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

Syracuse, N.Y. ― The Duke Blue Devils are the best team in the ACC. That’s obvious. So far the Blue Devils’ superiority in the conference has been unchallenged.

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

The Louisville Cardinals, Syracuse’s next opponent, ran their current win 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 went 2-0 this past 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: Win 76-47 over Pittsburgh; Win 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 went for 42 points on 11-for-14 shooting 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: Win 74-64 over Clemson; Win 82-78 at Pittsburgh

This week’s schedule: Tuesday at Syracuse; Saturday vs. 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 took things up a notch this past week with wins over Clemson at home and Pittsburgh on the road. Those teams were 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: Loss 74-64 at Louisville; Win 77-57 over Florida State

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

Why No. 3? The Tigers suffered a tough road loss at Louisville, so they slide down one spot. Nice bounce-back win as Clemson demolished 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: Loss 76-47 at Duke; Loss 82-78 to Louisville

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

Why No. 4? Pittsburgh had a tough week. The road loss at Duke was expected, but not the margin. Then came the home loss to Louisville. That’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: Win 88-78 at 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 its 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: Win 82-67 over SMU; Win 63-61 at N.C. State

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

Why No. 6? Lifted North Carolina over SMU with its mid-week win over the Mustangs, then watched the Tar Heels survive their battle against arch-rival N.C. State. Still don’t know just 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: Loss 82-67 at North Carolina; Win 93-71 over Georgia Tech

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

Why No. 7? SMU’s two ACC losses have come at Duke and North Carolina. No shame in either. For now, the Mustangs sit at No. 7, but I’m thinking this team could move into the Top 5 within a week or two. Let’s see how SMU does in two road games this week.

8. Stanford

Record: 11-5 (3-2)

Last week’s ranking: No. 9

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

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

Why No. 8? Stanford jumps over Virginia this week. A home win doesn’t always necessitate a move, but Stanford beat UVa by 23 points. I don’t think any of the ACC’s East Coast teams are going to 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; Loss 88-65 at Stanford

This week’s schedule: Wednesday vs. SMU; Saturday at 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 giving consideration to the Cavaliers’ losing twice on the West Coast and also its recent win over N.C. State, which was the one team I considered moving ahead of the Wahoos.

10. N.C. State

Record: 9-7 (2-3)

Last week’s ranking: No. 11

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

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

Why No. 10? N.C. State was so close to moving up even higher, but lost to North Carolina as 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; Loss 77-57 at Clemson

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

Why No. 11? Florida State starts to merit some attention with wins over Syracuse and Miami but then gets smacked at Clemson. Seminoles are settling into the range 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: Win 62-55 over Georgia Tech; Win 79-71 at Boston College

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

Why No. 12? Not that Syracuse had a real eye-opening win last week, but the Orange did beat one team (Georgia Tech) ranked above them and then got 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: Loss 62-55 at Syracuse; Loss 93-71 at SMU

This week’s schedule: Tuesday vs. Clemson

Why No. 13? Georgia Tech falls 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 N.C. State; Loss 86-78 at Duke

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

Why No. 14? Not going to knock Notre Dame down too far. What did we expect with road games at N.C. State and Duke? The Irish actually showed a lot of fight in both games, barely losing at State and hanging 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. N.C. State; Saturday vs. Wake Forest

Why No. 15? Virginia Tech earned a two-spot increase thanks to a road win at Cal.

16. California

Record: 7-7 (0-3)

Last week’s ranking: No. 15

Last week’s result: Win 75-61 over Virginia; Loss 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 and lost to Virginia Tech. Hoping 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: Loss 79-71 to Syracuse

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

Why No. 17? The Eagles’ only ACC win to date is over Miami. That’s the only team behind BC at this point. 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: Loss 80-65 to Florida State; Loss 88-78 to Wake Forest

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

Why No. 18? Miami couldn’t pick up a win despite having two home games last week. The odds of getting one this week appear slim with a game at Duke and then a visit to Coral Gables from SMU.

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