It was another interesting week in the world of ACC men’s basketball, with Florida State falling to Boston College, shaking up the top of the league, and a classic Duke-Carolina matchup.
1. #5 Duke (21-4, 8-2 ACC; Last Week: 3) – Duke regained the top spot in the ACC, with a win over arch-rival North Carolina at the buzzer and an impressive 18-point win over Maryland. Guard Austin Rivers is becoming a star and is showing people why he was considered the top high school player in his class. (Upcoming Games: 2/16 NCSU , 2/19 @ BC)
2. #8 North Carolina (21-4, 8-2 ACC; LW : 2) – If Tyler Zeller had not played for Duke for the last minute of their game against Duke, there would be no question that the Tar Heels would be sitting in first place this week. Zeller and the Tar Heels rebounded against Virginia with an 18-point home win lead by Zeller’s 25 points. (2/15 @ MIA, 2/18 CLEM)
3. #20 Florida State (17-7, 8-2 ACC; LW : 1) – Florida State came back to earth last week, losing at Boston College and struggling against Miami at home. The Seminoles will need to improve their offensive production to regain the top spot in the league; Florida State hasn’t scored more than 68 points in their last four games. (2/16 VT, 2/18 @ NCSU )
4. N.C . State (18-7, 7-3 ACC; LW : 5) – The Wolfpack played much better this time against Georgia Tech, giving up 52 points to the Yellow Jackets. N.C . State’s next three games are brutal, as they play the ACC’s top three teams, and will need to win one or two of them to build their resume for March. (2/16 @ Duke, 2/18 FSU)
5. #22 Virginia (19-5, 6-4 ACC; LW : 4) – In all of Virginia’s losses, they have failed to exceed 60 points. After shooting 53 percent against Wake Forest, the Cavaliers managed to shoot only 36 percent against North Carolina. (2/14 @ CLEM, 2/18 MD)
6. Miami (15-8, 6-4 ACC; LW : 6) – A loss to Florida State crushed Miami’s five-game ACC winning streak, their longest as a league member. The Hurricanes have a chance to upset North Carolina in Coral Gables because they can match Carolina’s big men with Reggie Johnson and Kenny Kadji . (2/15 UNC , 2/18 WF )
7. Maryland (14-10, 4-6 ACC; LW : 7) – Maryland was able to keep Clemson from passing them in the rankings, edging them 64-62 in South Carolina. They did lose starting point guard Pe’Shon Howard for the remainder of the season and it will be tough for the Terrapins to overcome the loss. (2/16 BC, 2/18 @ UVA )
8. Clemson (12-12, 4-6 ACC; LW : 8) – The Tigers ended a three-game losing streak, with a 20-point victory over Wake Forest. Clemson needed the win, especially with ranked foes Virginia and North Carolina lurking this week. (2/14 UVA , 2/18 @ UNC )
9. Virginia Tech (14-11, 3-7 ACC; LW : 9) – Virginia Tech didn’t play the previous week, despite a winning one-out-of-two. In their lone win, they needed a tip-in with less than 2 seconds remaining to surpass Boston College. (2/16 @ FSU, 2/18 GT)
10. Wake Forest (11-14, 2-9 ACC; LW : 10) – Wake is one of the coldest teams in college basketball, losing nine-out-of-ten and six straight. Wake lost both of its past two games by 20 or more points. (2/15 GT, 2/18 @ MIA)
11. Boston College (8-17, 3-8 ACC; LW : 12) – Hardly anyone expected Boston College, a team with nothing to play for, to upset Florida State. Coach Steve Donahue is trying to make the most of what he has in his team, which isn’t much. The Eagles came 2 seconds from upsetting Virginia Tech for a second win in the week. (2/16 @ MD, 2/19 Duke)
12. Georgia Tech (9-15, 2-8 ACC; LW : 11) – After going 9-for-15 behind the arc in their first matchup, the Yellow Jackets went 1-for-17 the second go around. The good news for Georgia Tech is beatable opponents, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech, are up next. (2/15 @ WF , 2/18 @ VT)