Sam Bass gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 6 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week: #9 North Carolina vs. #14 Kentucky (Dec. 16 – 5:30 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: NC State vs. #12 Tennessee
All games listed are EST.
1) Clemson Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 2
Record: 9-0
Last week: W vs. South Carolina (72-67), W vs. TCU (74-66)
Next week: at Memphis (Dec. 16 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Alabama, at Pittsburgh, South Carolina, TCU, Davidson
Bad losses: N/A
Clemson continues to play hot, beating in-state rival South Carolina before winning a really gutsy neutral floored game against TCU. Despite Chase Hunter putting up a goose egg, Ian Schieffelin went for 14 and Joe Girard III led all scorers with 21 in the win over the Horned Frogs. Clemson will continue to be tested, traveling to Memphis to face off with a red-hot squad on Saturday.
2) North Carolina Tar Heels
Last week’s ranking: 1
Record: 7-2
Last week: L vs. #5 UConn (87-76)
Next week: vs. #14 Kentucky (Dec. 16 – 5:30 p.m., in ATL)
Quality wins: Tennessee, Arkansas
Bad losses: N/A
UNC lost a tough contest to UConn at Madison Square Garden, and they have a quick turnaround to play Kentucky in a brutal stretch. The Tar Heels have to win Saturday to solidify themselves as a legitimate championship contender, as this is a perfect opportunity to boost their resume.
3) Virginia Cavaliers
Last week’s ranking: 4
Record: 8-1
Last week: W vs. NC Central (77-47)
Next week: vs. Northeastern (Dec. 16 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas A&M, Florida
Bad Losses: N/A
Virginia looks to have regained their shooting touch, going 9-21 from beyond the arc in the lone contest this week. Isaac McKneely continued to shine, again knocking down six triples and notching 22 points. Reece Beekman and Ryan Dunn also will be competing with each other not only for ACC DPOY but possibly at the national level as well.
4) Miami Hurricanes
Last week’s ranking: 3
Record: 7-2
Last week: W vs. Long Island (97-49), L vs. Colorado (90-63)
Next week: vs. La Salle (Dec. 16 – Noon)
Quality wins: Kansas State, UCF
Bad losses: N/A
Miami got boat raced by Colorado in New York City Sunday evening, losing by 27. It was a disappointing showing by the Hurricanes, who could have used a win after getting mopped by Kentucky the week before. Miami continues to slip, and, unfortunately, conference play is the only opportunity for them to pick up any sort of quality wins now.
5) Duke Blue Devils
Last week’s ranking: 5
Record: 6-3
Last week: W vs. Charlotte (80-56)
Next week: vs. Hofstra (Dec. 12 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Michigan State
Bad losses: N/A
What better remedy after losing two road games than to schedule two home-buy matchups? Duke got back on the worse with an easy win over Charlotte and will square off with Hofstra before a tricky test against Baylor the following week. Duke looks like superstars against these mid-major foes, as they should, but the question remains: can they execute at that level against a power six team?
6) North Carolina State Wolfpack
Last week’s ranking: 6
Record: 6-2
Last week: W vs. Maryland-Eastern Shore (93-61)
Next week: vs. UT Martin (Dec. 12 – 7 p.m.), vs. #12 Tennessee (Dec. 16 – 10 p.m., in San Antonio)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
NC State had a nice bounce-back week after a rocky one the week before, setting them up for a matchup with a very solid Tennessee squad. The offense is still concerning for Kevin Keatts’ squad, as that is what the Wolfpack relies on. If it is not firing on all cylinders, the defense cannot pick up the slack, which is concerning when facing a long and athletic team like the Vols.
7) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Last week’s ranking: 7
Record: 5-3
Last week: L vs. Georgia (76-62), W vs. Alabama A&M (70-49)
Next week: vs. Penn State (Dec. 16 – Noon, in NYC)
Quality wins: Duke, Mississippi State
Bad losses: UMass Lowell
“Heatcheck” is what I would describe GT’s loss to Georgia as. After an unimaginable week for the Yellow Jackets, beating Mississippi State and Duke, they fell on the road to in-state foe Georgia. Nonetheless, a GT squad that some thought would be playing close with Alabama A&M handled business soundly, which is a smaller win. Penn State on a neutral floor is another good opportunity for this team to make up some ground on their resume.
8) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last week’s ranking: 9
Record: 6-3
Last week: W vs. Rutgers (76-57), W vs. NJIT (83-59)
Next week: No games
Quality wins: Florida, Rutgers
Bad losses: N/A
Wake continues to trend up in these rankings, beating Rutgers soundly earlier this week. The Demon Deacons have a little break for exams now and will return to action with a couple of buy games before beginning conference play.
9) Virginia Tech Hokies
Last week’s ranking: 8
Record: 7-3
Last week: W vs. Valparaiso (71-50)
Next week: vs. Vermont (Dec. 16 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Iowa State
Bad losses: N/A
VT handled business easily against Valpo, winning by 21 at home. Their attention now shifts to Saturday, when a Vermont team that is always solid comes to town. This is VT’s hardest remaining game before conference play, and an excellent opportunity to gain some confidence before competing for a conference title.
10) Syracuse Orange
Last week’s ranking: 10
Record: 7-3
Last week: W vs. Cornell (81-70), W vs. Georgetown (80-68)
Next week: Oregon (Dec. 17 – 1 p.m., in Sioux Falls)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Syracuse made a bit of a statement, winning a classic rivalry game on the road Saturday morning. Judah Mintz and JJ Starling combined for 46 points on 14-26 shooting. Mintz got to the charity stripe 15 times in the game, converting on 13 of those attempts. No surprise, but ‘Cuse will go as far as he takes them this year.
11) Boston College Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 13
Record: 8-3
Last week: W vs. CCSU (82-68), W vs. Holy Cross (95-64), W vs. St. John’s (86-80)
Next week: N/A
Quality wins: St. John’s, Richmond
Bad losses: Loyola Chicago
BC is starting to become a little sleeper in the ACC. Dismantling wins at home before a nice neutral site victory over Rick Pitino and St. John’s set the Eagles at a strong 8-3 record. Quinten Post has been dominant offensively and will provide teams nightmares on D. BC has one remaining non-conference game after a well-deserved break, and then will look to make noise in the ACC.
12) Pittsburgh Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 11
Record: 7-3
Last week: W vs. West Virginia (80-63), W vs. Canisius (82-71)
Next week: South Carolina State (Dec. 16 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
It was a nice bounce-back week for the Panthers, traveling to their former conference rival and handily winning the backyard brawl. Blake Hinson is making a strong case for ACC POTY, averaging 21.9 a game as well as 5.1 boards.
13) Florida State Seminoles
Last week’s ranking: 12
Record: 4-4
Last week: L vs. South Florida (88-72)
Next week: vs. SMU (Dec. 16 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: Colorado
Bad losses: South Florida
It was a rough week for the Seminoles, and that does not even include the loss on the hardwood. I doubt any FSU fans watched the loss to USF, as they were all busy writing angry letters to the CFP committee. But, they still lost and dropped .500 with only a few more games until the ACC schedule hits full swing. They play host to future ACC team SMU on Saturday, which should actually prove to be a decent matchup.
14) Louisville Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 14
Record: 4-5
Last week: L vs. DePaul (75-68)
Next week: Arkansas State (Dec. 13 – 8 p.m.), Pepperdine (Dec. 17 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Chattanooga, DePaul
The battle of the bottom is what I am nicknaming Louisville’s contest with DePaul, which the Cardinals lost on the road. Although Louisville is better than last year, they still remain a weak link in the ACC, and it looks to be another rebuilding season.
15) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last week’s ranking: 15
Record: 4-5
Last week: W vs. Western Michigan (86-65), L vs. #8 Marquette (78-59)
Next week: vs. Georgetown (Dec. 16 – 2:15 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Western Carolina
ND picked up a nice home win to get back to .500, and then promptly fell on the road to Marquette. The positive is that ND is beating the teams they should, something they have had trouble doing the last few seasons. Georgetown travels to South Bend for an interesting matchup, and Notre Dame has a chance to pick up another Power 6 win before conference play.
[…] Last week’s ranking: 1 […]