Updated ACC Power Rankings After Early 2015 NCAA Tournament Success

Now that the dust has settled on the first weekend of the 2015 NCAA tournament, there's a clear leader out in front of the pack when it comes to conference supremacy.

The ACC tied the record for most teams in the Sweet 16, matching the five that the Big East sent forward in 2009. What makes what the ACC has done more notable, though, is that it only had six teams in the field to begin with compared to the Big East landing seven bids during its record year.

While the ACC wasn't rated by anyone as the top conference in Division I during the regular season—that distinction went to the Big 12, per experts such as CBS Sports' Jerry Palm and USA Today computer ratings guru Jeff Sagarin—the league has shown that its best teams have so far been better than any other's.

How does that reflect in terms of ACC power rankings? We've re-ranked the teams to this point, using Bleacher Report's ACC preseason rankings as a guideline, taking into consideration how the teams have fared overall and in the postseason in relation to what was expected.

This ranking isn't meant to determine which ACC schools will move into the Final Four, however, though with more than 30 percent of the field (and at least one team alive in every region), there's a strong chance the league will make an appearance for the first time since 2010.

The Bottom Six

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15. Georgia Tech (12-19)

If credit was given for losing by only a few points, the Yellow Jackets might have been NCAA tournament-worthy. Instead, they're at the bottom thanks to a 3-11 record in games decided by five or fewer points, including seven losses by three or fewer to ACC opponents.

14. Virginia Tech (11-22)

Buzz Williams' first year in Blacksburg went about as bad as predicted, but there was some progress seen. The Hokies weren't blown out in most games, staying within 10 points in half of their league losses, and they won an ACC tournament game behind 32 points from freshman guard Jalen Hudson that will serve as a great foundation for the future. 

13. Wake Forest (13-19)

The Demon Deacons won four fewer games in Danny Manning's first year than in the final season under Jeff Bzdelik, but otherwise the year was considered a success. Manning had Wake playing spoiler in February and March, and he was integral in Devin Thomas continuing to develop into a decent post player who should be poised for a great senior year in 2015-16.

12. Boston College (13-19)

The Eagles were playing their best basketball of the season at the end, an 18-point loss to North Carolina in the ACC second round notwithstanding. Prior to that BC had won four straight, including a blowout win over an NC State team that's now in the Sweet 16. Jim Christian got as much as he could out of Olivier Hanlan, but with him likely off to the NBA, Christian will need to find scorers next season.

11. Clemson (16-15)

The Tigers were a lower-end version of some of the ACC's other middle-tier teams in that they had some strong wins (Arkansas, LSU) and some befuddling losses (Gardner-Webb, Rutgers), and that kept them from even earning an NIT bid after reaching that tournament's semifinals last season. Sophomore forward Jaron Blossomgame showed promise, but he was the only Clemson player of note.

10. Pittsburgh (19-15)

The Panthers were dealt a major blow right before the season began when junior forward Durand Johnson was suspended for the year. It didn't get much better after that, as Pitt struggled to score and weren't as strong defensively as normal under coach Jamie Dixon. A five-game season sent it into the offseason, capped by a home loss to George Washington in the NIT.

9. Florida State

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Final record: 17-16

Preseason ranking: Ninth

The Seminoles failed to reach the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row, but unlike the previous two seasons, they didn't earn an NIT bid in 2014-15. Odds are Florida State wouldn't have fared that well had they gone to the postseason, as it failed to put together better than a two-game win streak at any point during the conference schedule.

Injuries and eligibility issues wreaked havoc on FSU early on, with junior guard Aaron Thomas declared ineligible in mid-December and junior guard Devon Bookert missing time because of a foot injury. This opened the door for freshman Xavier Rathan-Mayes to get more playing time, and while he had some big games—scoring 30 points in the final 4:38 of a loss to Miami—it didn't translate into wins.

FSU has a monster recruiting class coming in next year, currently ranked fifth by 247Sports and led by 5-star wing Dwayne Bacon. Anything short of a return to the NCAA tournament might put Leonard Hamilton's job in jeopardy.

