1. Virginia Cavaliers (12-3, 8-1)

Last Week: No. 1

Despite picking up their first conference loss, the Wahoos stay atop our rankings in part because of how everyone below them fared. Heading into the back half of the ACC slate, UVa is still the league favorite. The Cavaliers bounced back with a hard-fought win at NC State that came down to the final few minutes, and the second half featured a large drought for the offense, as it did in the loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday. UVa will need to be a bit more consistent down the stretch to stay on top of the ACC pile. The game against Louisville this weekend was postponed and the Cardinals were replaced with Pittsburgh, which comes to JPJ on Saturday afternoon.

2. Florida State Seminoles (10-3, 6-2)

Last Week: No. 2

It was a rough week for FSU, which was upset at Georgia Tech on Saturday before going on a COVID-19 pause not long thereafter. The ACC has already wiped out three FSU games (BC, Pitt, and VT), so the earliest the Seminoles should return to the court is February 13th against Wake Forest before they host UVa on Presidents’ Day. Florida State should return still in the hunt and is guaranteed to be no worse than second in the loss column when they play again.

3. Virginia Tech Hokies (13-4, 7-3)

Last Week: No. 5

The Hokies got the biggest win in the conference this week, rolling past Virginia in the second half to send their in-state rival to their first ACC loss. They looked like they were headed for a home loss in that game before a big second-half surge put them over the top. That momentum didn’t continue into the next game at Pitt, though, when they trailed most of the way in a 83-72 loss. Losing a road game in ACC play isn’t unforgivable but it seems that the Hokies have a tendency to take a step back after they get rolling. All of their ACC losses have come away from home, and they will have another challenge this weekend when they travel to Miami.

4. Louisville Cardinals (11-4, 6-3)

Last Week: No. 3

Louisville only played once this week, beating Georgia Tech at home in a game that was sandwiched between a pair of postponements. Then, the game at Virginia for Saturday got scrapped, so the Cardinals likely won’t play again until February 10th against Pitt. It seems like Louisville will hover near the top of the standings this season but head-scratching losses at Miami and Clemson still give us pause.

5. North Carolina Tar Heels (11-6, 6-4)

Last Week: No. 4

Carolina’s three-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday night when its offense couldn’t get going at Clemson. The Tar Heels fell behind early and couldn’t dig themselves out on the way to a deflating 63-50 road loss. UNC was creeping into the ACC title race conversation but this loss, its fourth in ACC play, is costly. Carolina has a challenging upcoming schedule, including a trip to Cameron Indoor this weekend and games in the next couple weeks against UVa, Virginia Tech, and Louisville.

6. Duke Blue Devils (7-6, 5-4)

Last Week: No. 6

Saturday’s destruction of Clemson brought out the latest round of “Is Duke back?!” conversations. But that debate was quickly put back on the shelf when the Blue Devils went to Miami and lost Monday night. They have proven themselves to be a dangerous team in recent weeks, but also one that could drop nearly any game on the schedule. It remains to be seen whether or not this young Duke team will continue to improve down the stretch and round into form, but the rivalry game on Saturday against Carolina should tell us a lot about both programs going forward.

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-6, 4-4)

Last Week: No. 7

The Jackets pulled off a big win against Florida State over the weekend but the quick turnaround for a road contest at Louisville was too tall a task. Georgia Tech is a dangerous team that is still hovering around the middle of the pack. It will be interesting to see if the Jackets work their way up towards the top group or continue to tread water in the weeks to come. They have a pair of home contests against Notre Dame and Virginia this week.

8. Syracuse Orange (10-5, 4-4)

Last Week: No. 8

The Orange were one of just two ACC teams that played since our last rankings and didn’t lose (Notre Dame the other). Syracuse has now won three of its last four games, most recently knocking off NC State at home on Sunday night. The home game against Louisville was postponed, so the Orange will return to action this weekend when they go to Clemson. While Georgia Tech seems like a team that is better than their .500 record, or at least more dangerous, Syracuse’s 4-4 mark feels just about right.

9. Pittsburgh Panthers (9-5, 5-4)

Last Week: No. 9

The Panthers seemed liked the league’s pleasant surprise for a few days late last month, but three straight losses took the shine off the penny. They were destroyed by Notre Dame at home over the weekend in a result that seemed to expose Pitt as nothing more than a team that got hot for a few games but was destined for a big fall. Then the Panthers upset Virginia Tech at home on Wednesday with a strong performance that finally got them back in the win column. Now they head on the road to Charlottesville in a game that was just scheduled yesterday. Will last night’s win be the start of another upward trend for the Panthers or was it just an aberration? We’ll soon find out.

10. Clemson Tigers (11-5, 5-5)

Last Week: No. 10

Clemson rounds out our second tier after a 1-1 week. The Tigers were bludgeoned by Duke at Cameron on Saturday, in a game where they looked totally outclassed by the Blue Devils. But they were able to bounce back with a surprising win at home over North Carolina, in a game they led wire to wire. The Tigers can beat anybody if their defense can get enough stops and keep the game low scoring, as they did against the Tar Heels. But as their loss at Duke shows, they aren’t always going to be able to find that recipe for success. Clemson hosts Syracuse this weekend.

11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-9, 4-6)

Last Week: No. 12

Notre Dame has the league’s longest winning streak at two games. The Irish won comfortably against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest and have now won four of their last five contests. All of those wins came against teams in the bottom half of the standings, but the Irish do seem to be improving as ACC play rolls along. Things will get tougher in the coming days, though, with trips to Georgia Tech and Duke on deck for this week.

12. Miami Hurricanes (7-10, 3-9)

Last Week: No. 13

The Hurricanes went into Monday’s game against Duke reeling with four straight losses. Then they held on to take down the Blue Devils at home and move to 3-9 in league play. Miami has had to struggle with depth issues in recent weeks and frankly, is probably better than their conference mark indicates. The Canes are the only ACC team to have played every league game on their schedule and their three wins came against NC State, Louisville, and Duke, certainly not the least-impressive trio of wins. Miami will have two more chances to play spoiler this week, with a home game against Virginia Tech Saturday before traveling to face North Carolina on Monday night.

13. NC State Wolfpack (7-7, 3-6)

Last Week: No. 11

In a week full of parity, NC State now owns the league’s longest losing streak at two games. The Wolfpack went 0-2 this week with losses to Syracuse and Virginia, but they were competitive in both games. State is going to have to overcome the loss of leading scorer Devon Daniels, which surely changes the outlook for their season. The Pack should be able to get back on track this weekend when they travel to face an undermanned Boston College team.

14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-8, 2-8)

Last Week: No. 14

Wake handled Miami at home over the weekend with some hot 3-point shooting but wasn’t competitive in a mid-week loss to Notre Dame. The Deacs are off this weekend before a cellar clash with Boston College next week.

15. Boston College Eagles (3-10, 1-6)

Last Week: No. 15

Boston College hasn’t played since January 16th and remains at the bottom of the standings based on win percentage. The Eagles do seem ready to return to play this weekend against NC State, but they will do so with just a handful of scholarship players available. I think we all know how that will go for BC.

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