1. Virginia (17-0, 5-0) – The Cavaliers continue to get it done with defense, and took care of business with double-digit wins over Clemson and Boston College last week. Virginia was still able to pull off a comfortable win against the Eagles despite leading scorer Justin Anderson failing to make a single field goal, finishing with eight points off of free-throws. (Next up this week: Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech.)
2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (17-2, 5-1) – The Irish continue to march on amidst the bigger names in the conference. Their 62-59 win at Georgia Tech last Wednesday was a bit concerning, but a 75-70 win over a surging Miami team provided a little more solace for Irish fans. (Next up this week: Virginia Tech NC State.)
3. Duke Blue Devils (16-2, 4-2) – The win over Louisville was a much-needed return to form for Mike Krzyzewski’s team, and just in time. A 79-65 win at home over Pittsburgh a few days later assured us that things are back to normal for a Duke that closes out the month with big road tests against Notre Dame and Virginia. (Next up this week: St. Johns.)
4. North Carolina Tar Heels (14-4, 4-1) – The Tar Heels’ three-game streak of games decided by two points or less came to an end on Sunday with a 68-53 win over Virginia Tech, but not before Roy William’s squad was able to squeeze in a crucial 81-79 win over NC State beforehand. North Carolina continues to dominate on the boards, out-rebounding opponents by an average of 16.5 per game. (Next up this week: Wake Forest, Florida State.)
5. Louisville Cardinals (15-3, 3-2) – Louisville proved in their 63-52 loss to Duke that they aren’t quite ready for the big time just yet. They’ll have a few more chances to prepare this week before getting another crack at taking down an opponent currently ranked when they host North Carolina on Jan. 31st. (Next up this week: Pittsburgh, Boston College.)
6. Miami Hurricanes (12-5, 2-2) – Miami has been very impressive since taking Virginia to overtime back on Jan. 3rd. While their win over Duke last Tuesday certainly provides their resume with a great highlight, a 75-70 loss to No.12 Notre Dame the following weekend shows that the Hurricanes still have plenty work to do before an at-large bid can be assumed. Still, they appear poised for a solid conference run that could see them move up a few spots by the time March rolls around. (Next up this week: NC State, Syracuse.)
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7. NC State Wolfpack (13-6 4-2) – A win over North Carolina last week to follow the Duke victory would’ve done a lot to boost the Wolfpack’s status, but they couldn’t take advantage of a Tar Heels team that failed to score a field goal in the final 4:38, and fell 81-79. At this point NC State has just as many impressive wins as they do baffling losses. (Next up this week: Miami, Notre Dame.)
8. Syracuse Orange (14-5, 5-1) – It might seem strange to see Syracuse ranked this low when considering the fact that their conference record is tied for second in the ACC, but one should also consider their wins: Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Wake Forest (in overtime,) and Boston College. Also, consider their loss to a medicore Clemson on Saturday. It’d be wise to see what the Orange can do against some of the better ACC teams before making any further assumptions. (Next up this week: Miami, North Carolina.)
9. Clemson Tigers (10-8, 2-4) – The Tigers looked ok enough in that Syracuse win, but subsequently returned to their inconsistent ways by dropping a home game to Florida State on Monday by a score of 59-55. Clemson will continue to struggle with consistency until they develop a more viable offensive attack. That’s not likely to come this season. (Next up this week: Wake Forest, NC State.)
10. Pittsburgh Panthers (13-6, 3-3) – Pitt hasn’t done much this season other than blow out a decent Kansas State team in the Maui Invitational back in December. Wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech were decent enough, but the loss against Duke on Monday night did a lot to show where the team still is. (Next up this week: Louisville, Virginia Tech.)
11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (9-9, 1-4) – Last Tuesday’s overtime loss to Syracuse was another encouraging sign for a Demon Deacon team that has shown a lot of fight in recent weeks. Even so, Danny Manning’s team is another year or so away from being able to return to a level Wake Forest fans are used to. (Next up this week: North Carolina, Clemson.)
12. Florida State Seminoles (10-9, 2-4) – The Seminoles are 4-0 against teams in their own state, and 6-9 outside of it. Unfortunately for them, no other ACC teams reside in the Sunshine state. (Next up this week: North Carolina, Wake Forest.)
13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-8, 0-5) – Two games last week and two more close losses for the Yellow Jackets. The losses to Notre Dame and Pitt brought Georgia Tech’s loss total to seven in games decided by seven points or less. (Next up this week: Virginia, Boston College.)
14. Boston College Eagles (8-9, 0-5) – At least the Eagles were able to beat Harvard in overtime last Tuesday, that has to account for something, right? Maybe, but not in the ACC. (Next up this week: Georgia Tech, Louisville.)
