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

William Smythe | Dec 2, 2024

Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Prior to the start of the second iteration of the ACC/SEC Challenge, let’s recap this past week of hoops in the Atlantic Coast Conference and unveil our ACC Basketball Power Rankings. Notice the jump in average strength of schedule among the top four teams, who all participated in a non-conference tournament during Feast Week.

ACC Basketball Power Rankings - December 2nd

1. Duke (4-2), SOS: 51
2. Pitt (7-1), SOS: 67
3. North Carolina (4-3), SOS: 11
4. Louisville (5-2), SOS: 60
5. Clemson (7-1), SOS: 260
6. Wake Forest (7-2), SOS: 288
7. NC State (5-2), SOS: 303
8. Florida State (7-1), SOS: 249
9. California (7-1), SOS: 328
10. Virginia (5-2), SOS: 280
11. SMU (6-2), SOS: 275
12. Syracuse (4-2), SOS: 254
13. Stanford (6-2), SOS: 321
14. Notre Dame (4-4), SOS: 151
15. Georgia Tech (4-3), SOS: 332
16. Miami (3-4), SOS: 338
17. Boston College (6-2), SOS: 314
18. Virginia Tech (3-4), SOS: 205

The Good: Louisville’s Battle 4 Atlantis, Pitt’s buzzer-beater, Clemson’s Daytona Beach success 

In a relatively down week for the conference, Louisville — an eight-win team last season — emerged from Feast Week with a 2-1 record with wins over then-No. 14 Indiana (by 38) and West Virginia in the Bahamas. Now, the Cardinals didn’t get the job done against an undefeated Oklahoma in the championship, but they outperformed expectations. There’s still some lingering questions about the “alpha” within a roster that was completely overhauled in the offseason. Wisconsin transfer Chucky Hepburn (14.6 PPG, 4.0 SPG), however, has passed every test thus far. We’ll know if the Cardinals are truly a threat if they can upend a ranked Ole Miss on Tuesday. 

Pitt has frequently appeared under the “good” category of the ACC, so the conference and the Panthers ought to be proud. A buzzer-beater win over Ohio State answered the question of whether Coach Jeff Capel’s crew could rally in an away environment against a high-caliber opponent, and it also highlighted the impact play of X-factor and senior forward Zack Austin — a 16-point scorer in this contest who also logged 37 minutes off of the bench. With Florida State transfer Cam Corhen (12.1 PPG) mired in foul trouble, the veteran Austin answered the call. Pitt will have another test ahead of them at Mississippi State.

Clemson’s strength of schedule is still shoddy, no doubt. They’ve handled business against everyone besides Boise State — ranked 48th in KenPom — and defeated a previously undefeated Penn State in the Sunshine Slam Championship. Perhaps wins over the Nittany Lions and a mid-major in San Francisco meriting a spot on this list isn’t a terrific sign for the conference. The Tigers have a massive opportunity to move the needle against No. 6 Kentucky Tuesday night — a home game. We should have a better idea of where they stand afterwards.

The Bad: Virginia Tech’s Fort Myers Experience, North Carolina in Maui, Boston College

Poor Virginia Tech. The ‘Hoos didn’t fare too well in Fort Myers last season, and the Hokies didn’t make good use of their vacation either. They dropped both matchups to Michigan and South Carolina by double-digits. Who knows if the NIL situation in Blacksburg will take its toll on Coach Mike Young to the same extent as Bennett; regardless, a woeful season seems to be inevitable for the Hokies. They’ll have some long-term questions to answer in their athletics department, much like the ‘Hoos.

North Carolina should be fine. However, a 4-3 record and a lack of a marquee win isn’t ideal with No. 10 Alabama coming to town this week and No. 15 Florida on the horizon. The Tar Heels managed to best Dayton in a back-and-forth affair in Maui — a quintessential game from fifth-year RJ Davis (30 points) — but they didn’t stand a chance against No. 2 Auburn and couldn’t finish the job against Michigan State. Where has touted Belmont transfer Cade Tyson been? The 6’7 forward hasn’t often seen the floor, while Carolina’s frontcourt concerns could be further exposed against a deep Alabama roster. 

If not for three of their ACC companions, the Boston College Eagles would find themselves in the ugly this week. After beating Boise State (who defeated Clemson) in the Cayman Islands Classic Championship, the Eagles lost to Dartmouth. The Big Green broke a three-game losing streak against the likes of Albany, Boston University, and Marist with a five-point win over an ACC opponent. That is unbelievably bad. Now, Dartmouth could surprise some folks and use the Boston College victory as a springboard, but that’s not helping the Eagles’ case. They desperately need a bounceback against South Carolina at home.

The Ugly: Stanford’s two-game skid, Notre Dame’s injury problem, Miami’s week from hell

No, not you Stanford! After posting back-to-back appearances on the Good list, the Cardinal fell with a thud this week. A seven-point loss to an NCAA Tournament team — Grand Canyon — is excusable, but one to Cal Poly is not. There isn’t much room for error on the Cardinal’s non-conference slate because of its relative weakness, and I’m sure that Coach Kyle Smith didn’t foresee a loss to the Mustangs after a 6-0 start. How heavy is the burden that senior center Maxime Raynaud (23.4 PPG, 11.6 APG) can possibly carry? While on the outside looking in with regards to the ACC/SEC Challenge, they’ll have to gear up for the upcoming rivalry against California and a dual with another former Pac-12 foe in Oregon. 

Notre Dame, one of my preseason sleepers, may just be suffering from a brutal non-conference stretch and bad luck; after all, star sophomore guard Markus Burton (21.4 PPG) went down with a knee injury against Rutgers and is currently week-to-week with no specified date of return. Losing Burton has evidently come with consequences, as the Irish lost their last four to Elon, Rutgers, Houston, and Creighton, which would be understandable outside of last Saturday’s defeat against the Phoenix. However, there’s no respite with an away assignment at Georgia —  a seven-win team that beat St. John’s — Tuesday night. Would the tournament selection committee forgive Notre Dame for these early losses if Burton returns and leads the Irish to a strong year in ACC play? It’s not a given.

Miami is in the worst spot of these three. Things have spiraled out of control in Coach Jim Larrañaga's last two years in South Florida, with the ‘Canes finishing 6-14 in-conference after reaching the Final Four the season prior. Now, they’re 3-4 and have just lost to a 2-7 Charleston Southern team that lost by double-digits to UT-Rio Grande Valley and VMI. An upcoming three-game stretch against Arkansas, Clemson, and Tennessee could result in a 3-7 start for a roster that is still chock-full of talent. Whatever happened to senior guard Matthew Cleveland (8.6 PPG), and how has five-star freshman Jalil Bethea (6.3 PPG) not yet played a significant role? This might be Larranaga’s last year coaching college basketball.

Read last week's edition of the ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly