2025-26 ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 13

Jack Nevins gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 13 of the 2025-26 season.

Week 12 team of the week: North Carolina Tar Heels

Week 12 game of the week: Florida State over Miami, 65-63

Week 12 player of the week: Cameron Boozer, Duke

Week 13 matchup of the week: #20 Louisville at #4 Duke (Jan. 26 – 7 p.m.)

Week 13 under-the-radar matchup of the week: SMU at #20 Louisville (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)

1) Duke Blue Devils

Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)

Record: 18-1 (7-0)

Last week: W vs. Wake Forest (90-69)

Next week: vs. #20 Louisville (Jan. 26 – 7 p.m.), at Virginia Tech (Jan. 31 – 12 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Michigan State, Kansas (Neutral), Florida, Arkansas, Louisville, SMU, Texas

Bad losses: None

Duke remains the clear top team in the league, undefeated in ACC play and consistently dominant on both ends of the floor. They dominated Wake Forest and were led by standout freshman Cameron Boozer’s 32 points.

2) Clemson Tigers

Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)

Record: 17-4 (7-1)

Last week: L vs. NC State (80-76), W vs. Georgia Tech (77-63)

Next week: vs. Pitt (Jan. 31 – 12 p.m.)

Quality wins: Georgia, SMU, Miami-Fla, West Virginia

Bad losses: None

Clemson is having a breakout season, coming back from an ACC loss to NC State and then bouncing back with a 77-63 win over Georgia Tech. The Tigers boast one of the ACC’s best conference records and remain a serious contender for a top seed in the ACC Tournament.

3) North Carolina Tar Heels

Last week’s ranking: 6 (+3)

Record: 16-4 (4-3)

Last week: W vs. Notre Dame (91-69), W at #14 Virginia (95-90)

Next week: at Georgia Tech (Jan. 31 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Kentucky, at Virginia, Kansas, Ohio State

Bad losses:

The Tar Heels are back. UNC grabbed a nice road win at Virginia, 85-80. The Tar Heels are trending back toward relevance after early-season inconsistency. After GT next week, they hit Syracuse, Duke, and Miami. Three tough teams that will give them some issues.

4) Virginia Cavaliers

Last week’s ranking: 3 (-1)

Record: 16-3 (5-2)

Last week: L vs. #22 North Carolina (85-80)

Next week: at Notre Dame (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.), at Boston College (Jan. 31 – 1:30 p.m.)

Quality wins: Louisville, at Texas, at NC State, Virginia Tech

Bad losses: None

Virginia’s defense and efficient scoring have kept them near the top. Even in a loss to UNC, they showed competitiveness against quality opposition. The Cavaliers continue to fly under the national radar but are a legitimate top-tier ACC unit with Quad 1 victories and are the 17th-ranked team in the country. Ryan Odom has shown what he can do with a hurt program.

5) Louisville Cardinals

Last week’s ranking: 5 (-)

Record: 14-5 (4-3)

Last week: W vs. Virginia Tech (85-71)

Next week: at #4 Duke (Jan. 26 – 7 p.m.), vs. SMU (Jan. 31 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: Kentucky, at Indiana, Virginia Tech

Bad losses: None

With the return of Mikel Brown Jr., Louisville has gained momentum, including a solid win over Virginia Tech. They are leading the ACC in points scored per game with 87.8, and Ryan Conwell has stepped into his role nicely, averaging 19.5 PPG.

6) NC State Wolfpack

Last week’s ranking: 11 (+5)

Record: 14-6 (5-2)

Last week: W at #18 Clemson (80-76), W at Pitt (81-72)

Next week: vs. Syracuse (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.), at Wake Forest (Jan. 31 – 3:45 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Clemson, VCU

Bad losses: None

NC State handed Clemson its first ACC basketball loss in a tight overtime battle. The Wolfpack are one of the most consistent teams in the ACC and could make a deep run toward the top of the standings.

7) SMU Mustangs

Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)

Record: 15-6 (4-4)

Last week: W at Wake Forest (91-79), W vs. Florida State (83-80)

Next week: at #20 Louisville (Jan. 31 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: North Carolina, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Butler

Bad losses: None

Boopie Miller is the key contributor to this SMU team, which is a team that has NCAA aspirations but is stuck in the middle part of the ACC. They have a player in the top 10 in the conference for points, rebounds, steals, and assists.

