Sam Bass gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 15 of the 2023 season.
Matchup of the week:
Sneaky good matchup of the week:
1) North Carolina Tar Heels
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 19-5 (11-2)
Last week: L vs. Clemson (80-76), W at Miami (75-72)
Next week: at Syracuse (Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.), vs. Virginia Tech (Feb. 17 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Tennessee, Duke, Oklahoma, at Clemson, at Florida State, at NC State, at Miami (Fla)
Bad losses: at Georgia Tech
UNC dropped a tough one at home, falling to Clemson after beating the Tigers on the road a couple of weeks earlier. However, the Tar Heels pulled out a gritty win in Coral Gables to salvage the week. UNC is still the clear top team in the league despite a recent rough patch.
2) Duke Blue Devils
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 18-5 (9-3)
Last week: W vs. Notre Dame (71-53), W vs. Boston College (80-65)
Next week: vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 12 – 7 p.m.), at Florida State (Feb. 17 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Baylor, Michigan State, Clemson, at Virginia Tech
Bad losses: at Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh
Duke picked up two double-digit wins this week, not moving the needle much but in games they could not afford to lose. In a year of parody, winning games one should is never a guarantee. Duke now looks ahead to hosting a very sneaky Wake Forest team before traveling to FSU, a road game that no one can take lightly.
3) Virginia Cavaliers
Last week’s ranking: 4 (+1)
Record: 19-5 (10-3)
Last week: W vs. Miami (Fla) (60-38), W at Florida State (80-76)
Next week: vs. Pittsburgh (Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.), vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 17 – Noon)
Quality wins: at Clemson, Texas A&M, Florida, NC State, Miami (Fla), at Florida State
Bad Losses: at Notre Dame
Virginia remains red-hot, winning their last nine games, including a defensive clinic against Miami followed by a gritty road win over Florida State. On Monday, Virginia stifled the Hurricane offense, and over the weekend, the offense for Virginia led the way. Isaac McKneely poured in a career high 29 in the 80 point barrage.
4) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+1)
Record: 16-7 (8-4)
Last week: W at Georgia Tech (80-51), W vs. NC State (83-79)
Next week: at #9 Duke (Feb. 12 – 7 p.m.), at #21 Virginia (Feb. 17 – Noon)
Quality wins: Miami (Fla), Virginia, Florida, Syracuse, NC State
Bad losses: LSU, at Pittsburgh
Wake Forest picked up two more wins to keep their tournament hopes alive. A win over a dangerous GT squad set the table for a revenge win over NC State at home. The Deacs now sit at 16-7, 8-4 in ACC play. They play two road games against ranked teams this week, and a win in either would boost their tournament hopes immensely.
5) Clemson Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+1)
Record: 16-7 (6-6)
Last week: W at #3 North Carolina (80-76), W at Syracuse (77-68)
Next week: vs. Miami (Fla) (Feb. 14 – 7 p.m.), vs. NC State (Feb. 17 – 7:45 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Alabama, South Carolina, TCU, Boise State, at Florida State, at North Carolina
Bad losses: Georgia Tech
Clemson put themselves in position to be in position this week with wins on the road against UNC and Syracuse. After stumbling for a while, Clemson has the ability to get right back into tournament conversations with two wins over mid-level ACC teams this week.
6) North Carolina State Wolfpack
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-3)
Record: 15-9 (7-6)
Last week: L vs. Pittsburgh (67-64), L at Wake Forest (83-79)
Next week: at Clemson (Feb. 17 – 7:45 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia, Miami (Fla), Wake Forest
Bad losses: Pittsburgh
NC State crashed a burned hard after really climbing up the ladder. Two losses hurt, especially to a worse team like Pitt at home, but at this time can be devastating. A win at Clemson in their lone contest this week is critical to keep the Wolfpack’s tournament dreams alive in any way.
7) Pittsburgh Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)
Record: 15-8 (6-6)
Last week: W at NC State (67-64)
Next week: at #21 Virginia (Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.), vs. Louisville (Feb. 17 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Duke, Wake Forest, at NC State
Bad losses: Missouri
Pitt has had an incredible turnaround since the start of the year. Quietly, the Panthers have crawled their way back into the ACC race, most recently taking down NC State in Raleigh. The Panthers have no realistic shot at making the field of 68, but they have been a pleasant surprise once they clicked.
