There is a new team atop the ACC weekly power rankings for the first time in six weeks. There were some other shakeups, as well, and near consideration for a new bottom club.
Duke sent a message to the rest of the college basketball universe while UNC failed doing so. Virginia breathes a sigh of relief, Mark Turgeon has to be really upset, and Erick Green still gives us a reason to watch the Hokies
Here are this week’s power rankings:
The Blue Devils are complete now that Ryan Kelly is back, and they are coming off a great performance in clobbering North Carolina at the Dean Dome. Miami losing helped move Duke up to the top spot, but let’s be honest, other than Indiana, who else in the nation is Duke’s equal right now?
Maybe the Hurricanes have peaked, after all. No way they should have lost at home to Georgia Tech after leading by 11, and beating Clemson means very little. The ‘Canes are still dangerous, and maybe getting to the postseason is good for this team. Miami played its best basketball in January. Can the Hurricanes regain that form?
The Tar Heels looked like what we’ve come to expect from North Carolina over the last five decades in a win at Maryland last week, but had absolutely no answers for Duke at home Saturday night. How UNC responds to the ugly performance will be interesting.
Tony Bennett’s team overcame a 17-point deficit at home to beat Maryland in overtime on Sunday night, keeping alive their hopes of getting into the NCAA Tournament. Joe Harris wasn’t strong, but Akil Mitchell was. Virginia should get into the dance.
It truly is amazing how C.J. Leslie impacts this team, and too often this season he’s been disengaged to where it cost the Wolfpack. That was again the case in Saturday’s loss at Florida State. As talented as N.C. State is, which makes it so dangerous, the Wolfpack just may never get pas Leslie’s roller-coaster efforts.
The Terrapins had a huge week but couldn’t get a key victory, thus their NCAA chances are next to nil at this point. A home loss to UNC followed by and overtime loss at Virginia that saw Mark Turgeon’s team blow a 17-point lead were scenes Terps fans probably weren’t too surprised to see.
For all that went wrong for FSU this season, including some so-so performances by Michael Snaer, the Seminoles won their last two games and finished with a .500 record in ACC play. The Seminoles likely secured an NIT bid with the good week, which will benefit the freshmen.
After losing five in a row and seven of eight games in league play, Boston College has won three in a row and five of eight and finished ahead of five other teams in the conference. The Eagles are young and have some nice parts, so next year could see them take a big step forward.
Last week’s win at Miami offered glimpses of how Georgia Tech has improved and its potential moving forward, but the loss at Boston College over the weekend may keep the Yellow Jackets from getting an NIT bid. Georgia Tech’s three freshman starters could use a couple more games, preferably on the road in the NIT.
The Demon Deacons ended a three-game skid by concluding the regular season with a win over Virginia Tech. Wake Forest finished the ACC season 6-3 at home, which is clear progress. But overall, the Demon Deacons still got waxed too many times, so the progress was minimal.
The last two spots in the league were essentially a tie, as Clemson has been no better than Virginia Tech over the last six weeks. The Tigers closed the regular season losing six straight games and nine of 10. Brad Brownell’s teams usually get much better during the season, but not this club.
The Hokies played some of their best ball during the ACC schedule late, but they still finished in last place after dropping 16 of 20 games dating back to Christmas. At least we get to see Erick Green play one more time.