8) Miami Hurricanes

Last week’s ranking: 4 (-4)

Record: 16-4 (5-2)

Last week: L vs. Florida State (65-63), W at Syracuse (85-76)

Next week: vs. Stanford (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), vs. Cal (Jan. 31 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: None

Bad losses: Florida State

Miami snapped a recent two-game losing streak with an 85-76 road win at Syracuse, led by Malik Reneau, who scored 20 points and 11 rebounds. The Canes dropped back-to-back games to Florida State and number 18 Clemson and were off the mark with scoring in those two games, scoring less than 70 points in each, while they average 85 points per game.

9) Virginia Tech Hokies

Last week’s ranking: 7 (-2)

Record: 14-5 (3-3)

Last week: W at Syracuse (76-74), L at #23 Louisville (85-71)

Next week: vs. Georgia Tech (Jan. 27 – 8 p.m.), vs. #4 Duke (Jan. 31 – 12 p.m.)

10) California Golden Bears

Last week’s ranking: 10 (-)

Record: 15-5 (3-4)

Last week: W at Stanford (78-66)

Next week: at Florida State (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), at Miami-Fla (Jan. 31 – 4 p.m.)

Quality wins: North Carolina, UCLA, at Stanford

Bad losses: None

This Cal team is just mid. It is hard for them to get out of this spot, and yes, the UCLA win early in the season helped boost their chances in the ACC, but it has just been inconsistent throughout ACC basketball play.

11) Stanford Cardinal

Last week’s ranking: 8 (-3)

Record: 14-6 (3-4)

Last week: L vs. Cal (78-66)

Next week: at Miami-Fla (Jan. 28 – 9 p.m.), at Florida State (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: North Carolina, Louisville, Saint Louis

Bad losses: Seattle U, UNLV

Similar to Cal, inconsistency seems to be the major issue for this squad. They somehow lost to Notre Dame in a low-scoring matchup, then found a way to beat Louisville and UNC, but then lost to Cal? They must clean themselves up in the most important part of the season.

12) Syracuse Orange

Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)

Record: 12-8 (3-4)

Last week: L vs. Virginia Tech (76-74), L vs. Miami-Fla (85-76)

Next week: at NC State (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.), vs. Notre Dame (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: Tennessee

Bad losses: Hofstra, Boston College

It is finally time to get Red Autry out of the 315. The Orange are now on a three-game losing streak, with a loss to the worst team in the ACC, and have struggled defensively and at the free-throw line. A change needs to be made up north.

13) Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Last week’s ranking: 12 (-1)

Record: 11-9 (2-5)

Last week: L vs. SMU (91-79), L at #5 Duke (90-69)

Next week: at Pitt (Jan. 27 – 6 p.m.), vs. NC State (Jan. 31 – 3:45 p.m.)

Quality wins: Virginia Tech, West Virginia

Bad losses: None

The Demon Deacons cannot string together wins and are very streaky on offense and in the win column. Juke Harris is the savior of this team, averaging 20.6 PPG and is the third leading scorer in ACC basketball.

14) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Last week’s ranking: 14 (-)

Record: 11-9 (2-5)

Last week: L vs. #18 Clemson (77-63)

Next week: at Virginia Tech (Jan. 27 – 8 p.m.), vs. #16 North Carolina (Jan. 31 – 2 p.m.)

Quality wins: at NC State

Bad losses: DePaul, Pitt

Georgia Tech has played hard in league play but recently fell 77-63 at Clemson, while Kowacie Reeves Jr. posted 19 points in the loss. The Yellow Jackets just have a loss of offensive consistency and are a bottom-four team in scoring in ACC basketball.

15) Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Last week’s ranking: 17 (+2)

Record: 11-9 (2-5)

Last week: L at #22 North Carolina (91-69), W vs. Boston College (68-64)

Next week: vs. #17 Virginia (Jan. 27 – 7 p.m.), at Syracuse (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Stanford, Missouri, TCU

Bad losses: Purdue Fort-Wayne

Notre Dame snapped a five-game losing streak with a good 68-64 win over Boston College, which was led by Braeden Shrewsberry’s 22 points and clutch free throws down the stretch. They came back after being down 11 points at halftime, and yes, it is a bottom-tier BC team, but any win in the ACC is a good win in this part of the season.

16) Florida State Seminoles

Last week’s ranking: 18 (+2)

Record: 8-12 (1-6)

Last week: W at Miami-Fla (65-63), L at SMU (83-80)

Next week: vs. Cal (Jan. 28 – 7 p.m.), vs. Stanford (Jan. 31 – 6 p.m.)

Quality wins: at Miami-Fla

Bad losses: UMass

FSU may have found its footing. Yes, they are still at the bottom of the conference, but a win over Miami and a close loss to SMU, 83-80, is proving they may be able to compete. Don’t be surprised if they continue to upset teams throughout the remainder of the season.