The 18-team ACC has seen more downs than ups, with only a few teams looking to be safely into the NCAA Tournament field. However, a few teams remain in the mix for a potential at-large bid if they can avoid losing to the bottom half of the conference.
Speaking of the bottom half, a few teams have solidified their spots at the very bottom and are close to locking themselves out of the ACC Tournament. And others have made a move closer to the middle. Here’s a look at the latest power rankings for the league.
18. Miami Hurricanes - 6-19 (2-12)
The Hurricanes recently won two of three games to avoid the potential history of going 0-20 in ACC play. But they’re still the worst team in the conference, coming off a nine-point road loss at a Pitt squad who were down two starters. Leading scorer Matthew Cleveland is averaging 20 ppg in his last eight games to give the Hurricanes a go-to option, but the defense has just been too bad for them to stay in many games.
17. Boston College Eagles - 10-15 (2-12)
The Eagles have a four-game losing skid, including to three of the worst teams in the conference. One was in double overtime to Notre Dame, and another was in 3OT versus Syracuse. Donald Hand Jr. has been a bright spot, averaging 23.9 ppg in the last six outings, including 31 in a win over Florida State. They have two must-win home games coming up versus VT and GT if they hope to get out of the bottom three.
16. NC State Wolfpack - 10-15 (3-11)
From winning the ACC Tournament and making the Final Four less than a year ago to potentially missing the ACCT altogether this year, it’s been a downward spiral for the Wolfpack. They lost nine straight games before a recent 70-62 win over Boston College at home. With four road games yet to come, it’s hard to see them making up enough ground to escape the very bottom.
15. Syracuse Orange - 11-15 (5-10)
The Orange have lost three of four games but did survive a 3OT win over BC in the past two weeks. They have one of the better offenses in the ACC, led by JJ Starling (18.7 ppg) and big man Eddie Lampkin, but the defense is among the worst, giving up 80+ points in the last four outings. Rival Pittsburgh is up next on the road, with three of the next five games in the regular season on the road.
14. Cal Bears - 12-14 (5-10)
The Bears did have a three-game win streak at one point before losing five of the last six games to fall back in the standings. One of them was an OT loss at Georgia Tech. Andrej Stojakovic (17.7 ppg) leads them in scoring, but guard Jeremiah Wilkinson has emerged as another key threat on offense, scoring 20+ points in five of the last seven outings, including 30 in a win over Miami.
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 11-14 (5-9)
Frustrations seem to be growing with HC Micah Shrewsberry and the Irish, having lost four of the last five games. They do have a double-OT win over BC, thanks to 32 points from star guard and leading scorer Markus Burton. Notre Dame has six fairly tough games coming up, including a few against those near the top of the standings. Getting a split between SMU and Pittsburgh at home this week would go a long way toward locking a spot in the ACC Tournament.
12. Virginia Tech Hokies - 11-14 (6-8)
Coach Mike Young won’t be in the ACC COY conversations, but his team has overachieved compared to its roster talent. They’ve won three of the last five games, with all of them (FSU, UVA, and ND) all coming on the road. They have two more winnable road games coming up, facing Miami and BC this week.
11. Virginia Cavaliers - 13-13 (6-9)
Speaking of coaches overachieving, it’s been a nice run by interim HC Ron Sanchez, who has led Virginia to six wins in eight games, including beating Pitt and rival Virginia Tech on the road. Isaac McKneely is averaging around 15 ppg in league play, while Andrew Rohde has become the defacto PG for the team. After Monday’s loss to Duke, the Cavaliers take on North Carolina and Wake Forest on the road, part of a rough ending stretch in ACC play.
10. Pittsburgh Panthers - 15-10 (6-8)
A run of eight losses in 10 games may have ended Pitt’s at-large hopes. The potential season-ending elbow injury to starting guard Damian Dunn is another issue. But they were able to beat Miami at home without leading scorer Jaland Lowe last weekend and have a favorable schedule the rest of the way, including a chance to sweep rival Syracuse at home up next.
9. Florida State Seminoles - 15-10 (6-8)
The Seminoles have been bubble busters in the past few weeks, getting wins over Pitt and Wake Forest. But they have lost five of the last seven games, including getting smacked by 26 points at Clemson. They have a few more chances to play spoiler in the next few weeks, taking on UNC and SMU at home.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels - 15-11 (8-6)
The Tar Heels have stayed afloat for the past few weeks, beating the teams they’re supposed to and losing to those ahead of them in the standings. After surviving Syracuse on the road, UNC plays NC State and Virginia in games that can only hurt their resume. There’s a case they need to win out before the season-finale matchup versus Duke in order to be on the right side of the bubble.
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 13-13 (7-8)
If you haven’t noticed, GT has won five of its last seven games to make a late push up the standings. That includes a triple-Ot win at Clemson and a recent 90-88 OT win vs Cal, thanks to a career-high 26 points and 13 rebounds from forward Baye Ndongo. The Yellow Jackets look to continue its winning ways on the road, taking on BC and Pitt up next.
6. Stanford Cardinal - 16-10 (8-7)
The Cardinal were in the running for a double-bye after winning six games out of seven. But a stricter schedule has brought them down to Earth, losing four of the last five games, including to Duke and Wake Forest. Maxime Raynaud (19.9 ppg and 11.3 rpg) has made a great case for 1st-Team All-ACC and can continue making it, with three straight games at home coming up.
5. SMU Mustangs - 19-6 (10-4)
SMU had won five straight games recently but all were against teams they were supposed to win. They’ve yet to get that breakthrough victory against an NCAAT-caliber squad, including losing at Wake Forest last weekend. They have to be careful going forward, playing four road games and playing a massive home game versus Clemson this weekend.
4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons - 19-7 (11-4)
Like with SMU, Wake’s inability to get a big win has limited its resume, along with blowing a 16-point lead at home to Florida State with eight minutes to go before losing that Quad 3 setback. Cameron Hildreth has been a star for the team lately, scoring 22+ points in four straight outings. They have four games they must win to avoid damaging the resume next, along with a road battle at Duke to end the regular season.
3. Louisville Cardinals - 20-6 (13-2)
Coach Pat Kelsey has put himself into the National Coach of the Year discussion, surviving a few key injuries to have Louisville go from last to tied for second in the standings in fewer than 365 days. The only blemish in the last 15 games was at Georgia Tech, along with blowout road wins over NC State and Notre Dame. They have four home games to end the regular season slate, hoping for one Duke loss to share the regular-season title potentially.
2. Clemson Tigers - 21-5 (13-2)
Yes, Louisville does have a head-to-head win over Clemson this season. Plus, Georgia Tech had beaten Clemson more recently than they did the Cardinals. But the ultimate trump card the Tigers have is the 77-71 home win over Duke, thanks to 22 points from big man Viktor Lakhin. They still have some tough games to round out the regular season, including an upcoming road game at what should be a desperate SMU squad.
1. Duke Blue Devils - 23-3 (15-1)
Even with the recent road loss at Clemson, there’s no debate about who should be No. 1. Duke has been blowing everyone else out, including scoring 106 points on a decent Stanford squad. They did lose big man Maliq Brown to injury in the win over Virginia, and we’ll see how long he’s out, but they should remain big favorites for the rest of their ACC games, including a rematch at UNC to end the regular season.