With everyone looking ahead to Saturday's showdown in Charlottesville between Duke and Virginia, someone forgot to tell the Notre Dame Fighting Irish about the grand plan. The Irish rallied from 10 down last night to beat the Blue Devils in South Bend for the second consecutive year. It raises questions over whether Duke can beat the ACC elite. Meanwhile, the teams grouped 7-9 in these rankings went 0-7 last week!
15. Wake Forest (9-12, 1-7; Last Week: 13)
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15. Wake Forest (9-12, 1-7; Last Week: 13)
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While no one expected Year 1 under new head coach Danny Manning to result in an ACC title, they probably also didn't think the Demon Deacons would have just one ACC win nearly halfway through their conference schedule. Wake suffered close losses last week at Clemson and Florida State.
14. Boston College (9-10, 1-6; 14)
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14. Boston College (9-10, 1-6; 14)
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The Eagles got a win last week, edging Georgia Tech by two points in a result that looks better now after the Yellow Jackets rolled Miami last night. The Eagles also played close with Louisville for much of the game on Wednesday before finally falling, 81-72. But BC didn't really do anything to warrant moving up the rankings, either.
13. Virginia Tech (9-11, 1-6; 15)
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13. Virginia Tech (9-11, 1-6; 15)
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If Buzz Williams eventually turns the Hokies into an ACC power, we will look back on this week as perhaps the turning point. Virginia Tech had Virginia all but beat, leading by 10 midway through the second half in Blacksburg on Sunday, before Justin Anderson put the Cavs on his shoulders in UVA's 50-47 win. But the Hokies responded with an overtime win vs. Pittsburgh and even undermanned, are quite competitive.
12. Pittsburgh (13-8, 3-5; 8)
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12. Pittsburgh (13-8, 3-5; 8)
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It's time to face up to the fact that the Pitt Panthers just aren't a really good basketball team this season. They gave up 80 points at home in a loss to a Louisville team that couldn't shoot straight entering the game, then lit the rims on fire against the Panthers. Pitt's loss at Virginia Tech is probably the rock bottom point for this season, but if you didn't believe that, no one would blame you.
11. Georgia Tech (10-10, 1-7; 12)
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11. Georgia Tech (10-10, 1-7; 12)
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The Yellow Jackets had rung up seven straight ACC losses to start the season, despite having some decent pieces in players like leading scorer Marcus Georges-Hunt. The 28 points scored in a loss at Virginia set all sorts of ACC records for futility. So of course, Georgia Tech went out last night and clobbered Miami on the road by 20 points. Sometimes, basketball makes no sense.
10. N.C. State (13-9, 4-5; 7)
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10. N.C. State (13-9, 4-5; 7)
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Speaking of basketball not making any sense, what in the world has happened to the Wolfpack? The team that dismantled Duke in Raleigh earlier this season is nowhere to be found anymore and were down by 20 points to Clemson last night, finally losing 68-57. When N.C. State is making the Tigers look good, it's time to pick up the pieces and start over.
9. Syracuse (14-7, 5-3; 9)
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9. Syracuse (14-7, 5-3; 9)
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The Orange, who weren't as good as their record indicated coming into the week, had a tough assignment playing home to Miami and at North Carolina. All Syracuse proved is it can lose no matter what style you want to play, falling 66-62 to Miami and 93-83 at the Tar Heels. They aren't Pitt, but the Orange need to get things figured out and in a hurry.
8. Florida State (11-10, 3-5; 10)
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8. Florida State (11-10, 3-5; 10)
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One of the big winners of last week's mid-rankings carnage was the Florida State Seminoles, who only went 1-1. The win was in overtime over Wake Forest, but the loss was an entertaining and hard-nosed 78-74 decision in Chapel Hill to North Carolina. Freshman guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes poured in 35 points in that loss, going 14-for-26 from the field.
7. Clemson (12-8, 4-4; 11)
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7. Clemson (12-8, 4-4; 11)
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How about those Tigers? Just when you count them out from a top-half finish in the ACC, Clemson goes out and edges Wake Forest, then marches into Raleigh, gets a 20-point lead on N.C. State, nearly blows all of it (it got down to three), then pulls away. It seems like every year, we ask the real Clemson Tigers to please stand up. This is the point of the 2014-15 season where we've hit that juncture.
6. Miami (14-6, 4-3; 6)
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6. Miami (14-6, 4-3; 6)
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By all rights, the Hurricanes should have been penalized for getting destroyed at home by Georgia Tech. But because the three teams behind Miami in last week's rankings were so terrible, there was no place to put it. Miami did beat N.C. State last week 65-60 and won at Syracuse, so the week wasn't a total loss, even if the poor effort against the Yellow Jackets is totally puzzling.
5. Louisville (17-3, 5-2; 5)
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5. Louisville (17-3, 5-2; 5)
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The Cardinals had a relatively simple week, but they did gain two road wins at Pitt and Boston College. The tasks gets tougher starting Saturday when Louisville hosts North Carolina at 4 p.m., in a rematch of one of the better ACC games of the season -- won by the Tar Heels, 72-71 in Chapel Hill.
4. Duke (17-3, 4-3; 4)
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4. Duke (17-3, 4-3; 4)
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Well, well, well. Suddenly, the luster is a bit dimmed from Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th career win last week. First, the Blue Devils blew a second-half lead and looked a bit lost on offense in a loss at Notre Dame. Today, junior guard Rasheed Sulaimon was kicked off the team for an unexplained reason. That's not the type of thing you see from Duke, especially with him being one of the veterans. Oh, and Duke is at No. 2 Virginia Saturday.
3. North Carolina (17-4, 7-1; 2)
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3. North Carolina (17-4, 7-1; 2)
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The Tar Heels have won six in a row and 11 of their last 12, the loss coming by one point at home to Notre Dame. But the upcoming schedule isn't easy for Carolina. First, UNC goes to Louisville Saturday to take on the 10th-ranked Cardinals. Then, two days later, the Tar Heels host undefeated (potentially) Virginia. UVA may still be perfect, but Carolina may be playing the ACC's best basketball right now.
2. Notre Dame (20-2, 8-1; 3)
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2. Notre Dame (20-2, 8-1; 3)
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The ACC's first 20-win team, Notre Dame finally figured out how to close out Duke last night. From there, the Irish's typical great shooting and clutch play from Jerian Grant led the way to another victory. The teams rematch on Feb. 7 in Durham.
1. Virginia (19-0, 7-0; 1)
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1. Virginia (19-0, 7-0; 1)
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It almost came apart for the Cavaliers in Blacksburg, but a late rally led to a three-point win. Then, UVA rolled Georgia Tech in embarrassing fashion, 57-28, at midweek. But now, the gauntlet begins. As Virginia fights to stay perfect and perhaps to still seek respect nationally, the Cavaliers host No. 4 Duke Saturday, go to No. 13 North Carolina Monday, then host No. 10 Louisville five days later. Going 22-0 will be a tough task.
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