pittsburgh is getting the ACC Coach of the Year hype, with the Panthers tied for first and in the NCAA Tournament. But Kevin Keatts of NC State has done a great job as well, with them now with 20 wins on the season.

They were on a four-game winning streak before going on the road to play Virginia, arguably the toughest game in ACC Basketball. The Wolfpack had little hope of winning after a bad offensive start, falling 63-50. Casey Morsell had 18 points, while Terquavion Smith had 19 on 6/20 shooting from the field. Just four players in total scored for NC State, which shot just 33% overall.

As bad as they were offensively against Virginia, they went a complete 180 on the road at Boston College. They got their own double-digit early lead and kept pouring it on the Eagles for a 92-62 win. Smith (17 points) and Morsell (16) had good games again but D.J. Burns went for 18 points and 10 rebounds inside, while Jarkel Joiner had 26 points, six rebounds, six assists, and five steals in one of the best all-around games in league play.

NC State now has a couple of tricky games coming up, starting with Syracuse on the road. After that is a home game against North Carolina and a chance to avenge an earlier 80-69 defeat that was without Smith for most of the second half.