ACC Power Rankings: Is Duke the hottest team in the league or is there another?

Syracuse, NY ― The Duke Blue Devils are the best team in the ACC. It is obvious. Thus far, the Blue Devils’ supremacy in the conference has been unchallenged.

But there’s another team making noise and rising in Syracuse.com’s weekly ACC Power Rankings.

The Louisville Cardinals, Syracuse’s next opponent, ran their current winning streak to six games with a pair of impressive wins this past week. As a result, Louisville made the most significant move up in this week’s Power Rankings.

North Carolina and Stanford are two more teams to watch as they also won 2-0 last week.

Here’s a look at this week’s Power Rankings:

1. Duke

Record: 14-2 (6-0)

Last week’s ranking: no. 1

Last week’s results: 76-47 win over Pittsburgh; Wins 86-78 over Notre Dame

This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. Miami; Saturday at Boston College

Why no. 1? Duke has Cooper Flagg. That’s it. The freshman finished with 42 points on 11-for-14 shooting to go along with seven assists and six rebounds in Duke’s win over Notre Dame.

2. Louisville

Record: 12-5 (5-1)

Last week’s ranking: no. 4

Last week’s result: 74-64 win over Clemson; Wins 82-78 in Pittsburgh

This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Syracuse; Saturday against Virginia

Why no. 2? Louisville has won six games in a row. The Cardinals’ last loss was at Kentucky on Dec. 14. But the Cardinals picked things up this past week with wins over Clemson at home and Pittsburgh on the road. Those teams were ranked second and third in last week’s Power Rankings.

3. Clemson

Record: 13-4 (5-1)

Last week’s ranking: no. 2

Last week’s results: Lost 74-64 at Louisville; 77-57 win over Florida State

This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Georgia Tech; Saturday in Pittsburgh

Why no. 3? The Tigers suffered a tough road loss at Louisville, so they slipped down a spot. Nice bounce-back win as Clemson destroyed Florida State on Saturday. A key game looms next Saturday at Pitt.

4. Pittsburgh

Record: 12-4 (3-2)

Last week’s ranking: no. 3

Last week’s result: Lost 76-47 at Duke; Lost 82-78 to Louisville

This week’s schedule: Wednesday at Florida State; Saturday against Clemson

Why no. 4? Pittsburgh had a rough week. The road loss at Duke was expected, but not the margin. Then came the home loss to Louisville. It’s a separation game. Still can’t find any reason to drop Pitt more than a notch. I think the Panthers are a top-4 club in the ACC.

5. Wake Forest

Record: 12-4 (4-1)

Last week’s ranking: no. 5

Last week’s results: Wins 88-78 in Miami

This week’s schedule: Wednesday vs. Stanford; Saturday at Virginia Tech

Why no. 5? Wake Forest treads water with a win at Miami in the only game of the week. The Deacons are just outside the obvious top 4 in the ACC. Can they stay ahead of SMU and UNC in the coming weeks?

6. North Carolina

Record: 11-6 (4-1)

Last week’s ranking: no. 7

Last week’s results: 82-67 win over SMU; Wins 63-61 at NC State

This week’s schedule: Wednesday vs. California; Saturday against Stanford

Why no. 6? Lifted North Carolina over SMU with its midweek win over the Mustangs, then saw the Tar Heels survive their matchup against archrival NC State. Still don’t know how good the tar heels are or aren’t.

7. SMU

Record: 12-4 (3-2)

Last week’s ranking: no. 6

Last week’s result: 82-67 loss at North Carolina; 93-71 win over Georgia Tech

This week’s schedule: Wednesday at Virginia; Saturday in Miami

Why no. 7? SMU’s two ACC losses have come at Duke and North Carolina. No shame in either. So far, the Mustangs sit at No. 7, but I think this team can move into the Top 5 within a week or two. Let’s see how SMU fares in two road games this week.

8. Stanford

Record: 11-5 (3-2)

Last week’s ranking: no. 9

Last week’s results: Wins 70-59 over Virginia Tech; Wins 88-65 over Virginia

This week’s schedule: Wednesday at Wake Forest; Stanford in North Carolina

Why no. 8? Stanford skips Virginia this week. A home win doesn’t always require a sweep, but Stanford beat UVa by 23 points. I don’t think any of the ACC’s East Coast teams will enjoy playing the Cardinal in Palo Alto.

9. Virginia

Record: 8-8 (1-4)

Last week’s ranking: no. 8

Last week’s results: Loss 75-61 at California; Lost 88-65 at Stanford

This week’s schedule: Wednesday vs. SMU; Saturday in Louisville

Why no. 8? The fact that Virginia has lost its last three games by an average of 19.0 points would warrant a steeper drop. But I’m considering the Cavaliers’ two losses on the West Coast and also its most recent win over NC State, which was the team I was considering going ahead of the Wahoos.

10. NC State

Record: 9-7 (2-3)

Last week’s ranking: no. 11

Last week’s result: 66-65 win over Notre Dame; Lost 63-61 to North Carolina

This week’s schedule: Wednesday at Virginia Tech; Saturday against California

Why no. 10? NC State came so close to moving up even higher, but lost to North Carolina when the Tar Heels got a late dunk and then a game-saving block in the final seconds.

11. Florida State

Record: 11-5 (2-3)

Last week’s ranking: no. 12

Last week’s result: Win 80-65 at Miami; Lost 77-57 at Clemson

This week’s schedule: Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh; Saturday against Georgia Tech

Why No. 11? Florida State starts to earn some attention with wins over Syracuse and Miami, but then takes a beating against Clemson. The Seminoles are settling into the gap between the ACC’s best teams at the top and lesser teams at the bottom.

12. Syracuse

Record: 8-8 (2-3)

Last week’s ranking: no. 14

Last week’s result: 62-55 win over Georgia Tech; Wins 79-71 at Boston College

This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. Louisville; Saturday against Notre Dame

Why no. 12? Not that Syracuse had a real eye-opening win last week, but the Orange beat a team (Georgia Tech) ranked above them and then picked up a road win at BC. And road wins matter.

13. Georgia Tech

Record: 8-9 (2-4)

Last week’s ranking: no. 10

Last week’s results: Lost 62-55 at Syracuse; Defeat 93-71 at SMU

This week’s schedule: Tuesday against Clemson

Why no. 13? Georgia Tech drops three spots after a pair of road losses. The Yellow Jackets failed to beat a Syracuse team that was without starting forward Donnie Freeman.

14. Notre Dame

Record: 7-9 (1-4)

Last week’s ranking: no. 13

Last week’s result: Loss 66-65 at NC State; Lost 86-78 to Duke

This week’s schedule: Monday vs. Boston College; Saturday at Syracuse

Why no. 14? Won’t knock Notre Dame down too far. What did we expect with NC State and Duke road games? The Irish actually showed a lot of fight in both games, narrowly losing at State and holding tough against the Blue Devils.

15. Virginia Tech

Record: 7-9 (2-3)

Last week’s ranking: no. 17

Last week’s result: Loss 70-59 at Stanford; Win 71-68 at California

This week’s schedule: Wednesday vs. NC State; Saturday against Wake Forest

Why no. 15? Virginia Tech moved up two spots thanks to a road win at Cal.

16. California

Record: 7-7 (0-3)

Last week’s ranking: no. 15

Last week’s result: 75-61 win over Virginia; Lost 71-68 to Virginia Tech

This week’s schedule: Wednesday at North Carolina; Saturday at NC State

Why no. 16? It’s hard to drop Cal after its win over Virginia, but the Bears couldn’t follow it up on Saturday, losing to Virginia Tech. Hope another week of games will provide some more separation between these teams.

17. Boston College

Record: 9-7 (1-4)

Last week’s ranking: no. 16

Last week’s result: Lost 79-71 to Syracuse

This week’s schedule: Monday at Notre Dame; Saturday against Duke

Why no. 17? The Eagles’ only ACC win to date is over Miami. It is the only team behind BC at this time. The Eagles’ four ACC losses include a 21-point loss at Georgia Tech and the home loss to struggling Syracuse.

18. Miami

Record: 4-12 (0-5)

Last week’s ranking: No. 18

Last week’s result: Lost 80-65 to Florida State; Lost 88-78 to Wake Forest

This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Duke; Saturday vs. SMU

Why no. 18? Miami was winless despite two home games last week. The chances of getting one this week look slim with a game at Duke and then a visit to Coral Gables from SMU.

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