Power Ranking the ACC Conference with March Madness on the Horizon

The ACC has not been as strong this this season as it has been in past years. Does that mean there are no talented teams in the ACC?

Of course not.

The ACC will have a team or two that will make a run in the NCAA Tournament in March. Miami (FL) and Duke are the more notable ones.

The Miami (FL) Hurricanes have been the biggest surprise in the ACC  this season. The Hurricanes won 13-straight conference games before being upset on the road at Wake Forest 80-65 on Saturday

The Duke Blue Devils are in position to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as we speak, and still have a chance to win the ACC regular-season title. A home win against Miami this Saturday has to happen in order for them to have a chance. 

After Miami and Duke, the ACC is left with four teams trying desperately to win ball games down the stretch in order to make the NCAA Tournament. 

Here are the current ACC power rankings: 

6. Maryland Terrapins

The Maryland Terrapins started off the season with an impressive 13-1 record, then basically fell off the radar until they upset No. 2 Duke 83-81 on February 16.

Now the Terrapins are on the bubble and are hoping to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010. 

They are in desperate need of wins and will have to rely on sophomore center Alex Len and sophomore guard-forward Dez Wells to lead this Terrapin team back to the dance. 

Len has averaged 12.3 PPG and 8.0 RPG this season. He played a key role in knocking off Duke by dropping 19 points and recording nine rebounds. 

Wells has managed to score 11.5 points per game this season and has a solid field goal percentage of 51.7. 

What is noticeable about this Maryland squad is that they have a number of different players that can step up.

Senior guard Logan Aronhalt came off the bench against Boston College on February 19 and scored an astounding 26 points, then on February 23 Sophomore guard Nick Faust  put up 18 points on Clemson.  

Both players scored just three points in their game prior to putting on impressive performances.  

Maryland needs players to step up and become consistent scorers if they want to contend in March.

The Terrapins will especially need scoring when they host North Carolina on March 6, and travel to Virginia on March 10. Maryland almost has to win both of these games to get them in the NCAA Tournament.  

They will also have to make sure they win the two prior games at Georgia Tech and at Wake Forest.

It will be interesting to see if Maryland can find their way into the tournament in the next few weeks.

5. NC State Wolfpack

Who thought NC State would ever be fifth in the ACC standings at the beginning of the season?

They were projected to be the favorites in the ACC, but have been rather disappointing and inconsistent all season long. 

From January 29 to February 7, the Wolfpack went 1-4 and were without junior guard Lorenzo Brown for two of those games, because of an ankle injury. 

Mark Gottfried's squad is still currently in good shape to make the NCAA Tournament, even after they went on that bad stretch. Their win over No. 1 Duke on January 12 is their resume builder heading into March.

Even though the Wolfpack have disappointed up to this point in the season, they still have a lot of talent on the court. 

Junior forward C.J. Leslie has averaged 15.4 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game this season. Senior forward Richard Howell and junior guard Lorenzo Brown have looked solid as well. 

Howell averages 13.0 points per game, which is impressive, but his rebounding game has been the best part of his game, with 11.1 RPG this season.

Brown has played well at the point guard position by scoring 12.7 PPG and recording 7.0 APG.

What works out for the Wolfpack is that the four games they have left on their schedule are all very winnable.

They have already defeated Boston College, Georgia Tech and Florida State once this season. The only team they lost to was Wake Forest and this time they get them at home.

If NC State goes 4-0 or 3-1 to end the season, they will be a lock to make the NCAA Tournament.

This is a talented team and it should be interesting to see what they can do once March hits.  

4. Virginia Cavaliers

The Virginia Cavaliers have gone 4-3 in their past seven games, but they are currently projected to be in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavs are a team that could sneak up on a better team and pull off a huge upset in March. 

Virginia had big wins in January at home against North Carolina and NC State, which put them in position to be in the top tier of the ACC Conference standings.

They also almost went into Miami and took down the Hurricanes, but came up just short in the last minute of the game.

The players that have led Virginia this season have been juniors Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell.

Harris has averaged 14.1 PPG in ACC play. In the Cavaliers last 15 games, Harris has scored at least 13 points in all but one game.

He is also shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 46.4 percent from beyond the arc.

There is no question that Harris has to play well come tournament time. He basically puts the team on his shoulders every game. 

Mitchell has been second in command to Harris this season. He has averaged 12.6 PPG and 8.7 RPG this season. 

Mitchell has also been solid on the defensive end and leads his team with 165 defensive rebounds.  

