Conference Power Rankings: Which ACC Team Is the Best?

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With the conference season half over, it is time to look at which college basketball teams are the best in the ACC.

There is no question the conference has had a down year, with many key teams losing embarrassing non-conference games.

Fortunately, the reputation of the league alone should allow at least four or five teams to reach the NCAA tournament. 

With about a month remaining until the postseason, there will be plenty of shakeup in the standings as we head into the most exciting time of the year in sports.

12. Boston College

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Boston College started off the season poorly, and things have not gotten any better for the club as of late.

The Eagles lost badly to Holy Cross and Massachusetts in November, and have now lost six straight games in ACC play. 

The problem is that there are no go-to players on the squad. Matt Humphrey leads the team in scoring with only 10.1 points per game, and as a team they have struggled to score all year long.

These low-scoring games might have worked for Steve Donahue in the Ivy League, but it is not working in the ACC.

11. Wake Forest

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Unlike Boston College, Wake Forest seemed to have some promise heading into conference play.

With quality scorers like Travis McKie and C.J. Harris, the team figured to be able to squeak out a few wins against better competition.

Unfortunately, Wake Forest has lost seven of its last eight games and has three road games remaining.

10. Georgia Tech

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Georgia Tech has struggled so far this season, but the team has also just gone through a pretty tough stretch of games.

The remaining seven games feature only one against a school that currently has a winning conference record: a home game against North Carolina State.

Do not be surprised if the Yellow Jackets start to play their way out of the ACC cellar.

9. Virginia Tech

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Virginia Tech has been a little bit of a mystery this season.

They defeated Virginia on the road, and lost close games to Syracuse and Florida State.

On the other hand, losses to Wake Forest and Boston College should not sit well with fans.

One thing is certain, they will have no one to blame but themselves when their name is not called on Selection Sunday.

8. Clemson

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Clemson just cannot get over the hump.

The Tigers only have three conference wins, but the six losses are by an average of just over three points per game.

As close as these games have been, Clemson needs to be able to secure some of these wins to be considered a legitimate threat in the ACC.

7. North Carolina State

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Although North Carolina State has a 6-3 conference record, it is more circumstantial of the schedule so far.

The Wolfpack only has three home games remaining, and those are against North Carolina, Florida State and Miami.

They can still play their way into the NCAA Tournament, but will need to win at least a few high-profile games.

6. Maryland

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Maryland has a very young team, but they are starting to come together and play to their potential in Mark Turgeon's first season.

The conference's leading scorer, Terrell Stoglin, has the ability to carry the team on his back and will be tough for anyone to guard.

With one of the toughest ACC schedules (two games against Virginia, Duke and UNC), the Terps still have plenty of time to prove they should be in the top half of the conference.

5. Miami

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The most important thing in sports is winning games.

Miami continues to do what Clemson cannot, and that is to come away with victories in close games.

After a double-overtime victory over Maryland, the Hurricanes went into Cameron Indoor and defeated Duke in overtime.

If the team keeps winning, they could find themselves on the bubble despite a poor non-conference schedule.

4. Virginia

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Virginia only has four losses this season, and each one of them was by three points or less.

The team plays a great defense, and Mike Scott is playing himself into the Player of the Year discussion.

Tony Bennett has completely transformed the team, and they could find themselves playing into the Sweet 16 in March.

3. Duke

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Duke is still Duke. They have great outside shooters and play tough on-ball defense.

However, something new is happening: they are losing games at home.

Losses to Florida State and Miami have many questioning the talent on the team, but it still comes from the ability to hit shots from the outside. When the shooting goes cold, the team is in tough shape.

The Blue Devils have the talent to have a deep run in March, but are also a prime upset candidate in the early rounds.

2. North Carolina

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North Carolina might have the best chance in the conference to win a national championship, but the team still has weaknesses.

Despite having an NBA-level front court, the Tar Heels were outrebounded by Florida State in a 90-57 blowout loss.

Fortunately, few teams can stay with the fast-paced offense that Carolina plays every game. Kendall Marshall is one of the best point guards in the country and can find any of his big men on the floor.

If he can stay within himself during the game, and if the rest of the talented players hit their shots, they will be incredibly tough to beat.

1. Florida State

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No one in the ACC has been better over the past month than Florida State.

Not only did the team blow out North Carolina at home, but they were also able to defeat Duke on the road. This has given the Seminoles the inside track of winning the conference if they can keep up this run.

Florida State plays a smothering defense and is able to rebound as well as any team in the nation.

With the outside threats of Michael Snaer and Deividas Dulkys, this has become a very well-rounded team that is peaking at the right time.

As long as they forget their early season struggles, Florida State is the best team in the ACC.