ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 6

The top of the rankings remain consistent this week

1. Duke (10-2)

Last week: 1

Last week’s results: None

The Blue Devils enjoyed a week off after a jam-packed non-conference slate. With Virginia’s offense slowing down, this group looks like the team to beat in the ACC in year one for Jon Scheyer. The fact that the Blue Devils have gotten off to such a hot start when their two star recruits are averaging a combined 11.1 points per game is pretty surprising. If Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead blossom in the way they are expected to, this team could live in the AP top 10 this season.

Up next: 12/20 at Wake Forest

2. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1)

Last week: 2

Last week’s results: 69-61 L vs No. 5 Houston

I moved Virginia down to the No. 2 spot before this game because of their inability to win more convincingly against James Madison and Florida State. The Cavaliers dropped their first game of the year on Saturday on their home court to a national title contender in No. 5 Houston. Both teams are known for their connectivity and intensity on the defensive end, but the Cougars looked like the slightly more impressive group on both sides of the ball. Houston connected on 8-21 (38.1%) from three-point land while Virginia continued to prove that their hot start from deep at the beginning of the season was a tease with a 6-22 (27.3%) performance. Over this three game homestand, Virginia is 16-66 (24.2%) from distance. Tony Bennett has a legitimate group, but if they don’t start shooting the ball better they will continue to be beatable. If Ohio transfer Ben Vander Plas and freshman Isaac McKneely can provide more scoring juice off the bench, it could take Virginia back to title contender status.

Up Next: 12/20 at No. 25 Miami

3. Virginia Tech Hokies (11-1)

Last week: 3

Last week’s results: 74-48 W vs Grambling

The Hokies continue to take care of business, notching a 26-point win over Grambling on Saturday. Sean Pedulla turned in another strong effort, with 21 points, six assists and five rebounds. Virginia Tech’s only loss this season was a two-point defeat at the hands of 11-1 Charleston, who also sit at 11-1 and have only been beaten by UNC on the road. The Hokies move the ball well offensively and are improving on the defensive end as well. Mike Young is doing a tremendous job with this group and they are clearly an upper echelon team in the conference.

Up Next: 12/21 vs Boston College

4. North Carolina Tar Heels (7-4)

Last week: 5

Last week’s results 100-67 W vs The Citadel, 89-84 OT W vs Ohio State

It took some second-half miracles, but North Carolina was able to come away with a win over Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The Buckeyes led for most of the game and held a double-digit lead with under seven minutes to play. An incredible fadeaway jumper from Pete Nance sent the game to overtime at the buzzer, where the Tar Heels pulled out the victory. Armando Bacot turned in another star outing, scoring 28 points and pulling down 15 rebounds. RJ Davis and Caleb Love combined for 43 points and 11 assists. Scoring only three points off the bench is a familiar problem, and this group needs to find some consistency, but UNC remains a scary opponent with plenty of firepower.

Up Next: 12/21 vs Michigan

5. Miami Hurricanes (11-1)

Last week: 4

Last week’s results: 91-76 W vs St. Francis PA

With Nijel Pack out sick, the Hurricanes still handled St. Francis at home with another strong offensive performance. Isaiah Wong continued the stellar play that earned him the USBWA’s Player of the Week Award last week, with a 22 point, 10- assist, five-rebound, three-steal, three-block effort. Stepping up in the absence of Pack, sophomore Wooga Poplar scored a career high 20 points. He’s an intriguing guard who has the talent to add another dimension to this already potent backcourt. This game was tied at 37 at halftime, though, and Miami continues to display weakness on the defensive end. They are KenPom’s 12th ranked offense, but sit at 123rd in defense. That’s enough for me to move them down a spot with Carolina stepping back into rhythm.

Up Next: 12/20 vs Virginia

6. NC State Wolfpack (10-3)

Last week: 6

Last week’s results: 92-73 W vs Furman, 70-66 W vs Vanderbilt

Kevin Keatts’ group picked up two more wins this week over some decent opponents. NC State dominated a top-100 KenPom team in Furman, and while Vanderbilt is 5-6, that’s still a road win against an SEC opponent. With big man Dusan Mahorcic out with injury, Winthrop transfer DJ Burns has stepped up in elevated minutes. The smooth bruiser went for 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes in the win over Vanderbilt. Terquavion Smith continues to impress, scoring a combined 40 points in the two wins. The story of this team so far this season has been the emergence of Casey Morsell. The senior has nearly doubled his scoring average from last season (7.2 to 13.4 points per game), and he’s done it while being incredibly efficient (50.8 FG%, 46.6 3PT%).

Up Next: 12/22 vs Louisville

7. Clemson Tigers (9-3)

Last week: 7

Last week’s results: 85-57 W vs Richmond

Clemson bounced back from the bad 18-point loss to Loyola Chicago with a 28-point throttling of a top-100 squad in Richmond. The Tigers have a handful of guys who can light it up from three, and the team currently sits at 13th in the nation in three-point percentage (40.2%). Against Richmond, the Tigers made 12-26 (46.2%) of their attempts from beyond the arc. A veteran group that shoots the ball well from the perimeter is a recipe for success for Brad Brownell. Clemson is firmly entrenched as an upper-middle pack ACC team.