8. Syracuse

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Final record: 18-13

Preseason ranking: Sixth

We'll never really know what could have been with this year's Syracuse team, as a midseason injury to promising freshman Chris McCullough dimmed the Orange's postseason hopes and then the school banned itself from tournament play in anticipation of NCAA sanctions.

Those sanctions proved to be much heavier, with the postseason ban only the tip of the punishment for violations including academic misconduct, impermissible benefits and drug testing issues between 2004-12. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will miss the first nine ACC games next season, while the team has lost scholarships for the next four seasons.

Boeheim later announced he would retire in three years.

Had Syracuse not been banned, it might have had a chance to make some noise in the ACC tournament and beyond, especially with the way senior forward Rakeem Christmas was playing down the stretch. Christmas was one of the most improved players in the country, averaging 17.5 points and 9.1 rebounds, but he didn't get much help from the rest of the Orange.

7. Miami (Florida)

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Current record: 24-12

Preseason ranking: 10th

Left out of the NCAA tournament because of too many bad losses during the regular season, Miami has gotten a second win in the NIT and earned a trip to New York City for the semifinals with a come-from-behind 63-61 win at Richmond on Wednesday. The Hurricanes trailed by as many as 18, and were playing without guard Angel Rodriguez, yet they rallied to take their first lead with just over a minute left.

It was the kind of performance that showed Miami was capable of so much more this season, something it showed in early-season wins at Florida and in winning a preseason tournament, as well as when the Hurricanes blew out Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium. But because of listless performances in home losses to Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes couldn't get off the bubble in February and March.

Rodriguez, one of two transfers (along with Sheldon McClellan) that impacted Miami this year, struggled with consistency all season and shot only 33.7 percent from the field. He's missed the past two games with a wrist injury, but McClellan and others have managed to fill the void to send the Hurricanes to their first NIT semifinal appearance.

6. North Carolina State

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Current record: 22-13

Preseason ranking: Eighth

With wins over two teams that earned No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament and three victories against teams that have reached the Sweet 16, North Carolina State has shown all season what it's capable of. The fact that it came so intermittently, and also disappeared far too often, is why the Wolfpack had to take on the role of underdog to get this far.

NC State is in the Sweet 16 for the second time in Mark Gottfried's four seasons thanks to a narrow win over LSU and then an upset of top-seeded Villanova last weekend in Pittsburgh. Now it's a win over Louisville (who it's beaten on the road this season) away from the program's first Elite Eight appearance since 1986.

The key to the late surge has been the play of sophomore guard Cat Barber, who, after going scoreless in the ACC tournament loss to Duke (thanks to getting leveled by a screen he didn't see coming), has averaged 15 points in the NCAA tourney.

"His quickness has always been difficult to contain but his decision-making and confidence have been on another level over the past two months," wrote Joe Giglio of the News & Observer.

Combine that with junior guard Trevor Lacey and a sizable frontcourt that's become more involved offensively, and NC State is peaking at the right time.

5. Louisville

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Current record: 26-8

Preseason ranking: Third

In the Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year, despite what coach Rick Pitino has repeatedly said isn't nearly as good of a team as the previous three, Louisville has overcome the loss of a key player and various other hiccups that included a first-day exit from the ACC tournament and some shoddy performances toward the tail end of the season.

"I think we've had a lot of roadblocks in terms of youth, in terms of little problems, in terms of things changing," Pitino said Tuesday, per Jeff Greer of the Louisville Courier-Journal. "But we've had a very young team that the older guys lost their patience with and now they've developed patience, which has really helped our chemistry."

Senior Chris Jones was suspended, then after coming back for one game, he was booted off the team in mid-February, around the same time it was revealed he'd been accused of rape and sodomy. Freshman Quentin Snider has filled in admirably for Jones, but the key to Louisville playing so well in the NCAA tournament is how controlled sophomore guard Terry Rozier has been.

A 41.8 percent shooter for the year, Rozier has made 13 of 23 shots in the tourney for 37 points along with eight rebounds and 12 assists.

4. North Carolina

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Current record: 26-11

Preseason ranking: First

The Tar Heels are in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2012, ending the longest drought for them under coach Roy Williams. Throughout the season North Carolina alternated between being a team destined to contend for a national title and one that seemed vulnerable for a first-weekend NCAA tournament elimination, and that trend continued in the tourney itself.

UNC scraped past Harvard in the second round, then looked stellar in getting past Arkansas in the third round. Whether that performance will carry over into Thursday's game against No. 1 Wisconsin will depend on whether the Heels can get by without junior power forward Kennedy Meeks, who injured his knee against Arkansas and isn't likely to be available.

His inside presence has been big for much of the year, as has all of UNC's frontcourt rotation, which has it ranked seventh in Division I in rebounding margin. The Heels are also the country's most sharing team, averaging a national-best 17.5 assists per game.

UNC is getting its best player to come to life at the right time, as junior guard Marcus Paige has averaged 17 points and made 15 three-pointers in the five ACC and NCAA tourney games after struggling to score for much of the regular season.

3. Virginia

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Final record: 30-4

Preseason ranking: Fourth

In control of the ACC seemingly all year long, Virginia stumbled during the final two-plus weeks of the season and made an early exit from the NCAA tournament after getting knocked out in the ACC tourney semifinals. While the loss of guard Justin Anderson had an impact on the Cavaliers offense, it was more a letdown in their ironclad defense that led to the shortfall.

Virginia still ranks No. 1 nationally in points allowed at 51.4, yet it allowed 79 points to North Carolina in the ACC semis and then saw Belmont shoot 47 percent in the NCAA tourney second round. Michigan State only managed 60 points, but it shot 50 percent from three-point range and played the better defense in that game.

"Your defense can only hang in there so long," coach Tony Bennett said following the MSU loss, per Hank Kurz of the Associated Press.

Though it had an efficient offense, Virginia also went through several prolonged scoring droughts and often started games off slowly. Not built to play from behind, when the defense broke down, the Cavaliers were handicapped.

2. Notre Dame

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Current record: 31-5

Preseason ranking: Seventh

Coming off of its worst season under coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame has now put together one of the best seasons in program history. The Fighting Irish have been one of the best-shooting teams in the country all year, riding that offensive prowess to the ACC tournament title.

The performances in the NCAA tourney haven't been as polished as what preceded them, but a sudden ability to play low-scoring games is just the latest surprise from this team. It ranks up there with how the Irish have been one of the most balanced teams around, not relying solely on one or two players but instead allowing different guys to step up on a game-by-game basis.

While the return of Jerian Grant from an academic suspension (that greatly contributed to last year's 15-17 record) has had a huge impact, as Grant leads the team in scoring (16.8 points per game) and assists (6.6), he's had plenty of help. Pat Connaughton, Zach Auguste, Steve Vasturia, Demetrius Jackson and even reserve Bonzie Colson have all made significant contributions, each finding a way to come up huge in big moments.

Auguste had 25 points in the opening win over Northeastern, then Vasturia had 20 points while Connaughton chipped in five blocks to beat Butler.

The only thing that might keep Notre Dame from having the best shot of any ACC team to make the Final Four is that it's in the same region as unbeaten Kentucky.

1. Duke

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Final record: 31-4

Preseason ranking: Second

With three freshmen playing immensely key roles in its success, all season Duke has had the makeup of a team that's as good as any other team in the country but one that could fall victim to inexperience at a critical moment. That negative hasn't happened, and following a pair of dominant performances in the NCAA tournament, the Blue Devils look destined for their first Final Four in five years.

Those freshmen—center Jahlil Okafor, wing Justise Winslow and point guard Tyus Jones—have been the reason, not the excuse. Their play has carried Duke all season long, along with plenty of veteran leadership from lone senior starter Quinn Cook, and at this point in the year, their youth doesn't bring with it any amount of liability.

Okafor and Winslow have been particularly stellar in the NCAA tourney, with Okafor scoring 47 points on 21-of-27 shooting, while Winslow has reached double figures in rebounds in each of the past three games.

The matchups against Utah in the Sweet 16 and (likely) Gonzaga in the Elite Eight will test this Duke team, but it's been the most consistent of any ACC team this season and seems like the best bet to make it through the weekend.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.