Jack Nevins gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 12 of the 2025-26 season.
Week 11 team of the week: Virginia Cavaliers
Week 11 game of the week: Virginia Tech at SMU
Week 11 player of the week: Cameron Boozer, Duke
Week 12 matchup of the week: #22 North Carolina at #14 Virginia (Jan. 24 – 2 p.m.)
Week 12 under-the-radar matchup of the week: Virginia Tech at #23 Louisville (Jan. 24 – 3:30 p.m.)
1) Duke Blue Devils
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 17-1 (6-0)
Last week: W at Cal (71-56), W at Stanford (80-50)
Next week: vs. Wake Forest (Jan. 24 – 5:45 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Michigan State, Kansas (Neutral), Florida, Arkansas, Louisville, SMU, Texas
Bad losses: None
Duke continues to show their strength in this conference and is undefeated in conference play. The Blue Devils just cannot be stopped, and at this rate, they could go undefeated in conference play.
2) Clemson Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 5 (+3)
Record: 16-3 (6-0)
Last week: W vs. Boston College (74-50), W vs. Miami-Fla (69-59)
Next week: vs. NC State (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.), at Georgia Tech (Jan. 24 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: Georgia, Miami-Fla, SMU, West Virginia
Bad losses: None
Clemson continued its dominant season by extending its win streak to nine games with a 69-59 win over Miami, limiting Miami’s stars. Carter Welling led the charge with 18 points and 9 rebounds for the Tigers. Their continued perfection in ACC basketball play puts them in a strong position for a top seed.
3) Virginia Cavaliers
Last week’s ranking: 3 (-)
Record: 16-2 (5-1)
Last week: W at #20 Louisville (79-70), W at SMU (72-68)
Next week: vs. #22 North Carolina (Jan. 24 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Texas, Louisville, at NC State, Virginia Tech, Dayton
Bad losses: None
Virginia earned a gritty 72-68 road win over SMU, with Malik Thomas putting up 23 points and 11 rebounds and Thijs De Ridder added 17, sealing the game with some late free throws. The Cavaliers have now won five straight and took down a top-20 team in Louisville and a tough SMU team.
4) Miami Hurricanes
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+2)
Record: 15-3 (4-1)
Last week: W at Notre Dame (81-69), L at #22 Clemson (69-59)
Next week: vs. Florida State (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.), at Syracuse (Jan. 24 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: None
Miami’s 10-game winnings streak was snapped by Clemson’s tough defense, but the Hurricanes remain one of the conference’s most efficient offenses with strong guard play. Miami is one of the hottest teams in ACC basketball and college basketball right now, and although they have not reached the top of the conference, for matchups, they are a scary team and can do some damage.
5) Louisville Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-1)
Record: 13-5 (3-2)
Last week: L vs. #23 Virginia (79-70), W at Pitt (100-59)
Next week: vs. Virginia Tech (Jan. 24 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kentucky, at Indiana
Bad losses: None
Louisville just blew out Pitt by 41, and were led by Ryan Conwell, who had 24 points, and the Cardinals shot 51% from three and 63% from the field. Maybe this big win will spark them back to their early-season form.
6) North Carolina Tar Heels
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-4)
Record: 14-4 (2-3)
Last week: L at Stanford (95-90), L at Cal (84-78)
Next week: vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), at #14 Virginia (Jan. 24 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Kentucky, Kansas, Ohio State
Bad losses: at Cal
What is going on in Chapel Hill? Back-to-back losses on the road during their west coast stint, and now below .500 in the ACC? They have fallen to 29 in the NET Rankings, and defense has been the biggest issue. They need to win some conference games to live up to their preseason expectations.
7) Virginia Tech Hokies
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)
Record: 14-5 (3-3)
Last week: L at SMU (77-76), W vs. Notre Dame (89-76)
Next week: at Syracuse (Jan. 21 – 9 p.m.), at #23 Louisville (Jan. 24 – 3:30 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia, George Mason
Bad losses: Wake Forest
SMU got bailed out against Virginia Tech after winning on a buzzer-beater, but VT continues to climb. They picked up a nice win over Notre Dame with a double-double from Tobi Lawal. VT has lost now by two buzzer beaters in three games.
8) Stanford Cardinal
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-)
Record: 14-5 (3-3)
Last week: W vs. #14 North Carolina (95-90), L vs #6 Duke (80-50)
Next week: vs. Cal (Jan. 24 – 8 p.m.), at Miami-Fla (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Louisville, Saint Louis
Bad losses: Seattle U, UNLV
Stanford found a way to beat UNC, but got hit by a wall and got blown out by Duke. Stanford is one of the hottest teams right now and is now 2-2 against ranked opponents in the ACC, with only one more ranked matchup. They may have some roadblocks on the way, but don’t be surprised if the Cardinal steps into the top five of the ACC Basketball Power Rankings.
