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1.5.16 BSD ACC Power Rankings

Who is Number 1 in the Blogger So Dear Power Rankings this week???

By Riley Johnston
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

This will be an abbreviated version, with the Power Rankings and some general thoughts, but wanted to get another weekly one out!

1. Miami

2. North Carolina

3. Duke

4. Louisville

5. Virginia

6. Pittsburgh

7. Notre Dame

8. Wake Forest

9. N.C. State

10.Georgia Tech

11. Syracuse

12. Clemson

13. Virginia Tech

14. Florida State

15. Boston College

This week was probably the hardest that I have had due to what has transpired in the first week of ACC play. Let's recap some highlights/lowlights(?).

  • Virginia Tech defeats UVA, and N.C. State
  • Clemson defeats Florida State
  • Syracuse drops to 0-2 with losses to Pitt, and Miami.
If I were solely going by wins so far in the conference then it would be Virginia Tech in first, with UNC right behind them. As is, I'm going to need to see more consistency from Virginia Tech moving forward before I move them out of double digits.

I think Florida State is better than their 0-2, 14th ranked week would indicate (losses to Clemson, and UNC), but it doesn't get much easier for the Noles, as they take on Miami, N.C. State, Virginia, and Louisville in the next four games (three on the road). Could be a long January for Leonard Hamilton.

Overall I think Miami is the best, and most well-rounded team in the conference. They certainly have a lot to prove to pretty much everybody, as they have played a mediocre slate so far. Next Tuesday they travel to Charlottesville to take on Virginia, and if they win that (after FSU this weekend), it will put everybody on notice.

Brice Johnson had one of the best games a Tar Heel has ever had last night, pulling down 39 points and 23 rebounds in a win over FSU. That overshadowed Marcus Paige and his 30 point effort as well. The Heels are certainly clicking, but it will be interesting to see if they can sustain the hot shooting from 2-pt jump shots, as that is an extremely inefficient shot. They take the most, and make the most in the country, leading the nation in Ken Pomeroy's offensive efficiency.

Behind Miami and UNC is a bit of a mess. I still think that Virginia is better than Duke, but that loss to VPI last night did not help anything at all. I also don't know what to make of Louisville. They rank highly from an efficiency standpoint, but struggled against Wake on Sunday night (an 8-10th ranked ACC team). We need more data points before they are declared on the same level as even Duke and UVA at this point.

The middle is admittedly a cluster. I think 7-14 could be sorted in any order, especially with Virginia Tech showing they may be able to compete with middle-tier ACC teams.

The Power Rankings will continue to improve and gain more clarity as ACC play progresses and we get more information. Right now I feel like any ACC team can knock off any other ACC team (sans Boston College), and that makes for great theatre night in and night out!

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