Jack Nevins gives his ACC basketball power rankings heading into week 15 of the 2025-26 season.
Week 14 team of the week: North Carolina Tar Heels
Week 14 game of the week: #14 North Carolina defeats #4 Duke, 71-68
Week 14 player of the week: Ebuka Okorie, Stanford
Week 15 matchup of the week: #20 Clemson at #4 Duke (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Week 15 under-the-radar matchup of the week: #11 North Carolina at Miami (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.)
1) Duke Blue Devils
Last week’s ranking: 1 (-)
Record: 20-2 (10-1)
Last week: W vs. Boston College (67-41), L at #16 North Carolina (71-68)
Next week: at Pitt (Feb. 10 – 9 p.m.), vs. #20 Clemson (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Michigan State, Kansas (Neutral), Florida, Arkansas, Louisville (2x), SMU, Texas
Bad losses: None
Yes, Duke just lost their first ACC basketball game to North Carolina – of course, it was UNC – but they still have the best record in the ACC and are at the top for the best record in the conference. They have an easy game against Pitt to give them some momentum before Clemson.
2) North Carolina Tar Heels
Last week’s ranking: 2 (-)
Record: 19-4 (7-3)
Last week: W vs. Syracuse (87-77), W vs. #4 Duke (71-68)
Next week: at Miami (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Pitt (Feb. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Duke, at Kentucky, at Virginia, Kansas, Ohio State
Bad losses:
Momentum is back in Chapel Hill. UNC started off the week with a win over Syracuse, where they once led by 32 points, before allowing the Orange to cut the lead to six, where the Tar Heels eventually pulled out an 87-77 victory
The week was then followed up by a game against Duke, THE RIVALRY. Duke came out hot, but Caleb Wilson had other plans, scoring 17 points in the first half. Henri Veesaar tied the game in the second half with a three-pointer, then Seth Trimble put the Tar Heels ahead. With 0.4 seconds left, Duke could not get a shot off, and UNC held off the number four Blue Devils.
3) Virginia Cavaliers
Last week’s ranking: 3(-)
Record: 20-3 (9-2)
Last week: W vs. Pitt (67-47), W vs. Syracuse (72-59)
Next week: at Florida State (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Ohio State (Feb. 14 – 8 p.m.)
Quality wins: Louisville, at NC State, at Texas, Virginia Tech
Bad losses: None
Virginia took care of business against Pitt and Syracuse. FSU may give them some trouble as they have been hot in ACC basketball play recently.
4) Clemson Tigers
Last week’s ranking: 4 (-)
Record: 20-4 (10-1)
Last week: W at Stanford (66-64), W at Cal (77-55)
Next week: vs. Virginia Tech (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), at #Duke (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: Georgia, SMU, Miami-Fla, West Virginia
Bad losses: None
Clemson is one of the most consistent teams in the entire nation, and this is even without a superstar like Cameron Boozer. Coach Brad Brownell has done an incredible job with this team and is maybe his best coaching job yet. He deserves to be a candidate for ACC Basketball Coach of the Year.
5) NC State Wolfpack
Last week’s ranking: 6 (+1)
Record: 16-6 (7-2)
Last week: W at SMU (84-83), W vs. Virginia Tech (82-73)
Next week: at #24 Louisville (Feb. 9 – 7 p.m.), vs. Miami (Feb. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Clemson, VCU,
Bad losses: None
Quadir Copeland has been the leader of this Wolfpack team. He had 16 assists and 0 turnovers in the win at SMU. They then came home and beat a Hokies team that played very well, with Copeland adding 21 and 10. They’re shooting 40.2% from three as a team and are playing their best basketball of the season.
6) Louisville Cardinals
Last week’s ranking: 5 (-1)
Record: 17-6 (7-4)
Last week: W vs. Notre Dame (76-65), W at Wake Forest (88-80)
Next week: vs. NC State (Feb. 9 – 7 p.m.), vs. Baylor (Feb. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Kentucky, at Indiana, Virginia Tech
Bad losses: None
Louisville did nothing to deserve to drop in the ACC Basketball Power Rankings so far, but other teams have just out-proved them recently. At 17-6, Duke, UNC, Virginia, and Clemson have fewer losses, and 18-6 NC State is a better team than the Cardinals in this period of the season.
7) SMU Mustangs
Last week’s ranking: 9 (+2)
Record: 16-7 (5-5)
Last week: L vs. NC State (84-83) W at Pitt (86-67)
Next week: vs. Notre Dame (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), at Syracuse (Feb. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech
Bad losses: None
SMU is the team that looks good overall, but cannot seem to pull anything together. They lost a tight one to NC State but bounced back with a 19-point win over Pitt. They have another easy two games with Notre Dame and Syracuse, who may give them some issues.
8) Miami Hurricanes
Last week’s ranking: 7 (-1)
Record: 18-5 (7-3)
Last week: W at Boston College (74-68)
Next week: vs. #11 North Carolina (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), at NC State (Feb. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: Florida State
Miami kept it too close for comfort against Boston College, but pulled out a win. According to their schedule, their best two wins came against Ole Miss and Syracuse. They now face two ranked teams in Virginia and UNC, and a really strong NC State team.