8) Miami Hurricanes
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-1)
Record: 15-9 (6-7)
Last week: L at Virginia (60-38), L vs. #3 North Carolina (75-72)
Next week: at Clemson (Feb. 14 – 7 p.m.), at Boston College (Feb. 17 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kansas State, at Virginia Tech, Clemson, Georgia, UCF
Bad losses: Louisville
Miami had two opportunities to push one last time for a tournament spot but could not win either of their games this week. After an embarrassing loss at Virginia in which the offense disappeared, they fought tooth and nail with Carolina but could not convert in crunch time to pull off the upset. The Hurricanes have two road games this week, but it is looking to be too little too late.
9) Florida State Seminoles
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-1)
Record: 13-10 (7-5)
Last week: W at Boston College (63-62), L vs. Virginia (80-76)
Next week: at Virginia Tech (Feb. 13 – 6 p.m.), vs. #9 Duke (Feb. 17 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Colorado, at Miami (Fla), Wake Forest, at Syracuse
Bad losses: South Florida, Lipscomb, at Louisville
FSU escaped in Boston before traveling back to Tallahassee, where they lost to Virginia in a hard fought game. FSU’s non-conference play made it difficult enough to put them in any sort of tournament discussions, but now, the Seminoles have fallen all the way to 7-5 in league play and have just a sliver of hope regarding postseason basketball.
10) Syracuse Orange
Last week’s ranking: 10
Record: 15-9 (6-7)
Last week: W vs. Louisville (94-92), L vs. Clemson (77-68)
Next week: vs. #7 North Carolina (Feb. 13 – 7 p.m.), at Georgia Tech (Feb. 17 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Oregon, Miami (Fla), Pitt (x2), NC State
Bad losses: at Boston College
Syracuse has officially entered the bottom tier. After starting hot, the Orange have cooled down in a big way, falling to 6-7 in ACC. They barely beat Louisville at home and then lost by 9 to Clemson. The bubble’s favorite team will miss the tournament for the third straight season.
11) Virginia Tech Hokies
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-)
Record: 13-10 (5-7)
Last week: L at Notre Dame (74-66)
Next week: vs. Florida State (Feb. 13 – 9 p.m.), at #7 North Carolina (Feb. 17 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Iowa State, Clemson, at NC State, Vermont
Bad losses: at Notre Dame
Virginia Tech fell hard at Notre Dame, dropping their record to 13-10 and 5-7 in ACC play. In what could have been a promising year for VT, the Hokies will miss the tournament all together. They host Florida State before going to Chapel Hill this week, hoping to play spoiler, which is about all they will be doing for the rest of the year.
12) Boston College Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)
Record: 13-10 (4-8)
Last week: L vs. Florida State (63-62), L at #9 Duke (80-65)
Next week: vs. Louisville (Feb. 13 – 9 p.m.), vs. Miami (Fla) (Feb. 17 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: St. John’s, Richmond, Syracuse
Bad losses: Loyola Chicago
Boston College dropped two games, one very close and one not so much. Although not shown by the record, the Eagles have some promise brewing. Do not be surprised to see them in the top half of the league in a few years.
13) Louisville Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 14 (+1)
Record: 8-16 (3-10)
Last week: L at Syracuse (94-92), W vs. Georgia Tech (79-67)
Next week: at Boston College (Feb. 13 – 9 p.m.), at Pittsburgh (Feb. 17 – 6:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Miami (Fla), Florida State
Bad losses: Chattanooga, DePaul, Arkansas State
How about Louisville! The Cardinals have actually been playing some solid basketball as of late, winning against GT after barely losing to Syracuse on the road. Kenny Payne is settling in a little, and the foundation is finally being set.
14) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Last week’s ranking: 12 (-2)
Record: 10-14 (3-10)
Last week: L vs. Wake Forest (80-51), L at Louisville (79-67)
Next week: at Notre Dame (Feb. 14 – 7 p.m.), vs. Syracuse (Feb. 17 – 5:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Duke, Clemson, Mississippi State
Bad losses: UMass Lowell, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh
Despite a rough week, I am still high on Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets are young and inexperienced, and growing pains hurt. But there is a lot to build from, and GT has a great coach to do so. Although not this year, the Yellow Jackets have shown they can be dangerous, and once they get consistent, this will be a scary team in a few years.
15) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last week’s ranking: 15 (-)
Record: 8-16 (3-10)
Last week: L at #9 Duke (71-53), W vs. Virginia Tech (74-66)
Next week: vs. Georgia Tech (Feb. 17 – 7 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia, Virginia Tech
Bad losses: The Citadel, at Pittsburgh
Notre Dame picked up a nice win over VT after getting crushed by Duke earlier in the week. Like some of these teams above them, the Irish are very young and under a new coach. This team is very capable, especially beyond the arc, so they will do a great job spoiling someone’s season very soon.