Ballsy ACC Power Rankings

The pride of the ACC fell out of the top spot in the national rankings, while no other school is even close to sniffing the top-25. The theme so far in the early party of ACC play is it isn’t easy winning on the road. So far, ACC road teams against other ACC teams are just 2-18. Maryland (at Wake) and North Carolina (at Virginia) are the only two that have walked away a winner on the road.

1. DUKE
There’s no problem losing to Florida State in Tallahassee, but there is no excuse for trailing to Virginia by nine early in the second half. Like I discussed on Saturday night, the Blue Devils have struggled out of the gate from long-range in ACC play. Against Miami, Duke started 1-6 from three. At home against Maryland, Duke started 1-12, not hitting their first three until the four-minute mark in the first half. At Florida State, they went 0-10 from downtown. Lastly, against Virginia, it was another 1-11 start.

2. FLORIDA STATE
After a rough two-week patch that saw the Seminoles get roughed up by Auburn of all teams, Florida State rebounded with two solid wins over number one ranked Duke and then an ass-whopping of NC State. Against the Wolfpack, five different players scored in double figures. Having said that, this team has a lot to prove on the road in conference. Over the last two years, they’ve been 9-7 away from Tallahassee.

3. NORTH CAROLINA
Embarrassed. What other word can you use to describe a loss to Georgia Tech? It wasn’t even the fact that the Tar Heels lost; it was how bad they looked. They didn’t score a basket in the final eight minutes of the game. I’ve been preaching for a while now that Roy Williams needs to ditch the experience and put in all three freshmen into the starting lineup. So far, I’m not sure I’m right. Reggie Bullock, who was talking trash prior to ever playing a minute this season, has been roughed up in ACC play. He’s 3-16 from the field, 1-10 from three. He hasn’t dished out a single assists, turning it over three times.

4. VIRGINIA TECH
The Hokies have won seven of eight, but they really missed a golden opportunity when they blew 16-point lead in Chapel Hill. Having said that, Virginia Tech has finally placed themselves onto the right side of bubble. Still, they could use a signature win, especially on the road. So far, their most impressive win was at home against Florida State.

5. MARYLAND
The Terrapins twice this past week had a second-half lead against a top-10 team. Both times they failed to hold on to win. There is no shame in all of this. They’re a young team that will get better with time. The next two weeks are huge for Maryland. Their two toughest games (Virginia Tech and Clemson) are both at home, followed by two road trips against Virginia and Georgia Tech, two teams they should be favored to beat. They really need to go 4-0 over the next two weeks.

6. MIAMI
The Hurricanes had a rough start in the ACC with two loses to Duke and Clemson, but recovered with a solid win against an experienced Boston College squad. The true test comes Wednesday when they face a suddenly surging Florida State team. The game is at home, so there is no excuse. If Miami wants to be taken seriously as a tournament team, this is the kind of win they need to get.

7. BOSTON COLLEGE
It might be time to start talking more about BC’s Reggie Jackson. In three ACC games, he has poured in roughly 24ppg, hitting a stunning 24-38 from the field, 9-16 from three. Meanwhile teammate Joe Trapani’s numbers have fallen. He failed to hit double figures in his first two ACC games, before scoring 14 in a loss to Miami.

8. CLEMSON
Officially the Tigers are the hottest team in the ACC as they’ve rolled off eight-straight wins, including two ACC victories. However, keeping with the theme of the ACC, Clemson is doing their damage at home. I’d be willing to put a lot of money down that the Tigers don’t win their next two, both on the road, against North Carolina and Maryland. If they do find a way to pull out a win, it will be due to their D. The Tigers are ranked first in team defense in the ACC, giving up just 59.9 ppg.

9. NORTH CAROLINA STATE
Is it too early to start the “Fire Sidney Lowe” countdown? The fact is, the Wolfpack have shown zero improvement, despite the addition of a solid freshman class. They’ve lost to every team that one would consider equal or better, beating only teams they were expected to beat. The best win remains a November 19 win over George Mason. In fact, the average ranking (according to Ken Pom) of the teams NC State has beaten is just #244. That’s bad.

10. VIRGINIA
A solid effort at home against North Carolina and against Duke in Durham, but without Mike Scott, the Cavaliers can only do so much. Currently, they are the only ACC team (not named Wake) to lose a conference game at home. I’m not ready to write them off just yet. They’ll lose to Boston College this Wednesday on the road, but then they have two winnable games at home against Georgia Tech and Maryland.

11. GEORGIA TECH
A huge win for the Yellow Jackets, but was it a season saving? I doubt it. It did end a three-game slide, but it won’t erase loses to Kennesaw St., Siena and Charlotte. The key to victory was the three-point battle. The Jackets are one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the nation, but they’re also one of the worst at defending the three. Against Carolina, they won the three-battle, 7-2.

12. WAKE FOREST
Will the Demon Deacons win another game this year?  Since they’re losing on average by 23 points per game in the ACC, it is very unlikely. However, their best shot is probably when Virginia visits in two weeks and in early March when Georgia Tech shows up. By then, Tech’s season will be over and there will be nothing to play for.