Sam Bass gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 10 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week: #7 North Carolina vs. NC State (Jan. 10 – 8 p.m.)
Sneaky good matchup of the week: Virginia vs. Wake Forest (Jan. 13 – 2 p.m.)
All games listed are EST.
1) North Carolina Tar Heels
Last week’s ranking: 2
Record: 11-3 (3-0)
Last week: W @ Pittsburgh (70-57), W @ #16 Clemson (65-55)
Next week: @ NC State (Jan. 10 – 8 p.m.), vs. Syracuse (Jan. 13 – Noon)
Quality wins: Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, @ Clemson
Bad losses: N/A
North Carolina handled Pitt on the road before picking up an impressive road win over Clemson. Armando Bacot had the upper hand against PJ Hall in a matchup of the best centers in the ACC that did not disappoint. They travel to Raleigh for an in-state rivalry game against NC State to begin their week.
2) Duke Blue Devils
Last week’s ranking: 3
Record: 11-3 (2-1)
Last week: W vs. Syracuse (86-66), W @ Notre Dame (67-59)
Next week: @ Pittsburgh (Jan. 9 – 9 p.m.), vs. Georgia Tech (Jan. 13 – 5 p.m.)
Quality wins: Michigan State, Baylor
Bad losses: at Georgia Tech
Duke handled business this week and continue to improve. The biggest thing for Duke is now to avenge their loss to Georgia Tech earlier this season. Once that is done, Duke has the highest ceiling in the ACC and could very well run the table.
3) Miami Hurricanes
Last week’s ranking: 4
Record: 11-3 (2-1)
Last week: W vs. #16 Clemson (95-82), L @ Wake Forest (86-82)
Next week: vs. Louisville (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), @ Virginia Tech (Jan. 13 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas State, UCF, Clemson
Bad losses: N/A
Miami hosted and defeated Clemson in a shootout, but came back down with a loss at Wake Forest. In a week that started so hot, Miami was quickly reality checked with a road loss. Nonetheless, Miami looks like the best team off Tobacco Road in the ACC and will have two very winnable games this week, looking to improve to 4-1 in conference.
4) Clemson Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 1
Record: 11-3 (1-2)
Last week: L @ Miami (85-82), L vs. #8 North Carolina (65-55)
Next week: @ Virginia Tech (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Boston College (Jan. 13 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Alabama, at Pittsburgh, South Carolina, TCU, Davidson
Bad losses: N/A
Clemson fell hard, exposing that they are not quite at the top of the league yet. Losses to Miami and UNC shows that the Tigers are not yet at that level, but, they are still very capable of doing so. Games against VT and BC should make for a nice bounce back week.
5) North Carolina State Wolfpack
Last week’s ranking: 6
Record: 11-3 (3-0)
Last week: W @ Notre Dame (54-52), W vs. Virginia (76-60)
Next week: vs. #7 North Carolina (Jan. 10 – 8 p.m.), @ Louisville (Jan. 13 – Noon)
Quality wins: Saint Louis, Virginia
Bad losses: N/A
NC State narrowly escaped Notre Dame and then throttled Virginia. What a weird week. The Wolfpack played tremendously on their home court, shooting the lights out in the second half. Their defense was also disruptive to Virginia. They play host to seventh ranked UNC this week, hoping to pull off the upset and really make some noise at the top of the league.
6) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last week’s ranking: 9
Record: 11-3 (3-0)
Last week: W @ Boston College (84-78), W vs. Miami (86-82)
Next week: @ Florida State (Jan. 9 – 7 p.m.), vs. Virginia (Jan. 13 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Florida, Rutgers, Miami
Bad losses: N/A
Wake Forest might be the leagues hottest team right now. Wins against Boston College and Miami have the Demon Deacons at 3-0 in conference play and a quiet 11-3 overall. Hunter Sallis, Gonzaga transfer, is playing incredibly, averaging 18.4 on the year. Wake has four scorers averaging double figures.
7) Virginia Cavaliers
Last week’s ranking: 5
Record: 11-4 (2-2)
Last week: W vs. Louisville (77-53), L @ NC State (76-60)
Next week: @ Wake Forest (Jan. 13 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Texas A&M, Florida
Bad Losses: at Notre Dame
Virginia’s road struggles continued big time this week. After looking like they were back on track against Louisville, Virginia fell in a big way to NC State. Reece Beekman is the only Cavalier consistently attacking the rim and scoring, whereas the rest of the team seems timid in shooting the ball. Jordan Minor should be looking to get more run going forward.
