1. Louisville (18-3, 9-1)

Last Week: No. 1.

After this week’s results, the Cardinals are now the hottest team in the ACC. Winners of seven straight, they are in pole position to win the regular season title with 10 games remaining and have lived up to the preseason hype. Louisville has won in a number of ways during its streak, with close victories and several blowouts. The Cards also have the likely ACC Player of the Year in Jordan Nwora and should be considered the team to beat in the conference as we enter the second half of the league slate. They have an interesting road test at NC State this weekend.

2. Duke (17-3, 7-2)

Last Week: No. 3

Duke has officially bounced back from its quick two-game losing streak, rolling Miami and Pittsburgh at home this week. Coach K’s scolding of the Cameron Crazies stole the headlines but the team’s play on the floor shouldn’t be totally ignored. While the Hurricanes and Panthers aren’t exactly world beaters, Duke’s ability to blow them out shows that the Blue Devils may have a gear that many ACC teams won’t be able to reach consistently this year. They are on the road this week, starting with a trip to the Carrier Dome on Saturday followed by another game up north at Boston College.

3. Florida State (17-3, 7-2)

Last Week: No. 2

The Noles played with fire long enough and earlier this week UVa ended their 10-game winning streak. They won their previous three games by a total of 10 points and it was only a matter of time before FSU dropped a close one. The Seminoles still have one of the top teams in the conference and should be able to bounce back from Tuesday night’s loss. They have winnable games against Virginia Tech, UNC, and Miami coming up before their next big test, when they travel to Cameron Indoor in a couple of weeks.

4. Virginia (14-6, 6-4)

Last Week: No. 8

UVa didn’t lose a game this week, which is more than almost everyone else in this conference can say. It was a nail-biter at Wake Forest on Sunday afternoon, but the Cavaliers were able to narrowly avoid what would’ve been a disastrous loss against an undermanned Deacs team. The win over Florida State was UVa’s biggest to date, and absolutely critical to its somewhat dubious NCAA Tournament hopes. If the Wahoos can continue to shoot the ball a little better, as they did against FSU, they could end up with another top-four finish. Thy are off this weekend before hosting Clemson next Wednesday.

5. Syracuse (13-8, 6-4)

Last Week: No. 5

The Orange quietly moved up to fourth place last week after winning six straight games following an 0-3 start in ACC play. They weren’t able to run that win streak to seven, though, dropping a last-second heartbreaker at Clemson on Tuesday night. That loss doesn’t necessarily spell doom for the Orange, who looked very solid in the weeks prior. Saturday’s home test against Duke will tell us more about how far along they are and whether their win streak was a flash in the pan or if they are actually vying for a top-four spot.

6. Clemson Tigers (11-9, 5-5)

Last Week: No. 7

The Tigers have won five of their last seven games and are solidly in the middle of the pack in the conference. Losses at NC State and Louisville during that seven-game stretch are certainly understandable, and their ability to protect their home floor could serve them well down the stretch if they can keep it up. Clemson won’t have home court this week though, as the Tigers travel to Wake Forest and UVa for a pair of games that they need to, at worst, split.

7. NC State (14-7, 5-5)

Last Week: No. 4

It was a disappointing week for the Wolfpack, who sat in a good spot after winning at JPJ for the first time since the venue opened. But they couldn’t build on that three-game winning streak, dropping disappointing affairs with Georgia Tech and then rival UNC. A theme this year among ACC teams is getting hot and winning a few in a row and then careening back to earth. It’s tough to trust most of the teams to deliver the expected result, and NC State is certainly a team that can’t be trusted right now. The Pack should probably lose to Louisville this weekend, so it’s exactly the type of game they’ll probably win.

8. Virginia Tech (14-7, 5-5)

Last Week: No. 6

After a hot start in ACC play, the Hokies appear to be regressing back towards preseason expectations. Tech has now lost three of its last four, with all three of its losses coming in winnable games against Syracuse, Boston College, and Miami. The Hokies did win a double-overtime thriller against UNC during that stretch, and still sit in a decent spot in terms of the league standings. Will they turn it around or continue to tumble? They’ll have a tough game but a big opportunity this weekend when Florida State continues its tour of the Commonwealth down in Blacksburg.

9. Notre Dame (12-8, 3-6)

Last Week: No. 11

The Irish lead this group, and despite some really mixed results lately, have been competitive in every game. Notre Dame’s four league losses in January, to solid opponents NC State, Louisville, FSU and Syracuse, have come by a combined 11 points. A double-digit win over Wake got the Irish back on track this week, and they’ll have a chance to build some momentum with contests upcoming against Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.

10. Pittsburgh (13-8, 4-6)

Last Week: No. 9

The Panthers lost both of their games this week but both came against top-half opponents on the road. The good news is that their young team will have a good shot to move towards .500 in the league in the coming weeks, with three of their next four at home and all four being games winnable. Pitt has a must-win on Super Bowl Sunday against Miami, followed by a road trip to South Bend. But no matter what, Jeff Capel can at least know that he’ll never be taunted by the Cameron Crazies again as long as he’s coaching.

11. North Carolina (10-10, 3-6)

Last Week: No. 15

Are the Tar Heels…improving? A pair of comfortable wins this week over Miami and NC State snapped the five-game losing streak that sent Carolina to the bottom of the standings. And while there is plenty of work to do, it appears that Cole Anthony will return from his knee injury at some point in the near future. When that happens, UNC becomes a much more dangerous team. The Heels should be able to run their win streak up to three games, with a home date against Georgia Tech coming on Saturday, before an upset bid opportunity at FSU on Monday.

12. Georgia Tech (10-11, 4-6)

Last Week: No. 12

The Jackets ended a three-game losing streak over the weekend with a win over NC State, and then beat up on Morehouse College on Wednesday night to feel a bit better about themselves. This season feels like every other Georgia Tech season of late; the Yellow Jackets will scare some teams, lose some lopsided games, and ultimately finish below .500 and exit the ACC Tournament in quick fashion.

13. Boston College (10-11, 4-6)

Last Week: No. 10

BC has lost five of its last six since beating UVa in Chestnut Hill. The team’s one win came over Virginia Tech last weekend, and most of its losses haven’t been close. Three of their next four games are on the road, as the Eagles start with a trip to UNC this weekend. Their only home game during that stretch comes early next week, when they host Duke in a likely blowout loss. Jim Christian, we hardly knew ya.

14. Miami (11-9, 3-7)

Last Week: No. 13

The title of this tier says it all. You don’t want to have these two teams in the “Bad Loss” category on your tournament resume, and that’s exactly where the Hurricanes are for Virginia Tech after the Canes upset the Hokies on Tuesday night. That win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Hurricanes, who pulled it off without guard Chris Lykes. Miami likely won’t be favored again for a few weeks, with contests upcoming at Pittsburgh and at home against NC State.

15. Wake Forest (9-11, 2-8)

Last Week: No. 15

And last but certainly least, Wake Forest. Once again the Deacs

are at the bottom of the pile, having lost six of seven. Wake deserves some credit for taking the UVa game to overtime, but their overall body of work is poor. It’s beyond time for a leadership change in Winston-Salem, as any Demon Deacons fan would surely tell you. Wake hosts Clemson this week before a trip to Louisville in what could be one of the league’s most lopsided results of the season.