The biggest news in the ACC over the past week wasn't good news. There was the death of legendary North Carolina head coach Dean Smith, while the Virginia Cavaliers' dream season got a bit of a jolt when Wooden Award candidate Justin Anderson broke a finger on his shooting hand in Saturday's win over Louisville, leaving him out 4-6 weeks. Meanwhile, on the bright side for some, the Duke Express appears to now be rolling along.
15. Boston College (9-14, 1-10 ACC)
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15. Boston College (9-14, 1-10 ACC)
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If the Eagles tried to get out of their own way offensively, they would probably be called for a charging foul. Boston College is 264th in the nation in scoring offense at 64 PPG; the Eagles are a terrible rebounding team, and they turn the ball over 13 times a game. Other than all that, I guess they are okay. BC has lost five straight, and they host Miami Sunday.
14. Virginia Tech (10-14, 2-9)
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14. Virginia Tech (10-14, 2-9)
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The one thing you can say about the Hokies is that while they may not have turned the corner yet under first-year head coach Buzz Williams, they have made a big first step in terms of being consistently competitive. While Virginia Tech is 2-4 in their last six games, all those games have been decided by eight points or less, including a two-point loss at Syracuse and a three-point loss at home to UVA. The Hokies may surprise in the ACC Tourney.
13. Georgia Tech (11-13, 2-10)
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13. Georgia Tech (11-13, 2-10)
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Another team that has been competitive lately is Georgia Tech, but unfortunately for the Yellow Jackets, they followed up a tough but quality loss at Duke and a win over Wake Forest with a two-point loss at Virginia Tech on Monday. Georgia Tech has come a long way from an embarrassing 57-28 demolition at Virginia on Jan. 22. The Yellow Jackets host Florida State on Saturday.
12. Wake Forest (12-13, 4-8)
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12. Wake Forest (12-13, 4-8)
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Wake Forest is quietly playing some good basketball now under first-year head coach Danny Manning. The Demon Deacons have won three of their last four, including victories over N.C. State and last night by a bucket over Miami. But the standard is going to have to rise a bit if Wake Forest is going to keep the run going. In the next three games, Wake plays No. 2 Virginia twice as well as No. 10 Notre Dame.
11. Florida State (13-12, 5-7)
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11. Florida State (13-12, 5-7)
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The Seminoles are getting really good at almost beating good teams. Earlier in the season, Florida State suffered a 78-74 loss at North Carolina when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 15. After a one-point win over then No. 23 Miami, the Seminoles gave another top team a battle before falling 73-70 to No. 4 Duke on Monday. FSU still has chances at a signature win, though, with games at No. 2 Virginia and home against No. 9 Louisville.
10. Miami (15-9, 5-6)
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10. Miami (15-9, 5-6)
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Just when you think the Hurricanes are starting to figure things out, they go and do what they did last night and lose at Wake Forest. This after a win over Clemson that stopped a long Tigers winning streak. Miami has lost four of the last five games after showing so much promise in tough losses at home to Virginia and at Notre Dame. But the Canes have Boston College and Virginia Tech next to try and stay in the NCAA Tournament Bubble Watch talk.
9. N.C. State (14-11, 5-7)
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9. N.C. State (14-11, 5-7)
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At one point, the Wolfpack were 8-2 and looked like a team that would definitely make the NCAA Tournament. Fast forward to now, and N.C. State has gone just 6-9 in the last 15 games and missed a golden opportunity last night to beat a shorthanded Virginia club, losing 51-47. State did a lot right in that game, but they couldn't execute at the end. No time to feel bad, though, as the Wolfpack go to Louisville on Saturday.
8. Pittsburgh (16-9, 5-6)
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8. Pittsburgh (16-9, 5-6)
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One thing that hasn't been talked about much this season with regard to the Pitt Panthers is how efficient they are offensively. While you don't think of Pitt as an offensive powerhouse (and they are only 165th in the nation in scoring at 68 PPG), the Panthers are 14th in the country in assists at 16.4 a game, while only turning the ball over 10 times a game. James Robinson has an assist-to-turnover ratio of nearly 3:1.
7. Clemson (14-10, 6-6)
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7. Clemson (14-10, 6-6)
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Clemson has come back down to Earth after a four-game winning streak briefly made people think the Tigers could be a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament. However, losses at Miami and at home to Notre Dame (by just a bucket) have left Clemson just four games over .500 overall and level in the conference. With 10 losses already, the Tigers have to be almost perfect down the stretch, starting at home against Virginia Tech on Saturday.
6. Syracuse (16-8, 7-4)
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6. Syracuse (16-8, 7-4)
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It's fair to wonder why I am even bothering to include Syracuse in these power rankings, given that the Orange are now not only going to miss the NCAA Tournament, but the ACC Tournament as well, due to self-imposed sanctions. But to be sporting, they'll still appear. Syracuse responded to a loss at Pitt with a win at Boston College on Wednesday. But now things get tough as the Orange host No. 4 Duke and No. 9 Louisville in their next two.
5. North Carolina (18-6, 8-3)
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5. North Carolina (18-6, 8-3)
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The Tar Heels played just once last week, winning at Boston College, but the death of former coach Smith, who was at the helm of North Carolina for 37 years, dominated the sports news in Chapel Hill and the college basketball world last week. Smith won a pair of national championships, was a regular in the Sweet 16 and turned out some of the best players in NBA history. He will be missed.
4. Louisville (20-4, 8-3)
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4. Louisville (20-4, 8-3)
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Montrezl Harrell appeared to be the only motivated player on the court at times in Louisville's 52-47 loss to Virginia on Saturday. That fire turned up against at home against Pittsburgh last night, with Harrell scoring 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Cardinals' 69-56 win. Louisville doesn't play another ranked team until Mar. 4 and could well be 25-4 (13-3) when hosting Notre Dame.
3. Notre Dame (22-4, 10-3)
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3. Notre Dame (22-4, 10-3)
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Perhaps the only reason why the Cardinals haven't jumped ahead of the Fighting Irish yet is that the teams haven't played. That Mar. 4 meeting in Louisville marks the only regular-season contest between the teams this year. The Irish are just 2-2 in their last four after starting 20-2, including a terrible 30-point loss at Duke on Saturday. But Notre Dame has Wake, BC and Syracuse coming up to get back on the right track.
2. Duke (21-3, 8-3)
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2. Duke (21-3, 8-3)
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Duke isn't leading the ACC and the losses to Miami and N.C. State are somewhat unforgivable now, but the Blue Devils are probably playing the best basketball in the conference currently. Duke's win at Virginia on Jan. 31 kicked off a four-game winning streak, including that 90-60 romp over Notre Dame. But Duke still has North Carolina twice and goes to Syracuse on Saturday, so the Blue Devils will be tested.
1. Virginia (22-1, 10-1)
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1. Virginia (22-1, 10-1)
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On a number of different levels, Virginia probably should have lost last night at N.C. State. But despite poor shooting and a discombobulated offense at times, the Cavaliers held steady, made the plays late and got out of Raleigh with a 51-47 win. The Cavs have bounced back nicely from the Duke loss with three wins, two on the road. The combined ACC record of Virginia's next five opponents is 20-38.
Kentucky remains undefeated, but travel to Knoxville to face Tennessee on Tuesday. Here are five reasons the Vols could pull off the biggest upset of the season. Read More
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