8) Syracuse Orange
Last week’s ranking: 7
Record: 10-4 (1-2)
Last week: L @ #14 Duke (86-66)
Next week: vs. Boston College (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), @ #7 North Carolina (Jan. 13 – Noon)
Quality wins: Oregon
Bad losses: N/A
Syracuse could not pull off a crazy upset this week against Duke, but, no harm, no foul. However, the Orange still need to stack quality wins. They have another chance in Chapel Hill on Saturday.
9) Boston College Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 10
Record: 10-4 (1-2)
Last week: L vs. Wake Forest (84-78), W vs. Georgia Tech (95-87)
Next week: @ Syracuse (Jan. 10 – 9 p.m.), @ #21 Clemson (Jan. 13 – 3 p.m.)
Quality wins: St. John’s, Richmond
Bad losses: Loyola Chicago
BC is still floating on the edge of bottom tier and middle tier. A loss to Wake and a win over GT firmly slates them at just that spot. They have two road tests coming up, and a win at either would be a huge step in the right direction for the Eagles.
10) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Last week’s ranking: 8
Record: 8-6 (1-2)
Last week: L vs. Florida State (82-71), L vs. Boston College (95-87)
Next week: vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 9 – 9 p.m.), @ #11 Duke (Jan. 13 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: Duke, Mississippi State, Penn State, UMass
Bad losses: UMass Lowell
Georgia Tech has really come back down to earth since their hot stretch in non-conference play, as they now sit at just 8-6 and 1-2 in ACC play. Losing at home to Boston College is probably the biggest sign that Georgia Tech was never quite ready to make that jump into the top half of the league. They will look to get to 2-0 against Duke over the weekend.
11) Florida State Seminoles
Last week’s ranking: 13
Record: 8-6 (2-1)
Last week: W vs. Georgia Tech (82-71), W vs. Virginia Tech (77-74)
Next week: vs. Wake Forest (Jan. 9 – 7 p.m.), @ Notre Dame (Jan. 13 – 2:15 p.m.)
Quality wins: Colorado
Bad losses: South Florida, Lipscomb
Florida State has had quite the fast start to the conference season, winning their two games this week and lifting their overall record to over .500 again. Florida State is a team that relies on their offense, and when they score, the Seminoles are a dangerous team. Red hot Wake Forest travels into Tallahassee this week, and FSU hopes to knock them down and continue to play good basketball.
12) Virginia Tech Hokies
Last week’s ranking: 11
Record: 9-5 (1-2)
Last week: L @ Florida State (77-74)
Next week: vs. #21 Clemson (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Miami (Jan. 13 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Iowa State
Bad losses: N/A
Virginia Tech fell on the road in their lone contest this week. The Hokies narrowly lost to FSU in Tallahassee, but fall to below .500 in conference play. They have two tall foes this week, hopefully pulling out at least one upset and keeping the season somewhat alive.
13) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last week’s ranking: 13
Record: 6-9 (1-3)
Last week: L vs. NC State (54-52), L vs. #14 Duke (67-59)
Next week: @ Georgia Tech (Jan. 9 – 9 p.m.), vs. Florida State (Jan. 13 – 2:15 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia
Bad losses: Western Carolina, The Citadel
Notre Dame came off a win against Virginia with two close losses on their home floor to top teams. Small victories are plenty to celebrate, but for Notre Dame, the losses keep them low on these rankings until they can start pulling out the upset rather than flirting with it.
14) Pittsburgh Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 12
Record: 10-5 (1-3)
Last week: L vs. #8 North Carolina (70-57), W vs. Louisville (83-70)
Next week: vs. #11 Duke (Jan. 9 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: N/A
Pitt continues to struggle after what seemed to be a breakout year for Jeff Capel last season. They have one of the leagues best players in Blake Hinson, and a lottery pick in Carlton Carrington, so it is not like the team is lacking talent. However, the Panthers are far from clicking and have to put something together quickly for any shot at postseason hoops.
15) Louisville Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 14
Record: 5-9 (0-3)
Last week: L vs. Virginia (77-53), L vs. Pittsburgh (83-70)
Next week: @ Miami (Jan. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. NC State (Jan. 13 – Noon)
Quality wins: N/A
Bad losses: Chattanooga, DePaul, Arkansas State
Louisville begins their ACC season out of the win column, the only team in the ACC without a conference victory thus far. They will not have an easy road this week, either, playing two of the hottest teams in the conference next week.
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