ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 12

No movement in the top three, Virginia Tech rising

I wrote at the beginning of power rankings a few weeks ago what my criteria is. Click here to check it out.

Not a ton of movement in this week's power rankings after an exciting week of league play. This is how the ACC standings look with February right around the corner:

ACC Standings

1. Clemson Tigers (18-4, 10-1 ACC)
2. Virginia Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2)
3. Pitt Panthers (15-7, 8-3)
4. North Carolina Tar Heels (15-6, 7-3)
T5. NC State Wolfpack (17-5, 7-4)
T5. Miami Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4)
7. Duke Blue Devils (15-6, 6-4)
T8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-8 6-5)
T8. Syracuse Orange (13-9, 6-5)
10. Florida State Seminoles (7-15, 5-6
11. Boston College Eagles (10-12, 4-7)
12. Virginia Tech Hokies (13-8, 3-7)
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-12, 2-9)
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-13, 1-10)
15. Louisville Cardinals (2-19, 0-10)

The computer models continue to rank ACC as the weakest power six conference. KenPom only has one ACC school in the top 25.

KenPom Rankings

1. Virginia Cavaliers - 13th in Division I (18th Offensive Efficiency, 25th Defensive)
2.Duke Blue Devils - 28th (31st Off, 37th Def)
3. North Carolina Tar Heels - 31st (25th Off, 53rd Def)
4. Miami Hurricanes - 39th (12th Off, 110th Def)
5. Virginia Tech Hokies- 50th (40th Off, 64th Def)
6. NC State Wolfpack - 52nd (45th Off, 62nd Def)
7. Clemson Tigers - 59th (74th Off, 52nd Def)
8. Pitt Panthers - 67th (55th Off, 86th Def)
9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons - 74th (28th Off, 167th Def)
10. Syracuse Orange - 86th (62nd Off, 127th Def)
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 156th (68th Off, 283rd Def)
12. Florida State Seminoles - 158th (128th Off, 200th Def)
13. Boston College Eagles - 183rd (253rd Off, 117th Def)
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets - 197th (236th Off, 149th Def)
15. Louisville Cardinals - 300th (313th Off, 258th Def)

Power Rankings

1. Virginia Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2)

Last week: 1

Last week’s results: W 76-57 vs Boston College

Virginia had a bye this week, and had six days to prepare for a home matchup with Boston College. Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner both scored 18, and Reece Beekman added 11 with eight assists. That makes six-straight wins for Tony Bennett’s group, whose only two ACC losses (at Miami and at Pitt) were by a combined margin of five points. Virginia remains the top team in the league and the favorite to win the regular season title (-135 on DraftKings).

Up next: 1/30 at Syracuse, 2/4 at Virginia Tech

2. North Carolina Tar Heels (15-6, 7-3)

Last week: 2

Last week’s results: W 72-68 at Syracuse

The Tar Heels held a narrow lead for the majority of the game against Syracuse, before finding themselves trailing by two with under a minute to go. However, they were able to capitalize on some late miscues by the Orange and escape with a win. Pete Nance led the way with 21 points, while Bacot added 18 and eight rebounds. Excluding the Jan. 10 loss at Virginia when Armando Bacot got hurt, North Carolina has won 10 of their last 11 games. There are still plenty of question marks about this group, but they’ve been playing winning basketball and have the best player in the ACC.

Up next: 2/1 vs Pitt, 2/4 at Duke

3. Clemson Tigers (18-4, 10-1)

Last week: 3

Last week’s results: W 72-51 vs Georgia Tech, W 82-81 at Florida State

Clemson turned in another impressive week, dominating Georgia Tech at home and eking out an impressive shorthanded road win over Florida State. The Tigers are also winners of 10 of their last 11 games. Clemson trailed by two with eight seconds remaining against the Seminoles, but Chase Hunter drove to the cup and converted a game-winning and-one bucket. Hunter hadn’t played since the Jan. 14 win over Duke, and went for 26 points in his return to action. Hunter Tyson scored 27 and drilled six three-pointers, while PJ Hall added 17. The Tigers are still playing without Alex Hemenway, and were without Brevin Galloway on Saturday because of a… medical reason. Tyson and Hall have been consistently excellent, but Brad Brownell’s group needs to get healthy ASAP if they want to stay on top of Virginia in the standings.

