1. Louisville (20-3, 11-1)

Last Week: No. 1

Louisville rolled into February on cruise control and remain on track to win its first ACC regular season title. With their last loss came back on January 4th against FSU, the Cards will bring a nine-game winning streak into Saturday’s contest with Virginia. Louisville’s struggles against UVa are well documented at this point, and surely this is a monkey that the Cards would like to get off their backs before heading into the stretch run. If Louisville does win Saturday, there’s a great chance the Cardinals will be 16-1 in conference play when they head to Tallahassee for a rematch on February 24th against the only team that has beaten them in league play.

2. Duke (19-3, 9-2)

Last Week: No. 2

Like Louisville, Duke has handled its business of late and has won four straight after picking up Ws at Syracuse and Boston College this week. Those back-to-back losses to Clemson and Louisville now seem like a long time ago, and the Blue Devils should be able to stay in the title race as we head into the final month of the season. The big Tobacco Road rivalry game this weekend doesn’t have the same meaning with UNC not being competitive, meaning Duke’s biggest game this week actually comes not against the Tar Heels but at home against FSU on Monday.

3. Florida State (19-3, 9-2)

Last Week: No. 3

FSU picked up the pieces after its lone loss of 2020 last week in Charlottesville. The Seminoles got back on track with wins over Virginia Tech and UNC, but neither were exactly runaway victories. They are still a virtual lock for a top-four seed in the ACC Tournament but they haven’t been as dominant in recent weeks as they were early in January. The Noles should be able to handle rival Miami this weekend at home but their game in Cameron Indoor on Monday night should be a great measuring stick before the stretch run.

4. Virginia (15-6, 7-4)

Last Week: No. 4

UVa had the weekend off after the big win over FSU last week, and then returned to action on Wednesday night with a win over Clemson. The Hoos started off great in Wednesday’s game but had to fight off a late rally from the Tigers to improve to 7-4 in league play and win their third straight game. After losing four of five, UVa has now won four of five and put itself back on the NCAA Tournament bubble. A surprising win at Louisville would do wonders for the Cavaliers, but even if they can’t get it, they have a stretch of winnable games one after the other coming up, starting with Notre Dame at home next Wednesday night.

5. Syracuse (13-9, 6-5)

Last Week: No. 5

Like Virginia, the Orange only played one game this week. But unlike the Cavaliers, the Cuse didn’t win, dropping a home date with Duke 97-88 on Saturday night. That loss was certainly expected but following a loss to Clemson earlier in the week, Syracuse has dropped from 6-3 to 6-5 in the league. The Orange have a must-win home date with Wake Forest this weekend before a very important clash with fellow Tier II NC State at the Carrier Dome.

6. NC State (15-8, 6-6)

Last Week: No. 7

The Wolfpack couldn’t pull off what would’ve been a huge victory over the weekend against Louisville, and in fact, they didn’t even come close. Kudos to State for bouncing back and beating Miami on the road, making their way back to .500 in league play. The Wolfpack have the weekend off before that trip up to Syracuse on Tuesday.

7. Notre Dame (14-8, 5-6)

Last Week: No. 9

The Irish are creeping up both our rankings and the conference standings as well. Notre Dame has feasted on teams in the bottom half of the league lately, beating Wake, Georgia Tech, and Pitt at home in succession. Now, the Irish must prove they can get it done away from South Bend, with road trips to Clemson, UVa, and Duke on tap. If Notre Dame can win at least one of those three, the schedule lightens up again after the trip to Durham.

8. Pittsburgh (14-9, 5-7)

Last Week: No. 10

At this point, Pitt seems like a team that can beat the bad teams in the conference but rarely punch above its weight class. The Panthers got past Miami at home on Sunday but couldn’t stay with Notre Dame in their next outing. The good news is that they have a bunch of games coming up against teams they can beat, starting with home contests this week against Georgia Tech and Clemson.

9. Clemson (11-11, 5-7)

Last Week: No. 6

Clemson’s struggles away from Littlejohn have proven to be quite costly, and the Tigers now sit at 5-7 in ACC play after a 3-3 start. A road loss at JPJ is understandable, but losing at Wake Forest by 12, like they did over the weekend, is not. Clemson has some players that can get hot and are good enough on defense to scare a team now and then, but they aren’t good enough to compete for this conference or an NCAA Tournament bid.

10. Georgia Tech (11-12, 5-7)

Last Week: No. 12

Georgia Tech’s blowout win against Virginia Tech on Tuesday was odd, but what hasn’t been odd in this college basketball season? Unlike so many other teams in the conference, the Jackets are decent on the road most of the time but struggle in Atlanta. Georgia Tech has just one game remaining against the top teams in the league, when Louisville comes to McCamish Pavilion next week. Pretty much every other game on the schedule is winnable, but don’t expect Tech to win more than half of those remaining contests.

11. Virginia Tech (14-9, 5-7)

Last Week: No. 8

Losers of four straight and five of their last six, the Hokies are reeling after a pretty hot start to league play. It’s been a disappointing run of form for Mike Young’s team, but they were expected to struggle this year and perhaps it just took a while to show. The Hokies desperately need to turn things around and they’ll have a chance to do just that when they host Boston College this weekend.

12. Boston College (11-12, 5-7)

Last Week: No. 13

Speaking of Boston College, the Eagles had a decent showing this week, beating UNC on the road before falling short at home against Duke after a decent effort. In a season that’s going nowhere, the Eagles are still giving teams trouble from time to time and could be the type of team that reels off a couple of surprise wins in Greensboro next month. BC could work its way back to .500 in league play with games this week against Virginia Tech and Miami.

13. North Carolina (10-12, 3-8)

Last Week: No. 11

Cole Anthony returned to the UNC lineup but it didn’t help the Heels get over the hump. They kept it close at Florida State on Monday but a home loss to Boston College is a reminder that even a healthier UNC team probably isn’t good enough to make a ton of noise this year. It’s hard to imagine this Carolina team hanging with Duke in the first meeting on Saturday night but maybe they have enough to go to Winston-Salem and win on Tuesday.

14. Wake Forest (10-12, 3-9)

Last Week: No. 15

The Deacs beating Clemson by 12 at home was unexpected. That victory was their only win in five games and was quickly followed up by a double-digit loss to Louisville (when they led for a good part of the game). Wake might be able to play spoiler from time to time at home but don’t expect much more from this team.

15. Miami (11-11, 3-9)

Last Week: No. 14

Miami has lost six of seven and dropped both of its games this week by double digits. Hard pass. Things aren’t going to get any easier as they travel to Florida State this weekend.