ACC Basketball: Power Rankings

The pride of the ACC fell out of the top spot in the national rankings, while no other school is even close to sniffing the Top 25. The theme in the early part of ACC play is it isn’t easy winning on the road. So far, ACC road teams against other ACC teams are just 2-18. Maryland (at Wake Forest) and North Carolina (at Virginia) are the only two that have walked away a winner on the road.

1. DUKE

There’s no problem losing to Florida State in Tallahassee, but there is no excuse for trailing to Virginia by nine early in the second half. Like I discussed on Saturday night, the Blue Devils have struggled out of the gate from long-range in ACC play.

Against Miami, Duke started 1-6 from three. At home against Maryland, Duke started 1-12, not hitting their first three-pointer until the four-minute mark in the first half. At Florida State, they went 0-10 from downtown. Lastly, against Virginia, it was another 1-11 start.

2. FLORIDA STATE

After a rough two-week patch that saw the Seminoles get roughed up by Auburn of all teams, Florida State rebounded with two solid wins over number one ranked Duke and then an ass-whopping of NC State. Against the Wolfpack, five different players scored in double figures. Having said that, this team has a lot to prove on the road in conference. Over the last two years, they’ve been 9-7 away from Tallahassee.

3. NORTH CAROLINA

Embarrassed. What other word can you use to describe a loss to Georgia Tech? It wasn’t even the fact that the Tar Heels lost, it was how bad they looked.

They didn’t score a basket in the final eight minutes of the game. I’ve been preaching for a while now that Roy Williams needs to ditch the experience and put all three freshmen into the starting lineup. So far, I’m not sure I’m right.

Reggie Bullock, who was talking trash prior to ever playing a minute this season, has been roughed up in ACC play. He’s 3-16 from the field, 1-10 from three. He hasn’t dished out a single assist, turning it over three times.

4. VIRGINIA TECH

The Hokies have won seven of eight, but they really missed a golden opportunity when they blew a 16-point lead in Chapel Hill. Having said that, Virginia Tech has finally placed themselves onto the right side of bubble. Still, they could use a signature win, especially on the road. So far, their most impressive win was at home against Florida State.

5. MARYLAND

The Terrapins twice this past week had a second-half lead against a Top 10 team. Both times they failed to hold on to win. There is no shame in all of this. They’re a young team that will get better with time.

The next two weeks are huge for Maryland. Their two toughest games (Virginia Tech and Clemson) are both at home, followed by two road trips against Virginia and Georgia Tech, two teams they should be favored to beat. They really need to go 4-0 over the next two weeks.

6. MIAMI

The Hurricanes had a rough start in the ACC with two loses to Duke and Clemson, but recovered with a solid win against an experienced Boston College squad. The true test comes Wednesday when they face a suddenly surging Florida State team. The game is at home, so there is no excuse. If Miami wants to be taken seriously as a tournament team, this is the kind of win they need to get.

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