ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly

William Smythe | Nov 18, 2024

Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

With a couple of weeks of college basketball in the books, it's time to start checking in on the Atlantic Coast Conference to see how things are shaping up for all 18 members of the new-look ACC as we progress through non-conference play. We'll start with our power rankings for this week and then sum up this week's action around the league with the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

ACC Basketball Power Rankings - November 18th

*SOS (Strength of Schedule) is generally lower around time of year for power-conference schools because of buy games. Duke, North Carolina, Pitt, California, Louisville, Florida State, and Boston College are notably higher within the ACC on account of matchups against Kentucky, Kansas, Murray State/West Virginia, Vanderbilt/USC, Tennessee, Florida, and VCU/Temple, respectively.

1. Duke (3-1), SOS: 231
2. North Carolina (2-1), SOS: 207
3. Pitt (4-0), SOS: 218
4. Virginia (3-0), SOS: 324
5. Wake Forest (4-1), SOS: 254
6. Miami (3-0), SOS: 364
7. Notre Dame (3-0), SOS: 329
8. Clemson (3-1), SOS: 307
9. NC State (3-0), SOS: 355
10. Stanford (4-0), SOS: 330
11. Syracuse (3-0), SOS: 328
12. California (3-1), SOS: 169
13. Louisville (1-1), SOS: 141
14. Georgia Tech (2-2), SOS: 285
15. SMU (3-1), SOS: 304
16. Florida State (3-1), SOS: 217
17. Boston College (2-1), SOS: 183
18. Virginia Tech (3-1), SOS: 300

The Good: Pitt’s dominance, McKneely’s masterclass, Stanford’s transition to new leadership

Pitt might be ready to turn the clock back to the program’s Big East success in Jeff Capel’s seventh year at the helm. Following an offseason which saw the departures of leading scorers Blake Hinson and Carlton Carrington, the Panthers (4-0) have leaned on their unsung heroes from last season while benefiting immensely from the additions of two transfers — guard Damian Dunn (Houston) and forward Cam Corhen (Florida State). This week didn’t see too many blockbuster matchups in the ACC outside of Duke and Kentucky’s meeting Tuesday night, so Pitt’s wins have largely flown under the radar.

Hosting archnemesis West Virginia at home, the Panthers held the Mountaineers to a paltry 38.7% from the field en route to an 86-62 victory. A two-time transfer, Dunn nonetheless broke out with a 23-point performance and converted four of his seven three-point attempts. With depth still a question mark for Capel’s crew, consistent frontcourt play alongside the three-headed backcourt monster of Dunn, Ish Leggett (18.5 PPG), and Jaland Lowe (16.3 PPG) will only boost this team’s ceiling. Tricky matchups against LSU and Ohio State await, but Pitt looks seriously poised to push for a top-three finish in the ACC.

Junior guard Isaac McKneely showcased his blistering three-point shot against Villanova Friday night, with a perfect six-for-six performance from behind the arc indicative of his importance to this Virginia team. A starter all of last season, McKneely hit off-balance threes and did a sound job against Villanova’s premier guard Wooga Poplar. The ‘Hoos might go as far as McKneely and their point guard play take them.

UVA Basketball Report Card: Evaluating Virginia Through Three Games

Also, Stanford has quietly put away its first four opponents under new head coach Kyle Smith. Plenty of question marks lingered after the departures of four starters from last season, yet Duke transfer Jaylen Blakes (15.0 PPG, 4.8 APG) and some surprise returning contributors have plugged the gaps so far. Senior center Maxime Raynaud (21.3 PPG, 12.8 PPG) — the lone returning starter — deserves more national attention and will vie for a spot on the All-ACC First Team. Raynaud’s 33-point, 14-rebound outing on Sunday against UC-Davis on 50% 3PT is a message to all ACC teams out there: Stanford might not be a pushover this year. It’s a light non-conference for the Cardinal outside of contests against Oregon, Santa Clara, and Grand Canyon, so they’ll have the chance to exit December with only one or two losses.

The Bad: Duke’s gameplan against Kentucky, Georgia Tech’s slow start, Pony Express

Duke, albeit dealing with late injuries to guard Sion James and center Khaman Maluach, didn’t quite match Kentucky’s second-half adjustments in a 77-72 defeat in the Champions Classic last Tuesday. The sky certainly isn’t falling for the Blue Devils, and, frankly, the amount of chatter regarding this early-season loss is ridiculous. However, an iso-focused gameplan around freshman sensation Cooper Flagg might not be sustainable for a team with as much talent and depth as Duke. Coach Jon Scheyer ought to dip into his bench a bit more and go nine to ten-deep if he’s looking to reach his first Final Four; albeit against Wofford, freshman five-star Isaiah Evans went for 14 and did not play a minute against Kentucky. 

An ACC sleeper in the preseason, Georgia Tech has already fallen to mid-major North Florida (who did beat South Carolina on the road) and in-state rival Georgia. A 2-2 start isn’t ideal for Coach Damon Stoudamire, whose starting five is more than capable of propelling the Yellow Jackets to more than seven wins in-conference. A 29.4% FG clip from sophomore guard Naithan George won’t help Georgia Tech move the needle in these early matchups. Perhaps there’s still some growth needed from their high-potential sophomores.

While Stanford hasn’t slipped up yet, SMU suffered a double-digit loss to Butler — predicted to finish eighth in a Big East Conference that drops off sharply after its top six teams. Although having also lost by double-digits to Vanderbilt, Cal dug themselves out of the “bad” category with a five-point road win against Coach Eric Musselman’s new-look USC roster. The jury’s still out on the Golden Bears, but the Mustangs have some serious work to do.

The Ugly: Syracuse’s home outings, Virginia Tech’s season outlook

You have to play pretty poorly to make the “ugly” category with a 3-0 record. Even while playing at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse has now won three buy games against Le Moyne, Colgate, and Youngstown State by a combined 15 points, the last of which they won in double-overtime after recovering from a nine-point halftime deficit. Luckily for the Orange, their struggles have coincided with the commitment of Carmelo Anthony’s son, Kiyan, the 34th ranked player and sixth-ranked shooting guard in the Class of 2025 according to 247Sports. Syracuse’s lack of depth may come back to haunt them in tougher non-conference play, with Texas and No. 11 Tennessee on the horizon. That’s a stark contrast from home matchups against mid-majors.

Virginia Tech couldn’t have dreamt of a worse offseason, and that outcome is rearing its ugly head early into the 2024-25 campaign. Coach Mike Young lost a commitment from ex-UTSA guard Jordan Ivy-Curry (18.7 PPG at UCF) and suffered a blow with the departure of Temple’s Hysier Miller (10.6 PPG) prior to the season’s start. A program that shocked the ACC with a tournament title in 2021-22 is now staring down a turbulent year with few returners scattered throughout the roster, and a three-game stretch in December against Michigan, Vanderbilt, and Pitt won’t be a welcome respite for a team that just lost by 22 to Penn State on a neutral court.

One could argue that Georgia Tech’s 2-2 merits a spot in the “ugly” category, but I still believe their talent level is head and shoulders above the Hokies. Young will have his hands full.