As the ACC gets further and further into conference play, a few things are becoming increasingly clear. Duke is a cut above the rest of the teams in the conference and the race to see who can be their top challenger is going to be perhaps the top or one of the top stories to watch. The Blue Devils have won their last 10 games and are 6-0 in conference play. They demolished Pittsburgh on Tuesday and then handled Notre Dame on Saturday. With games against Miami and Boston College this week, the gap might only get bigger.
Louisville seems to be a team that is surging. They have now won six in a row, including a pair of wins against Clemson and Pitt, two teams that are supposed to be Duke's biggest challengers. Pat Kelsey has this team playing very well right now and they will face Syracuse and Virginia this week.
The Tigers are still just 5-1 and one of the few ACC teams that appears capable of making the NCAA Tournament. Clemson has two road games this week against Georgia Tech and Pitt.
There are four teams that are either 4-1 or 3-2 who could be interesting to watch down the stretch. North Carolina and Wake Forest have both won three in a row and in terms of raw talent, the Tar Heels could be the biggest threat to Duke if they can stay consistent. SMU and Pitt are both 3-2 and it was a tough week for the Panthers. They lost by 29 to Duke and then dropped a close game to Louisville yesterday. SMU demolished Georgia Tech on Saturday and has the firepower to be a factor down the stretch.
After those teams, the ACC is one big mess.
Stanford is at 3-2 and then NC State, Florida State, Syracuse and Virginia Tech are 2-3, with Georgia Tech at 2-4. None of these teams looks to be any real threat this year. Cal, Boston College, Virginia, and Notre Dame are 1-4 while Miami is the lone team that is winless in the ACC this season.
1. Duke (6-0 ACC, 14-2 Overall)
2. Louisville (5-1, 12-5)
3. Clemson (5-1, 13-4)
4. Wake Forest (4-1, 12-4)
5. North Carolina (4-1, 11-6)
6. Pittsburgh (3-2, 12-4)
7. SMU (3-2, 12-4)
8. Stanford (2-3, 10-6)
9. NC State (2-3, 9-7)
10. Florida State (2-3, 11-5)
11. Syracuse (2-3, 8-8)
12. Virginia Tech (2-3, 7-9)
13. Georgia Tech (2-4, 8-9)
14. Cal (1-4, 8-8)
15. Boston College (1-4, 9-7)
16. Virginia (1-4, 8-8)
17. Notre Dame (1-4, 7-9)
18. Miami (0-35, 4-12)
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