ACC Basketball: Week One Power Rankings
College Basketball season is underway and the ACC has seen some interesting games have taken place over the first week. How do the first edition of ACC Power Rankings look after one week?
1. Wake Forest (3-0): The Demon Deacons are on the heels of a massive win over Michigan, and Steve Forbes looks on track to getting Wake Forest their third 20-win season under him since his arrival in 2020
2. UNC (1-1): An Elliot Cadeau three-pointer is all that is separating the Tar Heels from a possible number-one spot in the polls. UNC looks in fine kettle to be around the top of the ACC all season long.
3. Duke (2-0): Two dominant wins, spearheaded by freshmen Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg, ensure that Tuesday's matchup against no.23 Kentucky will test this young, but promising side.
4. Miami (2-0): While back-to-back wins to open up a non-conference schedule is not usually good enough in the ACC to earn many plaudits, Miami's 65-point margin of victory is.
5. Clemson (2-0): The Tigers start undefeated but not without close games in what Brad Brownell hopes to be his third consecutive year of 20+ wins.
6. Pittsburgh (2-0): Does Pitt deserve to be this high this early? Probably not, but they are one of the few teams left that has handled their early-season games without problems.
7. SMU (2-0): The Mustangs have entered the ACC with a smooth transition thus far, and while in the long run, they may fall off, after two big wins, they deserve a top-half spot for now.
8. Stanford (2-0) : Two big wins against poor opposition bring them into a pack that sees them jumbled in with squads who are yet to face a real test and fail.
9. Virginia Tech (2-0): The Hokies struggled in both first halves of their opening two fixtures, yet strong second twenties mean Mike Young's side remains undefeated.
10. NC State (2-0): The reigning ACC champs are off to a decent start, a nine-point win against Presbyterian is an unexpected hiccup but there is yet to be a real conclusion on this season's early portion.
11. Florida State (2-0): Leonard Hamilton's side have stumbled out the blocks with an only 20-point margin between Northern Kentucky and Rice.
12. UVA (1-0): The Cavaliers are obviously stronger talent-wise than many of the teams above them. However, following a close nine-point win against Campbell and a long-term head coach search that still has question marks above it, they are summoned to the bottom half of the ACC polls this week.
13. Notre Dame (1-0): The Fighting Irish continue to be a side that leave analysts confused on where they will finish. a near 30-point season-openeing win may point them higher in this list. However, this is a team that will be caught in the middle for a mjority of this season.
14. California (2-0): The Golden Bears, have a team that was projected towards the bottom of the ACC, and thus far, Cal has struggled to form large victories and will likely be peaking around this area all season long.
15. Syracuse (1-0): A four-point win over Le Moyne should obviously be a lot bigger of a margin for a ball club looking to rebuild from the Boeheim era. This will likely be as low as the 'Cuse hit this season, but Le Moyne was a point of worry that should be forgotten about in future games.
16. Louisville (1-1): The Cardinals are embarking on a new future with head coach Pat Kelsey; Kelsey and his squad fell to no.22 Tennessee in a game that had the Volunteers eventually stroll to a 22-point victory.
17. Georgia Tech (1-1): The YellowJackets are a team I thought would be a dark horse in the ACC, certainly not to win it, but to pull off some big wins and to rattle a few feathers come ACC Tournament time, for sure. but a loss to red-hot North Florida tanks them on this list, for now.
18. Boston College (1-1): The Eagles were a side picked apart over the summer losing, Quinten Post, and Devin McGlockton. So far a nine-point win over Citadel and a 25-point loss to VCU foreshadows a season full of struggle.
Additional Links:
Virginia Tech Football: Kickoff Time For Week 13 Matchup vs Duke Announced
