ACC Basketball Rankings March 15 - March 22: Which ACC Teams Are Dancing?

What a riveting ACC tournament that was, with Duke proving it is the best team in the conference with a hard-fought win over Georgia Tech.

Speaking of Georgia Tech, they leapt off the bubble with a gutty improbable run to get to the ACC finals.

I got to go to the tournament on Saturday. If you ever get the chance to go, I'd highly recommend doing so.

The ACC had six teams make the big dance. If you've been watching the ACC at all this year, you know there could be six teams in the sweet 16 or none.

Previous ACC Basketball All About Sports Blog Rankings
Preseason
Dec 13-Dec 20 |Dec 21-Dec 28  |Dec 28 - Jan 4 |Jan 4 - Jan 11 |Jan 11 - Jan 18
Jan 18 - Jan 25 |Jan 25 - Feb 1 |Feb 1 - Feb 8  |Feb 8 - Feb 15 |Feb 15 - Feb 22
Feb 22 -Mar 1  |Mar 1 - Mar 8  |Mar 8 - Mar 15

1) Duke Blue Devils (29-5, 16-3) Last week - 1
These are your ACC Champions. They earned it. Jon Scheyer hit one of the most clutch shots of the year nailing a 3 pointer late just as Georgia Tech had pulled within one in the final minute of the game. Duke beat Georgia Tech 65-61 in the finals. The Blue Devils get rewarded with a No. 1 seed in the South region of the NCAA tournament. Scheyer, Smith, and Singler will be fine; it is the inside guys who'll determine how far the Dukies can go.

2) Maryland Terrapins (23-8, 13-4) Last week - 2
It was perfect storm for the Terrapins. They ran into a highly motivated, athletic Georgia Tech team that was seeking revenge. The Terps got bounced in the second round of the ACC tournament. That shouldn't take way from their body of work; they were still the ACC's second best team. The selection committee noticed, too; they are a No. 4 seed in the Midwest facing Houston in the first round.

3) Florida State Seminoles (22-9, 10-7) Last week - 3
Florida St. is so good defensively, and so inconsistent offensively. That was on full display Friday night against NC State. They only gave up 58 points, but then scored just 52. Ugh! They get into the big dance as a No. 9 seed in the West regional. They open in an intriguing matchup with No. 8 seed Gonzaga.

4) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (22-12, 10-10) Last week - 7
Georgia Tech entered the ACC Tournament on the bubble, and left winning three out of four games and getting to the finals. The scary thing is they didn't really play that well. They shot poorly from the free throw line and turned it over a ton, and still they were four points from winning it all. That's how talented they are and how well they can defend at times. They get a No. 10 seed in the Midwest and face Oklahoma St. in a rematch of the 2004 Final Four semi-final game.

5) Clemson Tigers (21-10, 9-8) Last week - 5
The Clemson Tigers just can't get this postseason thing right. They lost the opening night of the ACC tournament to NC State 59-57. It was a lethargic performance for the Tigers, who just appeared to not have much energy the entire game. They are a 7 seed in the East Regional, and play the Missouri Tigers in the first round.

6) Virgina Tech Hokies(23-8, 10-7) Last week - 5
Unreal. The Hokies got really screwed not getting into the NCAAs. They had 23 total wins and won 10 games in the ACC regular season. The ACC second round tournament loss to Miami really cost the Hokies. This is pretty unfortunate. Seth Greenberg probably punched a hole through a wall, but gave a classy interview on ESPN. He could have been a lot angier. They get a No. 1 seed in NIT tournament.

7) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (19-10, 9-8) Last week - 6
This team is not playing well. The Deacs were spanked on Thursday by 21 points in a loss to the Miami Hurricanes. They've lost five of their last six games. If they hadn't beat Clemson last weekend, they'd probably not have got into the NCAA tournament. They have to get better production from All ACC player Al Farouq Aminu; he had 11 points in the Miami loss. Wake Forest is a No. 9 seed in the NCAAs and open with the Texas Longhorns.

8) North Carolina State Wolfpack(19-15, 7-12) Last week - 8
NC State put together a really nice run in the ACC tournament. They entered the ACC tournament as the 11th seed and promptly knocked off Clemson and then Florida State, before losing to ACC tournament finalist Georgia Tech 57-54. The Wolfpack are playing solid basketball and have won five of their last seven games. For their nice run, NC State gets a No. 6 seed in the NIT. That's a nice reward for this Wolfpack team that's trying to rebuild.

9) Miami Hurricanes (20-13, 6-13) Last week - 11
Is there such a thing as an NIT snub? I think Miami had earned the right to play in the NIT. As the 12th seed, they effectively knocked Virginia Tech out of the NCAAs. Before that, the Canes hammered Wake Forest 83-62. They gave Duke fits before losing 77-74. All this was done without star player Dwayne Collins.

10) North Carolina Tar Heels (16-16, 5-12) Last week - 10
The Tar Heels led Georgia Tech by 10 at the half on Thursday, but couldn't hold on and lost 62-58. It's been the story of their season. Even when they play well they don't usually win. By name alone the Tar Heels made it into the NIT field as a No. 4 seed. This is pretty much a lost season in Chapel Hill.

11) Boston College Eagles (15-16, 6-11) Last week 9
Boston College's season ended with a whimper. They lost 68-62 to Virginia in the first round of the ACC tournament. The season's over for the Eagles, and now coach Al Skinner can go out and start recruiting... please.

12) Virginia Cavaliers (15-16, 6-12) Last week 11
If there was one thing you could say about the Cavs all year was that never quit. They beat BC 68-62 in the first round of the ACC tournament, and then gave Duke a pretty good tussle before going down 57-46.