RJ Davis North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball — Photo courtesy of Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports

ACC Men’s Basketball Power Rankings: Week 6

Ranking the 15 ACC teams one month into the college basketball season

Author:
Matt Newton
Publish date:
Dec 13, 2021 12:12 PM EST

We are a little over a month into the college basketball season and it is time for some power rankings in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

1. Duke

Overall record: 7-1

Last week: 0-0

Duke has been idle for two weeks since losing to Ohio State on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, but the Blue Devils maintain the top spot in the power rankings for two very impressive victories over Kentucky and Gonzaga during their seven-game winning streak to start the season. Duke has three more tune-up games against South Carolina State, Appalachian State, and Cleveland State before the start of ACC play.

2. North Carolina

Overall record: 7-2

Last week: 1-0

North Carolina began the season 3-0 before suffering back-to-back losses to ranked teams Purdue and Tennessee on a neutral floor. Since then, the Tar Heels have responded with four straight wins, including resounding victories over Michigan and Georgia Tech, which have the Heels knocking on the door of the Top 25 once again. UNC plays Furman before a huge game against UCLA on Saturday.

3. Wake Forest

Overall record: 9-1

Last week: 1-0

Wake Forest won six-straight games to start the season, capped off by an overtime victory against Oregon State. The Demon Deacons suffered their first and only loss against LSU, before defeating Northwestern in overtime and putting together their best performance of the season in a blowout 80-61 win on the road at Virginia Tech. The Deacs have won three in a row and nine of ten to start the season and they are certainly exceeding expectations so far.

4. Miami

Overall record: 8-3

Last week: 2-0

Miami was not competitive in a pair of losses to Dayton and Alabama back in November, but the Hurricanes have looked solid since the beginning of December, winning four straight games, including five-point wins against Penn State and Clemson. The Hurricanes host Stetson before beginning ACC play with three straight home games.

5. Louisville

Overall record: 6-3

Last week: 0-1

Each of Louisville’s last four games have been decided by single digits, with the Cardinals going 2-2 in those games. Louisville defeated Maryland and picked up an important win at NC State in the ACC opener, but the Cards also lost at Michigan State and at home against DePaul.The Cardinals have two opportunities for more comfortable wins against Southeastern Louisiana and Western Kentucky before playing a huge rivalry game at Kentucky on December 22nd.

6. NC State

Overall record: 7-3

Last week: 1-1

Each of NC State’s three losses this season have come by less than four points. The Wolfpack are making a habit of playing close games, as seven of their ten games have been determined by 10 points or less, including two overtime contests. NC State came very close to becoming the second unranked team to knock off No. 1 Purdue last week, coming up just short as the Boilermakers escaped with the overtime win.

7. Virginia

Overall record: 6-4

Last week: 0-1

Virginia’s last three games have been determined by a total of five points and the Hoos are giving a renewed meaning to “Cardiac Cavs” once again. The Cavaliers seemed to be hitting their stride after winning four straight games, including a pair of major conference wins against Georgia and Providence, but the last three games have been quite a mixed bag. UVA went 1-2 in three very winnable games, losing by one at home against Iowa, beating Pittsburgh by one at home, and losing on the road at JMU by three. Shooting struggles continue to vex Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers this season.

8. Virginia Tech

Overall record: 7-4

Last week: 1-1

With the exception of a close win at Maryland and a blowout victory against Cornell, the last few weeks have not been good for the Hokies. Virginia Tech was competitive in back-to-back single-digit losses against Memphis and Xavier, who were both ranked teams at the time. But, Virginia Tech looked flat in a blowout loss at home against Wake Forest and the Hokies stumbled again in a loss on the road at Dayton on Sunday. The road only gets tougher for the Hokies as they face St. Bonaventure and then play at Duke and at North Carolina on back-to-back weekends.

9. Florida State

Overall record: 5-4

Last week: 0-1

The Seminoles had a tough task trying to beat Purdue on the road in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge two weeks ago, but you can bet Leonard Hamilton expected his team to compete a little bit better than their lopsided 93-65 defeat in West Lafayette. That loss snapped a four-game winning streak for the Seminoles and turned into a three-game losing streak as Florida State lost back-to-back games by three points or less to Syracuse and South Carolina.

10. Boston College

Overall record: 6-4

Last week: 0-1

Boston College’s victory over Notre Dame last week looks even better now after the Fighting Irish knocked off Kentucky on Sunday. Beyond that win, though, the Eagles have struggled to find their groove this season, including two losses to Rhode Island, a loss to Utah, and most recently, a 79-68 loss at St. Louis on Saturday. BC hosts Albany on Monday before traveling to Wake Forest next week.

11. Notre Dame

Overall record: 4-4

Last week: 1-0

Before Notre Dame’s big win over Kentucky on Sunday, the Fighting Irish had lost three straight games and four out of their last five. However, the last three losses had each come against major conference opponents. The win over the Wildcats showed what Mike Brey’s Irish are capable of. Time will tell if they can play to that potential as the season progresses. Notre Dame plays Indiana on Saturday.

12. Syracuse

Overall record: 5-5

Last week: 0-2

Syracuse picked up two straight impressive wins in extremely different fashions, beating Indiana 112-110 in double overtime and winning at Florida State 63-60. Since then, however, the Orange have lost back-to-back games against Villanova and Georgetown. After a tough stretch of six-straight games against major conference opponents, Syracuse plays Lehigh and Cornell before beginning the full ACC schedule.

13. Clemson

Overall record: 6-4

Last week: 1-0

If not for an overtime victory against Drake, the Tigers would have lost their third straight game. Even with the victory over the Bulldogs, Clemson has lost four of its last six games. The only wins for Clemson since Thanksgiving have been against Charleston Southern and Drake. Brad Brownell needs to get the Clemson train back on track and quickly, as the Tigers face Miami (Ohio) on Tuesday before hosting South Carolina on Saturday.

14. Georgia Tech

Overall record: 5-4

Last week: 0-1

Georgia Tech had won five straight games coming into December, but the Yellow Jackets have since lost three straight games against very tough opponents. They lost by just four points to Wisconsin before losing by 17 points to a North Carolina team beginning to find its stride. Finally, Georgia Tech led No. 25 LSU by as many as 15 points on Saturday, before a massive run by the Tigers in the second half turned the game into a 16-point victory for LSU.

15. Pittsburgh

Overall record: 3-7

Last week: 0-2

There have been a number of close losses for the Panthers this year: each of their last four losses have come by 10 points or less, including back-to-back one-point defeats against Minnesota and Virginia. Pittsburgh was just a few plays away from having a much better record and not being at the bottom of the power rankings, but that’s the beauty of basketball. Pitt plays St. John’s and Jacksonville before beginning the ACC slate.