ACC Basketball Power Rankings/Weekly Schedule 1/18/16

What a week, what a week.

While the Miami Hurricanes struggled to two road losses, the Clemson Tigers took care of the aforementioned 'Canes and Duke at  home.

UNC stayed undefeated in conference play, and Virginia continued to be up and down, beating UM but losing to FSU.

It's going to be that kind of season in the ACC.

With out further delay......

Here are my Power Rankings for the Week (pvs):

#1 North Carolina Tar Heels (1) - UNC had just one game this week, and they took care of biz with a 67-55 win over NC State behind Kennedy Meeks' 23 points. This team is looking very sharp.  If their defense continues to improve, they are a legit National Championship contender.

#2 Clemson Tigers (5) - What a start for Brad Brownell's team.  They now own wins over Lousiville, Duke, and Miami.  Of course playing 4 of their last 5 in the friendly confines of Death Valley has helped.  It also helps that Jaron Blossomgame is blossoming into an all conference type player.

#3 Pittsburgh Panthers (4) - What makes this team so effective and dangerous is that they know their identity. They also have two go-to guys in Jamel Artis and Michael Young.  If Cameron Johnson can continue to shoot as well as he did this week against BC, they will be very hard to stop all season long.

#4 Louisville Cardinals (5) - Their lone loss in league play was to the red hot Clemson Tigers. So you could make a solid argument for them to be higher.  If Chinanu Onuaku continues to play at a high level to support their stellar guard play, they will get their sooner than later.

#5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10) -  I haven't been impressed with this team thus far, but the win over Duke was an eye opener. They have lots of weapons in Steve Vasturia, Demetrius Jackson, and now Bonzie Colson (31 Vs the Devils).  Can they find consistency though?

#6 Miami Hurricanes (2) - They need better all around play from Angel Rodriguez, no doubt. But Davon Reed can be an X factor and needs to stay aggressive through out the game and not just in small stretches. Coach L will get this team back on track.

#7 Duke Blue Devils (3) - Luke Kennard went nuts (30 Vs The Irish) after being promoted to the starting line-up. And Grayson Allen looked okay (6 assists) as a play maker. But for this team to really gel, they need Derryck Thornton to re-emerge as the team's PG.

#8 Virginia Cavaliers (7) - The excitement folliwing the win over the Hurricanes was short lived, as they promptly dropped their next game Vs the Noles. They just aren't the same team on the road as at home (common theme for a lot of teams). London Perrantes and Malcolm Brogdon combined to go just 8 for 30 Vs FSU.

#9 Virginia Tech Hokies (9) - They are very close to cracking the top half of my rankings.  I just need to see a little more from them to believe they are this good. A road win at GT was a good start though. Zach LeDay continues to play at a high level.

#10 Florida State Seminoles (11) - Watch out for these guys.  Once Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley learn the nuances of ACC play, this team could take off.  They were 2-0 this week, behind their talented freshmen. This is a group you wanted to face earlier in conference play, not later.

#11 Syracuse Orange (14) - When Trevor Cooney shoots lights out (25, 6 triples Vs Wake) the Cuse are dangerous. The problem is, it just doesn't happen that often.  Along with UM's Rodriguez, Cooney is the most inconsistent player in the ACC that takes big shots.

#12 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8) - PG play will be an issue all season long for the Jackets.  But the 16 assists against VT was promising. Adam Smith's 2-13 was killer though. Overall, this is a hard team to gauge.

#13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons (12) - How bad is their defense?  They gave up 93 to VT then 83 to Syracuse. What happens when they play UNC?  They better get better on that end of the floor.

#14 North Carolina  State Wolfpack (13) - They are 0-5 in ACC play, with Pitt and Duke on deck. Things are not looking up for Cat Barber and crew.

#15 Boston College Eagles (15) - They haven't even come close to winning in league play.

Week's Schedule:

Monday 1/18

Syracuse at Duke 7PM

Tuesday 1/19

Clemson at UVA 8PM

NC State at Pitt 8PM

Wednesday 1/20

Wake at UNC 7PM

FSU at Louisville 9PM

Miami at BC 9PM

Saturday 1/23

Syracuse at Virginia Noon

BC at ND Noon

Wake at Miami Noon

Duke at NC State 2PM

Louisville at GT 4PM

Pitt and FSU 4PM

UNC at VT 6:30PM