9) SMU Mustangs
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-2)
Record: 13-5 (2-4)
Last week: W vs. Virginia Tech (77-76), L vs. #16 Virginia (72-68)
Next week: at Wake Forest (Jan. 20 – 9 p.m.), vs. Florida State (Jan. 24 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Texas A&M, Butler, Virginia Tech
Bad losses: None
SMU picks up a crazy win over Virginia Tech at the buzzer. The issue is consistency, and SMU has none of it. They beat UNC, then lost to Clemson and Duke, then beat VT, then lost to Virginia. ACC basketball is filled with roadblocks, and SMU needs some fine-tuning.
10) California Golden Bears
Last week’s ranking: 12 (+2)
Record: 14-5 (2-4)
Last week: L vs. #6 Duke (71-56), W vs. #14 North Carolina (84-78)
Next week: at Stanford (Jan. 24 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, UCLA
Bad losses: None
The downfall of Cal needs to be studied. Now, yes, I get it they lost to Duke, Virginia, and Louisville, but found a way to pull one out against UNC. They lost three straight after going on a nine-game winning st,reak and the wins were just too close for comfort. They only beat Notre Dame by one.
11) NC State Wolfpack
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-1)
Record: 12-6 (3-2)
Last week: L vs. Georgia Tech (78-74)
Next week: at #18 Clemson (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.), at Pitt (Jan. 24 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: VCU
Bad losses: None
NC State has built a solid league resume, posting multiple ACC wins to sit above .500 in conference play. They lean on dynamic guard play and improved defensive execution, making them tough in early ACC contests and a bubble contender in the league. The loss to GT creates some questions.
12) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)
Record: 11-7 (2-4)
Last week: W at Florida State (69-68)
Next week: vs. SMU (Jan. 20 – 9 p.m.), at #5 Duke (Jan. 24 – 5:45 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Bad losses: None
Wake keeps it close against good teams, Michigan, Miami, Texas Tech, and UNC, but can’t get that big-time win. They pulled past FSU with a late-game comeback, but like many teams around this rank, they need to be more consistent and find their footing.
13) Syracuse Orange
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-2)
Record: 12-6 (3-2)
Last week: W vs. Florida State (94-86), L at Boston College (81-73)
Next week: vs. Virginia Tech (Jan. 21 – 9 p.m.), vs. Miami-Fla (Jan. 24 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Tennessee
Bad losses: Hofstra, Boston College
Has Syracuse become one of the laughing stocks of the ACC? Their record does not say that they are just not a good basketball team. SU lost to the worst team in the ACC in overtime, but they are still a good team? They basically need to win almost every game to make themselves known again.
14) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Last week’s ranking: 15 (+1)
Record: 11-8 (2-4)
Last week: L vs. Pitt (89-66), W at NC State (78-74)
Next week: vs. #18 Clemson (Jan. 24 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: at NC State
Bad losses: DePaul, Pitt
GT manages to lose to Pitt but beat NC State? They snapped their three-game losing streak, and this was the boost the Yellow Jackets needed to get bumped up in the ACC Basketball Power Rankings.
15) Boston College Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 18 (+3)
Record: 8-10 (1-4)
Last week: L at #22 Clemson (74-50), vs. Syracuse (81-73)
Next week: vs. Pitt (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), at Notre Dame (Jan. 24 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: Syracuse
Bad losses: CCSU, at FAU, UMass
Boston College finally moves out of the bottom seed and up three spots to number 15. Fred Payne put up 26 for the Eagles, leading them to their first ACC win. BC now has two good games to win against Pitt and Notre Dame, which can really boost them up.
16) Pittsburgh Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)
Record: 8-10 (1-4)
Last week: W at Georgia Tech (89-66), L vs. #20 Louisville (100-59)
Next week: at Boston College (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), vs. NC State (Jan. 24 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: Ohio State
Bad losses: Quinnipiac, Hofstra
Pitt blew out GT 89-66 and then got blown out by 41 to Louisville; they have no scoring and have no multiple-digit scorers outside Brandin Cummings, and need to find an answer.
17) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-3)
Record: 10-8 (1-2)
Last week: L vs. Miami-Fla (81-69), L at Virginia Tech (89-76)
Next week: at #22 North Carolina (Jan. 21 – 7 p.m.), vs. Boston College (Jan. 24 – 6 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Stanford, Missouri, TCU
Bad losses: Purdue Fort-Wayne
Notre Dame has now dropped four straight and is struggling immensely in ACC basketball play. In the loss to Virginia Tech, the Fighting Irish gave up 20 points to just turnovers. They are still without Markus Burton, which hurts them in both the short and long-term.
18) Florida State Seminoles
Last week’s ranking: 17 (-1)
Record: 7-11 (0-5)
Last week: L at Syracuse (94-86), L vs. Wake Forest (69-68)
Next week: at Miami-Fla (Jan. 20 – 7 p.m.), at SMU (Jan. 24 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: UMass
FSU is the only team in the conference still seeking its first ACC basketball win. In the Wake Forest loss, they held the lead in the second half but fell 69-68 to the Demon Deacons, and have not found their footing at all. Will they ever get their first conference win?