Up Next: 12/21 vs Georgia Tech

8. Syracuse Orange (7-4)

Last week: 10

Last week’s results: 86-71 W vs Monmouth, 78-63 W vs Cornell

The Orange rise in the power rankings for the second straight week after winning their fifth straight contest. Syracuse’s is averaging a 19.5-point margin of victory across the past four wins. While it hasn’t come against top competition, handling a Cornell team the way they did that took Miami down to the wire (107-105 was the score) is admirable. Judah Mintz led the way with 24 against Monmouth, and Joe Girard scored 19 against Cornell. Boeheim continues to play around with his young bench. 6-8 freshman Maliq Brown has seen an uptick in minutes recently, and turned in an 11-point, seven-rebound line against Monmouth.

Up Next: 12/20 vs Pitt

9. Pittsburgh Panthers (8-4)

Last week: 9

Last week’s results: 82-56 W vs North Florida

John Hugley has been a non-factor for the Pitt Panthers so far, which comes as a big surprise after the flashes of dominance he displayed during ACC play last year. There appears to be something going on behind the scenes, and getting him back to where he was will be a big lift. But, Jeff Capel might’ve found a gem in JuCo transfer Fede Federiko, the 6-11 athletic big man from Finland. Federiko went for 22 points, eight rebounds and three blocks in the win over North Florida, and 17, 14 and three in the win over Sacred Heart the Saturday prior. I’ve been saying it for a while now — Pitt has a very talented roster. If Capel coaches this group well, this team will make noise in the ACC. The upcoming trip to Syracuse will be a great litmus test.

Jeff Capel on John Hugley not being in uniform (but on the bench). "He's fine. It’s nothing physical. It’s nothing academic. It’s nothing off the court. Just dealing with some things. We support him. We want to help him." Capel said he doesn't know if Hugley will play Tuesday.

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) December 17, 2022

Up Next: 12/20 at Syracuse

10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (8-4)

Last week: 8

Last week’s results: 67-66 W vs Appalachian State, 81-57 L vs Rutgers

The Deacs drop two spots after being lucky to not be on a four-game losing streak. Andrew Carr’s beautiful buzzer beater helped Wake Forest escape App State at home with a win. Three days later was a tough test on the road against Rutgers, and Steve Forbes’ group was thoroughly dominated. The Scarlet Knights imposed their will on the defensive end and forced 22 turnovers, and Wake looked like a very vulnerable group. On the brightside, Tyree Appleby avoided a major injury after it seemed like he would miss time with an ankle problem. He left late in the App State game but was good to go vs Rutgers.

Up Next: 12/20 vs Duke

READ: Key Stats from Wake Forest's 81-57 loss to Rutgers

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-3)

Last week: 10

Last week’s results: 77-62 L vs Georgia

Notre Dame has been one of the biggest disappointments in the ACC this season. The Fighting Irish were handled easily by Georgia on Sunday by 15 points. They’ve fallen outside the top-100 in KenPom, and their 39th ranked offense hasn’t come close to outweighing their 223rd ranked defense. Notre Dame is the No. 1 team in the country in terms of taking care of the ball (8.9 turnovers per game), but second to last in turnovers forced (7.7). They turn the ball over less than every other team in the nation, and yet they don’t have a positive turnover margin. Incredible.

Up Next: 12/21 at Florida State

12. Florida State Seminoles (3-10)

Last week: 12

Last week’s results: 80-63 W vs USC Upstate, 93-79 L vs St. John’s

Is a Leonard Hamilton coached team really 3-10? The Seminoles beat a bad team at home on Tuesday (something they haven’t been doing) with a 17-point win over USC Upstate. The Seminoles couldn’t stop St. John’s in the Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday, letting a 11-19 (57.9%) shooting performance from deep completely go to waste. Hamilton has been forced to play guys big minutes with his lack of depth, this group doesn’t take care of the ball, and they don’t defend. I’m still anxious to see how much adding Baba Miller changes things, but this group obviously has plenty of flaws.

Up Next: 12/21 vs Notre Dame

13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (7-4)

Last week: 13

Last week’s results: 96-60 W vs Alabama State

Not a lot to say here, as 1-9 Alabama State is one of the most horrendous teams in Division I. I’ve made the claim that this is the least talented roster in the ACC, but this team does have depth and some interesting pieces in the backcourt. Josh Pastner has this group playing hard, and a great litmus test is upcoming when Clemson comes to town.

Up Next: 12/21 vs Clemson

14. Boston College Eagles (6-6)

Last week:14

Last week’s results: 63-56 W vs Stonehill

It’s pretty incredible that this group isn’t the worst in the ACC with the resume they have built. They finally got back in the win column with a 63-56 win over 4-8 Stonehill, but man has this group been disappointing. The way this team competed in the ACC Tournament made it seem like Earl Grant had something to build off going into this season. Looking at their upcoming schedule, I don’t see them winning again for a long time.

Up Next: 12/21 vs Virginia Tech

15. Louisville Cardinals (2-9)

Last week: 15

Last week’s results: 94-83 W vs Western Kentucky, 61-55 W vs FAMU

Two wins! In a row! Louisville basketball is back! The win over 8-2 Western Kentucky was a nice moment for Kenny Payne to finally get in the win column. But a six-point win over 2-7 FAMU proves that this team is still a mess. The Cardinals were 17.5 point favorites in that one.

Up Next: 12/20 vs Lipscomb, 12/22 at NC State.

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