It was another wild week on the court in the ACC for men's basketball. It had everything, upsets, blowouts, résumé-building wins, and résumé losses. The conference is set up to at least double the number of teams in the NCAA Tournament next month than they had a year ago, and maybe even sneak a ninth team in.
Some teams took care of business over the weekend, while others, well, not so much. With that said, let's first up the latest ACC Men's Basketball Power Rankings as we hit the middle of February.
ACC men's basketball power rankings for the middle of February
- 18. Pittsburgh (9-17, 2-11 ACC): Things have really come undone in the Steel City. It wouldn't be surprising to see the Panthers move on from Jeff Capel at the end of the season. Another lost season for Pitt.
- 17. Boston College (9-16, 2-10 ACC): Speaking of coaches on the hot seat, you have to think Earl Grant's days in Chestnut Hill are numbered, too. The attendance is way down, and they have lost their best player, Donald Hand, to an injury. Like Pitt, it's another lost season in Boston.
- 16. Georgia Tech (11-15, 2-11 ACC): It was another week without a win for the Yellow Jackets, who have lost seven in a row. They host Virginia during the week, the hottest team in the conference. Nothing is easy in Atlanta this year.
- 15. Notre Dame (12-14, 3-10 ACC): The Irish picked up a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, which helps them in their effort to get to the ACC Tournament next month. There is still a long way to go, however.
- 14. Wake Forest (13-12, 4-8 ACC): The Demon Deacons rallied on Saturday to take down Stanford at home and put a major dent in their NCAA Tournament hopes.
- 13. Stanford (15-11, 5-8 ACC): Playing for their NCAA Tournament lives, Stanford blew a halftime lead in Winston-Salem in a game they couldn't afford to lose.
- 12. Syracuse (15-11, 6-7 ACC): Good for the Orange to pick up some wins, including a thriller over SMU at home at the buzzer. There is still a lot of work to do in New York, but the vibes, for one week, are better.
- 11. Florida State (12-13, 5-7 ACC): The Seminoles put on an impressive second-half performance in Blacksburg on Saturday to spank the Hokies and all but burst their NCAA Tournament bubble.
- 10. Virginia Tech (17-9, 6-7 ACC): What a disappointing Saturday afternoon inside Cassell Coliseum. After stunning Clemson on the road, Mike Young's team lays a major egg at home and is blown out by FSU. This is an NIT team when the dust settles.
- 9. California (18-8, 6-7 ACC): As mentioned above, if the ACC gets a ninth team, it'll be the Golden Bears who rebound from a double-overtime loss at Syracuse on Wednesday by beating BC on Saturday.
- 8. SMU (17-8, 6-6 ACC): A tough loss at the Dome on Saturday at Syracuse is a loss that the Mustangs need to rebound from this week to stay safe in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field.
- 7. North Carolina State (18-8, 9-4 ACC): The Wolfpack should be safe in the NCAA Tournament, but did anyone else have a worse week? They got blown out by Louisville, then were outscored in the final minute 8-0 to lose by a point at home to Miami. NC State talks a good game, but they need to back it up better than they did last week.
- 6. Clemson (20-5, 10-3 ACC): This might seem like a big drop, but the Tigers lost at home to Virginia Tech, then they got blown out at Duke. Brad Brownell needs to regroup his team.
- 5. North Carolina (20-5, 8-4 ACC): The Tar Heels not only lost to Miami, but also lost Caleb Wilson. A tough blow for a team that was riding high after knocking off Duke a week ago.
- 4. Miami (20-5, 9-3 ACC): Saturday's comeback win in Raleigh was a major résumé-boosting win for the Hurricanes.
- 3. Louisville (19-6, 8-4 ACC): The Cardinals are finding their groove with wins over NC State and Baylor. This is bad news for the rest of the conference.
- 2. Virginia (22-3, 10-2 ACC): The Cavaliers might be Duke's biggest threat in the ACC Tournament. The two teams will meet on Feb. 28 in Durham. That'll likely decide the top spot in the ACC Tournament next month.
- 1. Duke (23-2, 12-1 ACC): The Blue Devils bounced back from their loss at UNC with workmanlike wins over Pitt and Clemson.