9) Virginia Tech Hokies
Last week’s ranking: 8 (-1)
Record: 16-8 (5-6)
Last week: L at NC State (82-73)
Next week: at #20 Clemson (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs Florida State (Feb. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia, George Mason
Bad losses: Wake Forest
The resume for the Hokies just is not great. Yes, Duke and NC State are very hard games to win, but the game against Clemson this week is a must-win game to show some life in the program in what’s been a rough stretch.
10) California Golden Bears
Last week’s ranking: 10 (-)
Record: 17-7 (5-6)
Last week: W vs. Georgia Tech (90-85), L vs. #20 Clemson (77-55)
Next week: at Syracuse (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), at Boston College (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: North Carolina, UCLA, at Miami-Fla
Bad losses: None
Cal took down Georgia Tech closer than they would have liked, and this week is a big decider for the Golden Bears. Cal takes on Syracuse, and a loss will eliminate them from any NCAA Tournament chance. If they can find a way to win their next two games against Syracuse and Boston College, and beat a Stanford team they already defeated, they will have a real chance at making the big dance.
11) Stanford Cardinal
Last week’s ranking: 12 (+1)
Record: 15-9 (4-7)
Last week: L vs. #20 Clemson (66-64), W vs. Georgia Tech (95-72)
Next week: at Boston College (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), at Wake Forest (Feb. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Saint Louis, North Carolina, Louisville
Bad losses: Seattle U, UNLV, Notre Dame, at Florida State
Stanford breaks its five-game losing streak with a 23-point win over Georgia Tech. The only chance this Cardinal team will have at making the tournament is if they win out, which is very possible, but with a weaker schedule, and have NC State sitting at the end of their season.
12) Florida State Seminoles
Last week’s ranking: 13 (+1)
Record: 11-12 (4-6)
Last week: W at Notre Dame (82-79)
Next week: vs. #15 Virginia (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), at Virginia Tech (Feb. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Miami-Fla, Cal, Stanford
Bad losses: UMass
Florida State found its footing and has won its third straight game. FSU beat Notre Dame and continues to play better basketball than earlier this season. They’ve won four of their last five games, and three of those have been on the road. Chauncey Wiggins has carried the Seminoles and had 63 points in the three-game win streak for FSU.
13) Syracuse Orange
Last week’s ranking: 11 (-2)
Record: 13-11 (4-7)
Last week: L at #14 North Carolin (87-77), L at #18 Virginia (72-59)
Next week: vs. California (Feb. 11 – 7 p.m.), vs. SMU (Feb. 14– 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Tennessee
Bad losses: Hofstra, Boston College
Syracuse is ranked 69th in the KenPom, and I am still confused as to why. They have lost six of their last seven games and have shown no reason to even be considered a contender in ACC basketball anymore.
14) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Last week’s ranking: 15 (+1)
Record: 11-12 (2-8)
Last week: L vs. #24 Louisville (88-80)
Next week: at Georgia Tech (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. Stanford (Feb. 14 – 4 p.m.)
Quality wins: Virginia Tech, West Virginia
Bad losses: at Pitt
Wake Forest lost its fifth straight game, this time to Louisville at home, and is now below .500 at 11-12. It is safe to say any hopes are over for the Demon Deacons.
15) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Last week’s ranking: 18 (+3)
Record: 11-13 (2-9)
Last week: L at #24 Louisville (76-65), L vs. Florida State (82-79)
Next week: at SMU (Feb. 10 – 7 p.m.), vs. Georgia Tech (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: at Stanford, Missouri, TCU
Bad losses: Purdue Fort-Wayne
Notre Dame has lost nine of their last 10, and they just look lost without their leader, Markus Burton. In this league, you cannot be so reliant on one player.
16) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Last week’s ranking: 16 (-)
Record: 11-13 (2-9)
Last week: L at Cal (90-85), L at Stanford (95-72)
Next week: vs. Wake Forest (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), at Notre Dame (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: at NC State
Bad losses: DePaul, Pitt
Georgia Tech just got swept in the trip out west and has now lost eight of its last nine.
17) Boston College Eagles
Last week’s ranking: 14 (-3)
Record: 9-14 (2-8)
Last week: L at #4 Duke (67-49), L vs. Miami (74-68)
Next week: vs. Stanford (Feb. 11 – 9 p.m.), vs. Cal (Feb. 14 – 12 p.m.)
Quality wins: None
Bad losses: CCSU, at FAU, UMass
Boston College has now lost four straight, including a blowout to Duke, but kept it close, surprisingly, against Miami.
18) Pittsburgh Panthers
Last week’s ranking: 17 (-1)
Record: 9-15 (2-9)
Last week: L at #18 Virginia (67-47), L vs. SMU (86-67)
Next week: vs. #4 Duke (Feb. 10 – 9 p.m.), at #11 North Carolina (Feb. 14 – 2 p.m.)
Quality wins: Ohio State, Georgia Tech
Bad losses: Quinnipiac, Hofstra, at Boston College
Pitt was blown out by both Virginia and SMU, showing no competition in either game. They have lost nine of their last 11 games and are officially the worst team in the ACC. I do not see a world where they could possibly win another game the rest of the season.