ACC Basketball rankings: Duke, NC State rises, Pittsburgh, Clemson drops

ACC Basketball power rankings: Duke, NC State rises, Pittsburgh and Clemson drops

RALEIGH, NC - FEBRUARY 19: Jarkel Joiner #1 of the NC State Wolfpack reacts following a basket during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at PNC Arena on February 19, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. NC State won 77-69. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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Louisville’s El Ellis ACC Basketball Jf Ul Lipscomb Aj6t1807 /

This past week in ACC Basketball had plenty of surprising results or near results. It includes a huge upset that single-handily changed the Bracketology of the conference along with the top team nearly losing twice. There was a big rivalry matchup in the state of North Carolina, along with more positioning for the upcoming conference tournament.

Here are the latest power rankings for the ACC, including another shakeup at the bottom.

15. Louisville Cardinals – 4-23 (2-14)

When the Cardinals lost by 34 points to Pittsburgh, first-year head coach Kenny Payne was on the hot seat. The team wasn’t being competitive and looked lifeless. But credit to the team, they’ve since become an actual threat, losing to Miami by single digits before going toe-to-toe at home against Virginia. The final score was 61-58, with El Ellis leading the way with 21 points on 7/14 shooting.

But the breakthrough came last weekend, with a win at home over Clemson. They were leading again at the half but this time around played well for all 40 minutes en route to an 83-73 upset. Ellis, who is averaging over 20 ppg in the past few weeks, had 28 points to lead all scorers, JJ Traynor had a career-high 16 points, while Mike James chipped in with 13.

That loss may have single-handily taken Clemson off the bubble and now, Louisville has a chance to not be the 15 seed in the upcoming ACC Basketball Tournament. They’ll have to find a way to keep the good play on the road, taking on Georgia Tech and Duke this week.