Virginia can get a signature win on Thursday night at home against No. 3 Duke. Don't be surprised if the Cavaliers give the Devils a run for their money. Duke has struggled to win games on the road in ACC play this season.  

Virginia needs to win on the road at Boston College and at Florida State for the sake of not having any bad losses.

Their final regular season game at home against Maryland is going to be a crucial one.

Look for Virginia to go dancing for the second straight season.

3. North Carolina Tar Heels

The North Carolina Tar Heels are not the team they have been in year's past, but will likely be taking part in the NCAA Tournament. 

North Carolina has been up and down in conference play to say the least. They lose two games, win three games, drop one game, win three more, lose two, and then win three in a row.

This shows a lack of consistency from this Tar Heel basketball team, even though they are currently on a three-game winning streak.

As inconsistent as the Tar Heels have been this season, they are still averaging 78.1 PPG, 40.8 RPG, and 17.7 APG.

UNC has been led by sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo.

McAdoo has averaged an impressive 18.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in the Tar Heels' past two games. 

Junior guard-forward Reggie Bullock and sophomore guard P.J. Hairston have also chipped in this season for the Tar Heels as well.

Bullock has averaged 14.1 PPG and 6.0 RPG this season. Hairston, on the other hand, has averaged 13.3 PPG.

UNC is going to have their hands full in their last four games of the regular season.

Watch out for Clemson to upset North Carolina at home on Thursday. The Tigers fell just short of upsetting Miami on February 17.

Florida State won't be as difficult at home, but finishing the season at Maryland and at home against Duke will be no easy task. If the Tar Heels go 3-1 in these four games, that will be considered a success.  

North Carolina appears to be in good position to make the NCAA Tournament.

The only way they could not make it is if they finish the regular season with a 1-3 record and have an early exit in the ACC Tournament.

2. Duke Blue Devils

Duke appeared to be the clear No. 1 team not only in the ACC but in the country in early January, but then senior forward Ryan Kelly injured his right ankle and Duke was no longer the same team. 

Duke managed to lose as the No. 1 team twice this season without Kelly.

Both occurred on the road at NC State and at Miami. It seems to be a trend this season, though, so we can't be to harsh on them for losing on the road. 

The Blue Devils are averaging 78.9 PPG and continue to be led by senior center Mason Plumlee and senior guard Seth Curry.

Plumlee has been consistent for a majority of the season. He had a rough game at Maryland on February 16, where they were upset, but has since averaged 16.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in his past two games.

Curry is the most talented player in this Duke lineup and is dangerous from the perimeter. He has averaged 17.4 points and shot 50.0 percent from beyond the arc in Duke's last five games. 

The Blue Devils are currently the No. 3 team in the country and are coming off blowout wins against Virginia Tech and Boston College. 

Duke has four regular season games remaining, and they need to make sure they take one game at a time. 

They travel to Virginia this Thursday, then host ACC leader Miami on Saturday.

If Duke can get through this week's slate of games without a blemish, they will give themselves a chance to win the ACC regular-season title with wins over Virginia Tech and  hated rival North Carolina.

Miami, of course, has to lose to Duke and another opponent for a conference title to even be a reality for the Blue Devils.  

Look for Duke to be a contender in the ACC and NCAA Tournament once Kelly returns to the lineup. 

1. Miami (FL) Hurricanes

The Miami (FL) Hurricanes are still atop the ACC and among one of the best teams in the nation. A loss against Wake Forest, which was the Hurricanes first loss in conference play, as well as their first loss in 2013, does not affect anything. 

Miami still holds their own destiny in the ACC, as they attempt to win their first ACC regular-season title in school history.

They still hold a two game lead and a win at second place Duke this Saturday would more than likely seal the deal. 

The Hurricanes have solid guard play out on the perimeter with senior guard Durand Scott and sophomore guard Shane Larkin.

Scott averages 13.3 PPG, while Larkin averages 13.1 PPG. 

Senior forward forward-center Kenny Kadji has also played well and made some clutch shots in close games. Kadji averages 12.7 PPG and 6.4 RPG. 

The Hurricanes are left with home games against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Clemson, as well as the big road game at Duke.

It will be surprising if Miami doesn't win at least three of their last four games to win the ACC regular-season title. Especially since the Hurricanes have three home games remaining and they haven't lost at the BankUnited Center this season.

Look for Miami to be the favorite to win the ACC and make a run in the NCAA Tournament.