ACC Basketball Weekly Roundup: Power Rankings and the Good, Bad, and Ugly

While there’s a world in which the ACC sends five teams to the NCAA Tournament, it’s far from guaranteed. Duke — No. 3 nationally — is a lock, while Clemson’s early-season win over Kentucky has boosted their at-large candidacy; North Carolina, however, can only afford to lose three or four more games if they want to hear their names called on Selection Sunday. Louisville is riding a six-game win streak with impressive wins over the Tar Heels, Pittsburgh, and Clemson, as they’ve catapulted into the second spot in our ACC Power Rankings. 

Louisville’s Pat Kelsey is a surefire ACC Coach of the Year if the Cardinals continue their strong play into February and March. Albeit dealing with injuries, they’ve risen from the ashes and have officially turned the page from the disastrous Kenny Payne era. 

Beyond the second tier, the quality of competition drops off tremendously. Let’s look at the hierarchy of ACC programs in an unfortunate down year for the conference.

In a League of their Own:

1. Duke (14-2, 6-0 ACC)

2nd Tier:

2 Louisville (12-5, 5-1)
3. Clemson (13-4, 5-1)
4. North Carolina (11-6, 4-1)
5, Pittsburgh (12-4, 3-2)
6. Wake Forest (12-4, 4-1)
7. SMU (12-4, 3-2)

3rd Tier:

8. Florida State (11-5, 2-3)
9. Stanford (11-5, 3-2)
10. NC State (9-7, 2-3)
11. Syracuse (8-8, 2-3)

4th Tier:

12. Notre Dame (7-9, 1-4)
13. Georgia Tech (8-9, 2-4)
14. California (8-8, 1-4)
15. Boston College (9-7, 1-4)
16. Virginia (8-8, 1-4)
17. Virginia Tech (7-9, 2-3)
18. Miami (4-12, 0-5)

The Good: Louisville’s win streak, Stanford’s defense of the West Coast, Syracuse’s optimism

It’s difficult to fathom the turnaround from Kenny Payne to Pat Kelsey. Louisville — a program which won 12 total games over the last two seasons — now has 12 wins under the direction of a new coach. As noted, the Cardinals lost X-factor Kasean Pryor (13.0 PPG) to injury, but they’re getting high three-point volume from guard Reyne Smith, who cashed in seven of 11 attempts Saturday against Pitt. Questions surrounded the Cardinals’ rebuilding process and the overwhelming amount of portalers flocking to Louisville. Nonetheless, they’re on track for an NCAA Tournament berth and have gelled quicker than expected after returning zero scholarship players this offseason.

Their schedule will relax as well, with Syracuse and Virginia next on the docket. The Cardinals thumped the Cavaliers, 70-50, and the result might be even more lopsided in KFC Yum! Arena this week. Louisville could distance themselves from all but Duke on the heels of their six-game winning streak.

Stanford will benefit from their home court this season; but, that advantage is offset by their double-header road trips to the East Coast. The Cardinal held firm against both Virginia schools and dominated the Cavaliers in their first meeting since 2010, 88-65. As expected against a weak Virginia frontcourt, senior center Maxime Raynaud (20.9 PPG, 11.5 RPG) feasted with a 24-point, ten-rebound effort, and the Cardinal only coughed up six turnovers as opposed to the Cavaliers’ 12. Coach Kyle Smith, a terrific coach at Washington State, has navigated the circumstances of a new conference with relative ease. I wouldn’t expect Stanford to win much on the East Coast, but they’ll surely make life difficult for opponents in Maples Pavilion.

Syracuse finally got their ACC win — two of them, in fact! The Orange held Georgia Tech to 55 points in a win at home, and they narrowly escaped from Chestnut Hill with a 79-71 defeat of Boston College. These aren’t sexy wins, but it’s enough to give them a semblance of momentum heading into a dangerous home matchup against Louisville. Although he secured a commitment from four-star Kiyan Anthony — Carmelo’s son — Coach Adrian Autry is fighting for his job after taking the reins from Jim Boeheim at the start of last season.

Junior forward Chris Bell (9.9 PPG) hasn’t taken a leap with heightened expectations on his shoulders. In order to push the Orange forward, Bell and junior guard JJ Starling (19.8 PPG) must provide that one-two punch that so many anticipated in their third year at Syracuse.

The Ugly: Virginia’s road trip out West, Pitt’s slide, Boston College’s outlook

I’m skipping the “bad” section this week. Why not focus on the ugly instead!

Virginia will not be making the NCAA Tournament after Saturday’s loss to Stanford. A nightmarish start to conference play, including double-digit losses to Louisville, California, and now, the Cardinal, has essentially put the nail in the coffin for postseason ambitions. A lack of production from sophomores Dai Dai Ames, Blake Buchanan, and TJ Power has exacerbated the Cavaliers’ offensive woes, and the defense just allowed an 88-point outing. The defensive-heavy scheme may have hit its expiration date. 

The Cavaliers will continue their tough sledding on the road against Louisville. Hopefully, Virginia faithful can see more production from freshmen Jacob Cofie and Ishan Sharma — priorities for the future of this program. Retaining those two, guard Isaac McKneely, and forward Elijah Saunders would be a promising step for a program seeking a fresh start at the end of this season. However, the prospect of a new coach would make that possibility a bit more difficult.