Each week The Chronicle will take a look at the ACC Women's Basketball standings and update you on who is in position to win the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season crown. Here is the ACC standings as of today:
1. Duke (18-1, 8-0); 2. Maryland (17-3, 8-1); 3. North Carolina (19-2, 7-1); 4. Florida State (17-3, 7-2); 5. Virginia (14-6, 6-3); 6. Miami (14-6, 5-4); 7.Wake Forest (10-10, 3-5) 8.Boston College (8-11, 2-6); 9. North Carolina State (10-11, 2-7); 10. Virginia Tech (7-12, 1-7); 11. Clemson (5-14, 1-7); 12. Georgia Tech (8-12, 1-8).
Can Duke keep it up?
There is no denying the fact that this Duke team is the best in the ACC. Not yet, anyways. So far the Blue Devils have only had to face the bottom six of the ACC, and they have won each game convincingly. But the upcoming weeks will be the true sign of whether or not Duke is an elite team. A wakeup call was issued after the Blue Devils received a 30-point defeat at the hands of Connecticut. The upcoming weeks will help determine which end of the spectrum Duke is truly on.
Their Thursday night match-up against Miami should be an easy win for the Blue Devils, considering it is at home and they have been able to dominate on their home court, going 10-0 this year when they play in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The three games following Thursday night will be the true test. They will be on the road, facing No. 11 North Carolina and Virginia before returning to Cameron to face No. 10 Maryland. If the Blue Devils can make it through this three game stretch unscathed, then they will be one step closer to the elite ranks of Stanford, Connecticut and Baylor.
Can Maryland steal the title from Duke?
It should not be a secret that Maryland is currently Duke's biggest threat when it comes to the race for the ACC title. The Terrapins, though ranked five spots lower than Duke, have more experience against ranked opponents and will not be overwhelmed when they face the Blue Devils on February 11. So far this season, Maryland has played six games against ranked opponents, going 4-2, while Duke has faced only two, going 1-1. One of the Terrapins's three losses came at the hands of Connecticut, similar to the Blue Devils. What was different about the defeat was the fact that Maryland had just lost its third player to ACL injury and still managed to keep the game close, losing only by 15, as opposed to Duke's 30-point deficit with the roster they have been playing with all year.
Some would argue that North Carolina is just as big of a threat, but when looking at momentum and margin of victory, this would not hold up. It is true that the Tarheels defeated the Terrapins in the first matchup, but only by three points. Six days ago, Maryland handed North Carolina a 26-point loss and then turned around and beat Clemson by 40 only three days after that, who North Carolina only managed to beat by seven. It also helps that the Terrapins are led by senior forward Tianna Hawkins, who is averaging 19.1 points per game in only 28.6 minutes of play. Hawkins led the NCAA in field goal percentage last year and is currently shooting at 58 percent. Hawkins and the Terrapins will certainly be an interesting matchup against the Blue Devils come Feb. 11.
Is North Carolina bound to drop?
The Tarheels began their toughest four-game stretch of the season on Jan. 24 with a 26-point loss to Maryland and then barely held on for a two-point victory over an average Miami team. North Carolina must now face No. 20 Florida State and No. 5 Duke over the next four days and the outcome of these games could determine the rest of the Tarheels' season. Similar to the Blue Devils, North Carolina was handed an embarrassing loss, with theirs coming at the hands of a dangerous Tennessee team. Following the loss, they went on to win 11-straight games before being dismantled by Maryland. After riding such a long winning streak and having it come to such a screeching halt, the Tarheels will have to be careful over the next several games if they do not wish to see their ACC title dreams disappear.
Upset Special: No. 20 Florida State over No. 11 North Carolina
Florida State has been on a roll as of late and has not lost since Wake Forest upset them at home. Since then, the Seminoles have been playing with a more determined disposition, winning five straight games, including a decisive 21-point victory against then-No.24 Miami. Thursday night's matchup against North Carolina will be another chance for seniors Chelsea Davis and Leonor Rodriguez to step up, as the duo has averaged a 31.6 points over the last five games. Although the Tarheels have home-court advantage, the Seminoles' seniors are just too dangerous to overcome at this point and North Carolina will be facing their second loss in three games.
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