An interesting week has now passed around the league as Duke went down, the Heels looks suspect, Wake won a game, and meanwhile the Wahoos continue to crank out victories and make it look easy in the process.
So, how do we see things stacking up going into this weekend's games? Check out the way we see its in our updated CavsCorner ACC Power Rankings.
Tier I: The Best and the Most Talented
1. Virginia Cavaliers (16-0, 4-0 ACC)
Last Week: 1
UVa had no problems this week, first dusting Clemson on the road before blowing out No. 9 Virginia Tech at JPJ on Tuesday. The Cavaliers have destroyed their four ACC opponents thus far and have two convincing wins over Top-10 teams since the calendar turned to January. UVa is 24-1 in its last 25 ACC games (counting the ACC Tournament) and has won at least the most-recent matchup against every team in the league with some of the ACC winning streaks over opponents go back to 2013. Simply put, the Wahoos have dominated the ACC over the last season and so far this one too. It’s still early but UVa should be the favorite to win the league’s regular season again. Their dominance will face its toughest test yet when the Hoos travel to No. 1 Duke this weekend in one of the biggest regular-season games of the year in college basketball.
2. Duke Blue Devils (14-2, 3-1 ACC)
Last Week: 2
Duke fought hard in the second half on Saturday to outlast FSU in Tallahassee, winning on a last-second 3-pointer from Cam Reddish. Duke was without Zion Williamson in the second half, and playing without one of their key contributors seems to be a trend of late for the Blue Devils. On Monday they lost their first ACC game, falling in overtime to Syracuse at Cameron Indoor, with Reddish missing the game with an illness before the Blue Devils lost freshman point guard Tre Jones early in the game to a significant shoulder injury that should hold him out for a while. Reddish should return for Saturday’s clash with Virginia but the loss of Jones could prove to be a significant one both in that game and the ACC title race overall. If Duke can slow down a red-hot Virginia team shorthanded then said title race should become very interesting in the coming weeks. If not Duke’s big-picture goals are still within reach once Jones comes back and we get closer to March.
Tier II: Still Contenders
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (13-4, 3-1 ACC)
Last Week: 3
There was some talk in the last week about whether or not UNC could emerge as a challenger to UVa and Duke following its 2-0 start to league play with both wins coming on the road. Since then, the Tar Heels have done little to prove they belong in the same tier as the Cavaliers and Blue Devils. A blowout home loss to Louisville was followed up by a near loss to a mediocre Notre Dame team, but their second-half run helped the Heels avoid back-to-back losses in Chapel Hill. Carolina should still be taken seriously as a top conference foe, with a good balance of talent and experience as well as a pretty forgiving schedule. A home date with Virginia Tech on Monday is sandwiched in between must-win road games at Miami and Georgia Tech. UNC plays UVa, Virginia Tech, FSU, and Syracuse just once each, with all of those meetings taking place in the Dean Dome.
4. Virginia Tech Hokies (14-2, 3-1 ACC)
Last Week: 4
Despite getting run out of the gym in Charlottesville, it’s premature to write off the Hokies. Granted, the Wahoos were able to do pretty much whatever they wanted in Tuesday’s meeting, but Virginia Tech didn’t play an absolutely terrible game. Tech shot 33 percent from beyond the arc, a lot better than most teams have done against UVa this year. And despite the loss, Tech is still 3-1 in ACC play and should be 4-1 after Saturday’s home date with Wake Forest. Next week should tell us a lot about the Hokies, as they travel to UNC and host Syracuse in a big-time Saturday night game in Blacksburg. Win both of those and Tech will be on the path to a double-bye in the ACC Tournament and a strong NCAA Tournament seed. Splitting those two games would keep Tech on track while losing both would move the Hokies back to the middle of the pack as January comes to a close.