Up next: 1/31 at Boston College, 2/4 vs Miami

4. Miami Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4)

Last week: 5

Last week’s results: W 86-63 at Florida State, L 71-68 at Pitt

Miami’s offense exploded in the win over Florida State on Tuesday, ending their nine game losing streak against the Seminoles. Nijel Pack and Isaiah Wong each scored 18 points and knocked down four three-pointers, and every starter scored at least 12 points. The Hurricanes had 26 assists as a team. Against Pitt on Saturday, Miami led by eight with two-and-a-half minutes remaining, but Pitt closed the game on an 11-0 run to win it. Miami is 3-4 in their last seven games, but three of those losses were by three or fewer points. Jim Larrañaga’s team has come so close to adding some nice road wins to the resume, but has struggled to finish out games away from home. This is still a very good team capable of winning games in March.

Up next: 1/31 vs Virginia Tech, 2/4 at Clemson

5. Duke Blue Devils (15-6, 6-4)

Last week: 4

Last week’s results: L 78-75 at Virginia Tech, W 86-43 at Georgia Tech

Kyle Filipowski’s 29 points weren’t enough to put the Blue Devils over the top in Blacksburg on Monday. Dariq Whitehead injured his leg in the loss, which held him out for Saturday’s game vs Georgia Tech. Duke gave the Yellow Jackets the ‘ole double up special, winning by 43. The Blue Devils split this week moved their true road game record to 2-4 on the season. Of note: Duke is No. 1 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage. The Whitehead injury stings, but Jon Scheyer still has plenty of talent at his disposal as his team saddles up for an important two-game home stretch this week against in-state rivals.

Up next: 1/31 vs Wake Forest, 2/4 vs North Carolina

6. Pitt Panthers (15-7, 8-3)

Last week: 8

Last week’s results: W 81-79 vs Wake Forest, W 71-68 vs Miami

This veteran Pitt team fought their way to two important wins at home this week, strengthening their NCAA Tournament resume and moving to third place in the ACC. The Panthers set a program record with 18 made three-pointers in the win over Wake Forest. Blake Hinson scored 24 and was responsible for eight of the triples. Hinson kept things rolling in the comeback win over Miami, scoring 21 points and drilling five more three-pointers. Jamarius Burton added 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, continuing to strengthen his case as a First Team All-ACC candidate.

Up next: 2/1 at North Carolina

7. NC State Wolfpack (17-5, 7-4)

Last week: 7

Last week’s results: W 85-85 vs Notre Dame, W 79-77 at Wake Forest

The Wolfpack went 2-0 this week and are now winners of six of their last seven. Jarkel Joiner exploded for 28 in the win over Notre Dame on Tuesday, and although they only won by three, NC State held the lead for the final 16 and half minutes of the game. Kevin Keatts’ group played from behind for most of the game Saturday in Winston-Salem, but was able to secure a big-time road victory on the back of DJ Burns’ career-high 31 points. What Keatts has done with this team without Jack Clark and Dusan Mahorcic is very impressive. It appears that they both might return to the lineup soon, which will make this team even more dangerous.

Up next: 2/1 vs Florida State, 2/4 vs Georgia Tech

8. Virginia Tech Hokies (13-8, 3-7)

Last week: 10

Last week’s results: W 78-75 vs Duke, W 85-70 vs Syracuse

The Hokies finally got back in the win column this week after a brutal seven-game losing streak. Grant Basile was fantastic this week, going for 24 points and seven rebounds against Duke, and 25 points and five assists against Syracuse. Hunter Cattoor’s presence has revitalized Mike Young’s team, and they are starting to look like the team that started this season 11-1 again. Cattoor knocked down six triples on his way to 20 points against Syracuse, and then added 16 points and five long balls against Duke. The Hokies have two huge quad one opportunities coming up this week.

Up next: 1/31 at Miami, 2/4 vs Virginia

9. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14-8, 6-5)

Last week: 6

Last week’s results: 1/25 L at Pitt, 1/21 L vs NC State

It was a rough week for the Demon Deacons, who have now lost three straight games. Tyree Appleby’s game winning three-point attempt clanged off the rim on Wednesday in Wake Forest’s loss to Pitt. On Saturday, the Deacs simply had no answer defensively for DJ Burns, allowing a crucial home game slip that they controlled for the most part to slip away. Tyree Appleby’s early-season efficiency has gone out the window as of late, especially from three-point range. Across the last five games, he’s shooting 7-37 (18.9%) from long distance. Wake’s NCAA Tournament hopes took a huge hit this week, and with both of this week’s games coming away from home, things aren’t getting any easier.

