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ACC College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 8

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By @writered21

ACC Week 8 Power Rankings

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With the top two teams in the rankings being off for much of last week (Duke beat Toledo last night), the spotlight fell on last week's No. 3, Louisville, which hosted AP No. 1 Kentucky. The Cardinals shot poorly (as usual) and got beat 58-50. How does that affect the ACC rankings? Here they are for Week 8.

15. Virginia Tech (8-4, 0-0, last week: 14)

VT
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15. Virginia Tech (8-4, 0-0, last week: 14)

VT
Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports

The Hokies did nothing wrong last week, beating VMI and Presbyterian by double digits. But that isn't exactly tough competition, either. But 8-4 is a nice non-ACC record for Tech no matter the opponent.

14. Wake Forest (7-6, 0-1; 15)

Wake
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14. Wake Forest (7-6, 0-1; 15)

Wake
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The Demon Deacons moved ahead of the Hokies this week thanks to a two-point road win at Richmond last week. It's a decent sign of progress for Danny Manning's club to get a true away victory entering conference play. Wake also nipped Bucknell last week.

13. Florida State (7-5, 0-1; 13)

FSU
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13. Florida State (7-5, 0-1; 13)

FSU
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The Seminoles stayed steady from last week. It's hard to get a read on Florida State entering ACC play. FSU isn't a contender, but there's enough fodder in the ACC that a top-half finish isn't out of the question.

12. Boston College (7-4, 0-0; 11)

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12. Boston College (7-4, 0-0; 11)

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Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles were off last week. But the good news for BC is that last year's leading (only) scorer, Olivier Hanlan, is getting help in 2014-15. Senior forward Aaron Brown leads the Eagles at 16.1 PPG while Hanlan is at 15.5.

11. Clemson (7-4, 0-0; 12)

Clemson
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11. Clemson (7-4, 0-0; 12)

Clemson
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The Tigers went 1-0 last week, beating Oakland by 10. That's a sneaky good win, considering OU took Pitt to overtime before losing two weeks ago. But given losses to Rutgers, Winthrop and Gardner-Webb, it's hard to take Clemson seriously in the ACC.

10. Miami (9-3, 0-0; 8)

Miami
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10. Miami (9-3, 0-0; 8)

Miami
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The Hurricanes were 8-0 and had beaten two ranked teams, but that seems like ages ago now that Miami has lost three of four. In their only game last week, The U got manhandled by Providence by 14 points.

9. Syracuse (8-4, 0-0; 10)

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9. Syracuse (8-4, 0-0; 10)

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The Orange haven't had the best of non-conference success, but wins last week over Colgate and Long Beach State by a combined 53 points may have Syracuse headed in the right direction as ACC play begins.

8. Georgia Tech (8-3, 0-0; 6)

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8. Georgia Tech (8-3, 0-0; 6)

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Georgia Tech spoiled what had been a decent non-league run with a 14-point loss at Dayton last week. The Flyers are 9-2, but the win over the Yellow Jackets was their best of the year following losses to UConn and Arkansas.

7. N.C. State (10-3, 1-0; 9)

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7. N.C. State (10-3, 1-0; 9)

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The Wolfpack hit double-digits in wins with an eight-point victory over Louisiana Tech. That may not seem like much until you remember the Bulldogs fell by only two points at Syracuse earlier this season. The Wolfpack are 10th in the nation in blocks per game.

6. Pittsburgh (9-3, 0-0; 7)

Pitt
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6. Pittsburgh (9-3, 0-0; 7)

Pitt
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The Panthers had little trouble dispatching Holy Cross last week by 19 to improve to 9-3. Pitt's trademark defense seemed to return in that game, holding the Crusaders to 39 points. After a sluggish start, the Panthers have won five straight games.

5. North Carolina (9-3, 0-0; 5)

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5. North Carolina (9-3, 0-0; 5)

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The Tar Heels put a hurting on UAB last week by 31. North Carolina has won three straight since losing to No. 1 Kentucky but need more from Marcus Paige. He leads the team at 13.6 PPG, but Paige is shooting a woeful 36 percent from the field.

4. Louisville (11-1, 0-0; 3)

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4. Louisville (11-1, 0-0; 3)

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It's hard to drop a team for losing to the best team in this or any other country, but the Cardinals had UK at home and were held to 25.9 percent from the field, UL's worst in 34 years. And that was with Montrezl Harrell going 4-for-9. Not a good look.

3. Notre Dame (12-1, 1-0; 4)

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3. Notre Dame (12-1, 1-0; 4)

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The Fighting Irish have been top-three quality all season; they just needed someone in front of them to lose in order to move up. Notre Dame got that with Louisville's defeat to Kentucky. The Irish stand just one point to Providence away from being 13-0 and probably a top-five team in the AP poll.

2. Virginia (11-0, 0-0; 2)

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2. Virginia (11-0, 0-0; 2)

UVA
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Virginia has had more time off after they caught the nation's attention with a 76-27 destruction of Harvard. Up to No. 3 in the AP poll, the Cavaliers are reaching heights only seen in the Ralph Sampson era, but they face a tough test against a good Davidson team tonight.

1. Duke (11-0, 0-0; 1)

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1. Duke (11-0, 0-0; 1)

Duke
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Duke didn't have the easiest of nights Monday at home against Toledo, but they eventually pulled away for an 86-69 victory. Freshman Jahlil Okafor posted 27 points and eight rebounds, but he got help with 20 points from Quinn Cook. Duke will need that supplemental scoring in ACC play to win the league.

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