Hunter Tyson, Clemson Tigers, ACC Basketball

Sam Bass gives his ACC basketball power rankings for week 10 of the 2022-23 college basketball season.

 

Matchup of the week: North Carolina vs. Virginia

Sneaky good matchup of the week: Duke vs. Clemson

All games listed are EST.

1) Miami Hurricanes

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 13-2 (4-1)

Last week: @ Georgia Tech (L) 70-76

Next week: Boston College (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), @ NC State (Jan. 14 – Noon)

Best wins: Virginia, Providence, Rutgers, NC State, @ UCF

Worst losses: @ Georgia Tech

Miami lost a road game to Georgia Tech to begin its 2023, which is not an ideal start. Nonetheless, the Hurricanes still have a 4-1 league record and only two losses overall. A road test Saturday at NC State can be tricky, but a win will solidify their standing at number 1.

2) Virginia Cavaliers

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 11-3 (3-2)

Last week: @ Pittsburgh (L) 65-68, Syracuse (W) 73-66

Next week: North Carolina (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), @ Florida State (Jan. 14 – 4 p.m.)

Best wins: Baylor, Illinois, @ Michigan

Worst losses: @ Pittsburgh

It was not an easy test for Virginia to go into Pitt to face the red-hot Panthers, but they had a 10-point lead at the half and lost. Virginia also led Syracuse by 23 at one point but allowed the Orange to claw back and make it a game in the final minutes. Virginia had thrived in the second half previous to this week, so the woes are concerning and something to keep an eye on.

3) Clemson Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)

Record: 13-3 (5-0)

Last week: @ Virginia Tech (W) 68-65, @ Pittsburgh (W) 75-74

Next week: Louisville (Jan. 11 – 9 p.m.), #16 Duke (Jan. 14 – 5 p.m.)

Best wins: Penn State, @ Pittsburgh, NC State, @ Virginia Tech

Worst losses: Loyola Chicago, South Carolina

Clemson is the lone undefeated ACC basketball team, and well deserved. The Tigers racked up two nice road wins this week, knocking off struggling VT and a surging Pitt. Chase Hunter and Hunter Tyson led Clemson with 14 points per game each this week.

4) Pittsburgh Panthers

Last week’s ranking: 8 (+4)

Record: 11-5 (4-1)

Last week: #11 Virginia (W) 68-65, Clemson (L) 74-75

Next week: @ #16 Duke (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), @ Georgia Tech (Jan. 14 – 3 p.m.)

Best wins: Virginia, North Carolina, @ NC State, @ Northwestern

Worst losses: @ Vanderbilt, VCU

Pitt could be a tournament team, at least they look like one now. They completed a nice comeback against Virginia, tearing apart the defense in the second half and picking up a signature win. Unfortunately, they fell just a point short of staying undefeated in conference play. Blake Hinson led the scoring for Pitt in their win over Virginia, scoring 16 and knocking down three of his seven attempts from beyond the arc.

5) Duke Blue Devils

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-2)

Record: 12-4 (3-2)

Last week: @ NC State (L) 60-84, @ Boston College (W) 65-64

Next week: Pittsburgh (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), @ Clemson (Jan. 14 – 5 p.m.)

Best wins: Xavier, Ohio State, Iowa

Worst losses: @ Wake Forest, @ NC State

This week was concerning for Duke fans. A throttling loss at NC State to start, only to escape BC by a point on Saturday. Duke desperately needs Jeremy Roach healthy, but even then, how much star power can Duke really rely on before they create cohesion?

6) North Carolina Tar Heels

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-2)

Record: 11-5 (3-2)

Last week: Wake Forest (W) 88-79, Notre Dame (W) 81-64

Next week: @ #11 Virginia (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), @ Louisville (Jan. 14 – 2 p.m.)

Best wins: Ohio State, Charleston, Michigan

Worst losses: @ Pitt

Unfortunately for UNC, the two wins they picked up were not as quality as those of the teams above them, so they slid down a few spots this week. In no way is that a knock on the Tar Heels, as they are playing better as the days go on. A road win against Virginia would surely help their case to slide into the top 3 of the ACC basketball power rankings next week.

7) North Carolina State Wolfpack

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-)

Record: 13-4 (3-3)

Last week: #16 Duke (W) 84-60, @ Virginia Tech (W) 73-69

Next week: #12 Miami (Jan. 14 – 12 p.m.)

Best wins: Duke, @ Virginia Tech, Dayton

Worst Losses: N/A

NC State picked up two very impressive wins this week, pummeling Duke and going to Blacksburg to take care of the Hokies. Hosting Miami is a big test for the Pack, who need to legitimize themselves as real contenders in the conference if they want any shot at an at-large bid.

8) Virginia Tech Hokies

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-3)

Record: 11-5 (1-4)

Last week: Clemson (L) 65-68, NC State (L) 69-73

Next week: @ Syracuse (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.)

