ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly

In Joe Lunardi’s most recent edition of Bracketology, Duke (1), Louisville (6), Clemson (7) and Pittsburgh (10) comprised the ACC teams in the field. With North Carolina (Last Four Byes) and Wake Forest (Next Four Out) on the bubble, we could be looking at seven potential bids if someone outside of that bunch steals a spot from the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, if Stanford or SMU continue to impress, they could garner consideration for an at-large bid. The ACC is slowly climbing out of its early-season hole.

In a League of their Own:

1. Duke (17-2, 9-0 ACC)

2nd Tier:

2. Louisville (15-5, 8-1)
3. Clemson (17-4, 9-1)
4. Wake Forest (15-5, 7-2)
5. SMU (15-5, 6-3)
6. Stanford (14-6, 6-3)
7. North Carolina (13-8, 6-3)
8. Pittsburgh (13-6, 4-4)
9. Florida State (13-7, 4-5)

3rd Tier:

10. Notre Dame (9-10, 3-5)
11. California (11-9, 4-5)
12. Syracuse (9-11, 3-6)
13. NC State (9-10, 2-6)
14. Georgia Tech (9-11, 3-6)
15. Virginia Tech (8-12, 3-6)
16. Virginia (9-11, 2-7)
17. Boston College (9-11, 1-8)
18. Miami (4-16, 0-9)

The Good: Clemson’s train keeps rolling, California’s win streak

Still overlooked nationally, Clemson has quietly strung together five consecutive wins and are only one game behind Duke in the ACC pecking order. Now, it’ll be a challenge to best the Blue Devils as regular-season champions, but Coach Brad Brownell has built upon the Tigers’ Elite Eight appearance with a 17-4 record (9-1 ACC) and a top-five win over Kentucky earlier this season. Victories over Wake Forest, Pitt, Stanford, and Penn State have helped, as well.

While Syracuse and Virginia Tech aren’t high-caliber opponents, Clemson has handled a weaker ACC and have lost three of their four games this season on the road; despite the 14-point defeat at Boise State, two of the Tigers’ blemishes came in close games — in overtime against Memphis and South Carolina, respectively — and one to a hot Louisville team at the KFC Yum! Center. Unsurprisingly, veterans Chase Hunter (17.1 PPG) and Ian Schieffelin (12.6 PPG, 9.7 RPG) have paced Clemson, whose length has made a major impact on the defensive end. They’re a surefire pick for an at-large spot in the NCAA Tournament.

An overtime win over a struggling Miami isn’t pretty, but California has dug themselves out of a slow start to conference play with a three-game win streak. They fought off NC State in Raleigh, made a second-half surge to defeat Florida State, and topped the ‘Canes at home. Under-the-radar freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson (13.0 PPG) has yet to find consistency, but he has notched four 20+ point games this season and went for 30 against Miami. With sophomore Andrej Stojakovic (18.9 PPG) out with the flu, Wilkinson earned the start and flourished against both Florida schools. How will Coach Mark Madsen deploy both Stojakovic and Wilkinson in the lineup? It’s likely that the freshman provides a key sixth-man option for the Golden Bears as they welcome the sophomore back.

The schedule stiffens for California, but they’ve navigated choppy waters in the ACC. A ninth-place standing — right in the middle — is not a bad spot for a program which underwent significant turnover from the year prior. The Golden Bears, Stanford, and SMU have all impressed as new entrants to a historically-rich basketball conference.

The Bad: Florida State falls in California, Syracuse’s fall from grace

The Leonard Hamilton dilemma grows. Will Florida State — now tied for ninth in the ACC — part ways with their longtime head coach? The 78-year-old has exceeded expectations thus far, but a two-game slide to California and Stanford has buried them further down the conference ladder. Senior forward Jamir Watkins (18.6 PPG) can only do so much to will the Seminoles to wins away from home. They’ve won one away from Tallahassee — against a 4-16 Miami. With their postseason hopes resting on a run in the ACC Tournament, Florida State is now left to wonder what the future holds for a program that has had plenty of moments in the 21st century. Do they start fresh with a coaching candidate freshly immersed in the NIL landscape, or do they hold onto Hamilton for a little while longer?

A three-game stretch against Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Notre Dame might be exactly what the Seminoles need after a rough trip out west.

The Orange are awaiting a turnaround. A longtime assistant of ex-coach Jim Boeheim, Syracuse’s Adrian Autry hasn’t provided much reason for optimism outside of landing Carmelo Anthony’s son Kiyan, a four-star shooting guard. The Orange are 9-11 (3-6 ACC) and haven’t beaten a Quad 1 team this season; their most notable win came against a 9-10 Notre Dame. I would assume that Autry survives another underwhelming campaign in the post-Boeheim era. However, he needs a semblance of a marquee win to inspire Syracuse faithful that he can string together a successful season. The Orange host No. 2 Duke and North Carolina in the Carrier Dome, and they’ll try to exorcise their recent demons against Virginia in their ACC home finale in March.

While Syracuse has hovered around .500 in the ACC the past three seasons, they are headed for a bottom-third finish in a conference that has had a bit of an off year. If junior guard JJ Starling (18.8 PPG) and forward Chris Bell (9.8 PPG) stick around in Syracuse, the Orange have a fighting chance at improving in year three of Autry. That implies a rich transfer haul and an immediate impact from Anthony.

The Ugly: North Carolina’s Achilles' heel, NC State’s slide

Albeit still a bubble team, North Carolina has looked like a shell of themselves. They’ve defeated one ranked team — a now unranked UCLA — and dropped two straight to Clemson and Wake Forest before clawing back to upend a struggling Boston College in overtime. Sophomore center Jalen Washington did tie his season-high in points with 18; however, the Tar Heels’ Achilles' heel continues to manifest itself within their frontcourt group. Their guard troop is arguably the best in the nation. Starting four players under 6’5” will nip you in the bud against bigger, more experienced teams. Stanford center Maxime Raynaud obliterated North Carolina with 25 points and 13 rebounds in last week’s upset.

The committee will look fondly upon the Tar Heels, a No. 1 seed last season. Nonetheless, they’re staring down a gauntlet of matchups against Pitt (2x), Clemson, and Duke, with three of these contests coming on the road. The Blue Devils and Tigers’ length will require the Tar Heels’ backcourt to carry a heavier burden if they want to steal away a signature win. Coach Hubert Davis will see the year through, but, if the Tar Heels miss the tournament, he’ll be entering 2025-26 on a scalding seat.

Expectations heightened following a Final Four run from NC State last season. However, one must remember that the Wolfpack finished 9-11 in the ACC. Coach Kevin Keatts arguably saved his job through that miraculous, multi-game surge, but State has disappointed even without the services of guard DJ Horne, center DJ Burns, and forward Mo Diarra — all focal points of that memorable roster. The Wolfpack have dropped two consecutive home games to California and SMU; while the latter has surprised in its first season in a new conference, State has traditionally defended PNC Arena with ferocity. They have now lost their last three home contests and have yet to play Duke, Clemson, and Louisville.

Will Keatts return to the hot seat? He led the Wolfpack to two consecutive tournament appearances and a Final Four, so we’ll hold off on that. In any case, his team is spiraling downhill at an unfortunate point in the season.

Click here to read last week's edition of the ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup.