ACC Basketball Rankings: January 9, 2012
This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done. Here is how we view the ACC basketball schools as of January 9, 2012:
1. Syracuse (17-0) Wins over Providence on the road and #20 Marquette at home have Syracuse at 17-0. They travel to Villanova this week, before hosting Providence.
2. North Carolina (15-2) The Tar Heels are starting to find their groove again. This weeks foes, Miami and Florida State, have not gotten off to the starts that they wanted/needed.
3. Duke (13-2) The loss to Temple was disappointing, but not terrible. The win over Georgia Tech is not that informative. The next game, Virginia, is for #3.
4. Virginia (14-1) Virginia has now won 12 straight games. If the Cavs can beat Duke, that will get everyone’s attention.
5. North Carolina State (12-4) The win over much-improved Maryland was nice. Gives the Wolfpack the edge over Virginia Tech, who lost to Wake Forest.
6. Virginia Tech (11-4) Road loss to Wake Forest was a disappointment, but not the end of the world. Virginia Tech still has a decent resume overall.
7. Maryland (10-4) Road loss to NC State was a disappointment. The Terps host Wake Forest and can solidify the #7 spot with a win.
8. Wake Forest (10-4) Up a few notches after beating Virginia Tech. Beating Maryland on the road would be even more impressive.
9. Miami (9-5) Miami lost its conference opener in a tough road loss to Virginia. And now they travel to North Carolina on Tuesday. Tough start to the conference schedule.
10. Pittsburgh (11-5) Not only have the wheels fallen off, they are rolling around somewhere nowhere near Pitt. That’s what happens when you lose to DePaul.
11. Clemson (9-6) Looked very good against Florida State. Clemson gets Boston College this week for a chance to get that 10th win.
12. Florida State (9-6) Beating Auburn was nice. Losing to Clemson was tough. Losing by 20 was inexcusable. The Seminoles travel to Virginia Tech before hosting North Carolina this week. Uh-oh.
13. Georgia Tech (7-8) After getting decimated by Alabama, the Yellow Jackets held their own against Duke. At least for a while.
14. Boston College (5-10) It is unfortunate when the worst team in the league has to open its conference schedule at North Carolina.
Agree? Disagree? Let us know!
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