Best wins: North Carolina, Penn State, Oklahoma State, Dayton

Worst losses: @ Boston College

Since their hot start, the Hokies have been sliding and doing so quickly. VT lost two more conference games this week, both at home. It is starting to seem like the Hokies’ quick start might have been a fluke, and that can be confirmed if they fall to Syracuse this week.

9) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Last week’s ranking: 9 (-)

Record: 11-5 (3-2)

Last week: @ North Carolina (L) 79-88, @ Louisville (W) 80-72

Next week: Florida State (Jan. 11 – 9 p.m.), @ Boston College (Jan. 14 – 8 p.m.)

Best wins: Duke, @ Wisconsin, Georgia

Worst losses: Loyola Marymount

Wake did not give UNC a great effort, but managed to hang out in a close game to beat Louisville on the road over the weekend. Granted, Louisville is not great, but a road game in the ACC is nothing to turn your head to. Wake Forest, although does not have much of a chance for an at-large at this point, can certainly make its way up to the top half of the league if they continue to compete.

10) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Last week’s ranking: 12 (+2)

Record: 8-7 (1-4)

Last week: #12 Miami (W) 76-70, @ Florida State (L) 64-75

Next week: @ Notre Dame (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), Pittsburgh (Jan. 14 – 3 p.m.)

Best wins: Miami (Fla), Georgia, Georgia State

Worst losses: @ Florida State

Georgia Tech has won one game in ACC basketball this year, and of course, it was against one of the league’s best teams. To top it off, they lost to one of the league’s worst teams not even a week later. Some consistency in Atlanta would be nice, but it seems like GT will just be a spoiler this season.

11) Syracuse Orange

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)

Record: 10-6 (3-2)

Last week: @ Louisville (W) 70-69, @ #11 Virginia (L) 66-73

Next week: Virginia Tech (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), Notre Dame (Jan. 14 – 7 p.m.)

Best wins: Notre Dame, Georgetown, Richmond

Worst losses: Colgate, Bryant

Syracuse had a valiant effort against Virginia over the weekend, clawing back from 23 down to make the Cavaliers sweat. However, they beat Louisville by only a point earlier in the week. Another confusing team, Syracuse has to find consistency from their top scorers. The Orange are 10-2 when Joe Girard scores 15 or more.

12) Florida State Seminoles

Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)

Record: 5-11 (3-2)

Last week: Georgia Tech (W) 75-64

Next week: @ Wake Forest (Jan. 11 – 9 p.m.), #11 Virginia (Jan. 14 – 4 p.m.)

Best wins: Mercer, Louisville, SC Upstate

Worst losses: Stetson, Troy, Siena

Florida State took advantage of GT’s win hangover over the weekend, knocking the Yellow Jackets off of their upset of Miami. Florida State had an awful start to its year but quietly sits in the middle of the pack in the ACC basketball standings. Could they beat Virginia in their own house?

13) Boston College Eagles

Last week’s ranking: 14 (+1)

Record: 8-8 (2-3)

Last week: Notre Dame (W) 70-63, #16 Duke (L) 64-65

Next week: @ #12 Miami (Jan. 11 – 7 p.m.), Wake Forest (Jan. 14 – 8 p.m.)

Best wins: Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Wyoming

Worst losses: Maine, Tarleton, New Hampshire

BC almost pulled out a great win over Duke but fell just short. The Eagles fell back to .500, and with games against Miami and Wake next week, they could very well stay at that mark.

14) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Last week’s ranking: 11 (-3)

Record: 8-8 (0-5)

Last week: @ Boston College (L) 63-70, @ North Carolina (L) 64-81

Next week: Georgia Tech (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), @ Syracuse (Jan. 14 – 7 p.m.)

Best wins: Michigan State, Bowling Green, Lipscomb

Worst losses: St. Bonaventure, Florida State, @ Boston College

The Mike Brey era in South Bend could be coming to an end in the foreseeable future. Notre Dame is now 0-5 in the ACC and looking like one of the conference’s worst teams. The only hope now for the Irish is to have a respectable end of the year so their head coach is not out of a job come next season.

15) Louisville Cardinals

Last week’s ranking: 15 (-)

Record: 2-14 (0-5)

Last week: Syracuse (L) 69-70, Wake Forest (L) 72-80

Next week: @ Clemson (Jan. 11 – 9 p.m.), North Carolina (Jan. 14 – 2 p.m.)

Best wins: Western Kentucky, Florida A&M

Worst losses: Bellarmine, Wright State, App State, Lipscomb

Louisville lost two games this week. Not much else to say, they face off with the conference’s hottest team and another top opponent this week, so two losses seem likely again. We waited almost a month for Louisville to get its first win of the season, how long will it take for their first conference win?

By Samuel Bass

Writing sports, college basketball, ACC hoops