Up next: 1/31 at Duke, 2/4 at Notre Dame

10. Syracuse Orange (13-9, 6-5)

Last week: 9

Last week’s results: L 72-68 vs North Carolina, L 85-70 at Virginia Tech

Syracuse was oh-so-close to taking down North Carolina at the Carrier Dome on Tuesday, but two crucial late-game missteps proved too costly. Joe Girard saved the ball from going out of bounds under the Orange basket which led to a dunk for Pete Nance, and with a chance to tie or take the lead eight seconds later, Judah Mintz was called for a flagrant offensive foul. Mintz went for 21 points and eight assists in the loss at Virginia Tech on Saturday, but the 2-3 zone was no match for the Hokies sharpshooting. Syracuse can beat plenty of the teams ahead of them in the power rankings on any given night, but they are far too inconsistent because of their youth.

Up next: 1/30 vs Virginia, 2/4 at Boston College

11. Florida State Seminoles (7-15, 5-6)

Last week: 11

Last week’s results: L 86-63 vs Miami, L 82-81 vs Clemson

Florida State came up empty on a two-game homestand this week against two of the best teams in the conference. Against Miami, things got out of control fast. The Seminoles trailed by 20 less than eight minutes into the game, and never made things interesting. Against shorthanded Clemson, Leonard Hamilton’s unit started slow once again, quickly falling behind 16-2. This time, Florida State stormed back, and put themselves in a position to win before Clemson’s late game heroics. It’s surprising that Hamilton hasn’t been able to get his guys to play better on the defensive end, but things are definitely starting to improve offensively. The Seminoles knocked down 13 threes in the loss Saturday, and Baba Miller scored a season-high 11 points. Safe to say this is the best seven-win team in the country, though.

Up next: 2/1 at NC State, 2/4 at Louisville

12. Boston College Eagles (10-12, 4-7)

Last week: 12

Last week’s results: W 75-65 vs Louisville, L 76-57 at Virginia

Boston College was close to achieving the impossible on Wednesday — losing to Louisville. The Eagles closed the game on a 17-7 run and were able to win by double digits. In Charlottesville on Saturday, Earl Grant’s team was fantastic for the opening 10 minutes, but Virginia settled in defensively and controlled the second half. Quentin Post continues to play like an All-ACC level player, but there simply isn’t enough going on around him. Over his last three games, Post is averaging an incredible 25.0 points and 8.7 rebounds. If the supporting cast can start hitting some more shots, don’t be surprised if BC pulls off a few upsets down the stretch.

Up next: 1/31 vs Clemson, 2/4 vs Syracuse

13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-12, 2-9)

Last week: 13

Last week’s results: L 85-82 at NC State, W 76-62 vs Louisville

Notre Dame put up a valiant fight against NC State, but couldn’t secure that elusive first road win of the season. On Saturday, JJ Starling scored 22 points in the 14-point home win over Louisville. All the Fighting Irish have to show for so far during Mike Brey’s last season are home wins over the two worst teams in the conference. The ninth-best offense in the conference (in KenPom adjusted efficiency) hasn’t come close to offsetting the last-place defense.

Up next: 2/4 vs Wake Forest

14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-13, 1-10)

Last week: 14

Last week’s results: L 72-51 at Clemson, L 86-43 at Duke

How did this team beat Miami back on Jan. 4? The Yellow Jackets have lost seven straight, the last five of which all came by 11 points or more. This team can’t do anything right offensively. They only attempted 10 total free throws in the two losses this week.

Up next: 2/1 at Louisville, 2/4 at NC State

15. Louisville Cardinals (2-19, 0-11)

Last week: 15

Last week’s results: L 75-65 at Boston College, L 76-62 at Notre Dame

Louisville hosts Georgia Tech at home on Wednesday. This is the chance. Kenny Payne has to be licking his chops.

Up next: 2/1 vs Georgia Tech, 2/4 vs Florida State

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