Around the ACC: Week 17

1. Virginia (25-5, 16-1): The Cavaliers won their first outright ACC regular season title since 1981 with wins over Miami and No. 4 Syracuse this week. Led by redshirt sophomore guard Malcolm Brogdon’s 19 points, the Cavaliers were able to shut down the Orange in the second half, holding them to just 28 points versus Virginia’s 48. Virginia has just one game remaining on their schedule before the ACC tournament—a date in College Park against Maryland on Sunday. With Syracuse slipping over the last few weeks and the traditional powerhouses of Duke and North Carolina looking far from unbeatable, don’t be surprised to see Virginia make a run when the ACC tournament roles around.

2. Syracuse (26-3, 13-3): After narrowly escaping with a victory against Maryland on Monday, the Orange were not so lucky in their visit to Charlottesville. Syracuse was not able to pose much of a threat offensively in the second half against the number one ranked defense in the country and dropped the game 75-56. Syracuse closes out the regular season with a visit from Georgia Tech on Tuesday and then a trip to Florida State on Sunday.

3. Duke (23-6, 12-4): Duke had a lighter week following its four games in eight days stretch. Duke’s only matchup this week was a 66-48 victory at home against a reeling Virginia Tech team that sits at the bottom of the ACC standings. The Blue Devils opened the first half on a 24-4 run but were only able to manage eight points over the final 9:49 of the first half. This was only the third time all season that Duke was able to hold its opponent to less than 50 points for the game with the previous two coming against Miami and Elon. After traveling to Winston Salem to face Wake Forest on Wednesday, Duke will close out the season at home in a rematch against North Carolina.

4. North Carolina (22-7, 12-4): North Carolina extended its winning streak to 11 games with two close wins over N.C. State and Virginia Tech. After an inconsistent start to the season, the Tar Heels are getting hot at just the right time. Marcus Paige posted 35 points in the overtime win against the Wolfpack and has been the focal point of the North Carolina offense since the win streak began back in late January. The Tar Heels host Notre Dame on Monday before making the short trip to face Duke on Saturday.

7. Florida State (17-11, 8-8): The Seminoles won their only matchup of the week 81-71 against Georgia Tech. Forward Okaro White led Florida State with 18 points on the day but the Seminoles spread the scoring around with at least 15 points from three other players. Florida State closes out the season with a tough schedule at Boston College on Tuesday before hosting Syracuse on Sunday.

8. N.C. State (17-12, 7-9): March started just as poorly as February ended for N.C. State, who dropped a heartbreaker in overtime to North Carolina before losing 85-70 at home against Miami. The Wolfpack are falling in the ACC standings after dropping four of their last five games, and look to right the ship before tournament time against Pittsburgh and Boston College this week.

9. Maryland (15-14, 7-9): The Terrapins dropped both of their games this week in close fashion losing by 2 to No. 4 Syracuse and then by four in double overtime to Clemson. In its final season as a member of the ACC, Maryland has seen its fair share of close games and consistently seems to find a way to be on the losing end of those games. Maryland faces off with Virginia Tech on Tuesday before their final ACC home game against Virginia on Sunday.

10. Miami (15-14, 6-10): A year after winning the ACC regular season and postseason titles, the Hurricanes sit near the bottom of the standings. After being trounced by No. 12 Virginia, Miami was able to pull off a solid victory in Raleigh against N.C. State thanks to 20 points from guard Rion Brown and 13 rebounds from center Tonye Jekiri. Miami will face Clemson and Wake Forest this week before prepping for the ACC tournament.

11. Notre Dame (15-15, 6-11): After a strong showing at home in a win against Georgia Tech, Notre Dame dropped close one in overtime to Pittsburgh 85-81. Notre Dame only has one game remaining in its first regular season as a member of the ACC. The Fighting Irish will look to close their season with a victory in Chapel Hill on Monday.

12. Wake Forest (15-14, 5-11): Wake Forest snapped its seven-game losing streak this week with a victory over Clemson in Winston Salem before dropping a game on Saturday to Boston College. The Demon Deacons will host Duke on Wednesday before heading to Miami to finish off the season against the Hurricanes.

13. Georgia Tech (13-16, 4-12): Georgia Tech extended its losing streak to four games by losing both games this week. After losing a close game in South Bend to Notre Dame on Wednesday, the Yellowjackets followed up with a loss in Tallahassee to Florida State. Georgia Tech closes out its season with games against Syracuse and Virginia Tech.

14. Boston College (8-21, 4-12): Aside from their upset victory over Syracuse two weeks ago, the Eagles have not had much to cheer about this season. This week Boston College split its two games with a loss to Pittsburgh followed by a win against Wake Forest. Since they did find a way to beat Syracuse, you can’t rule this team completely out of the ACC tournament, but the Eagles need to get through Florida State and N.C. State this week before concentrating on the tournament.

15. Virginia Tech (9-19, 2-14): The Hokies sit alone at the bottom of the ACC standings for another week. Virginia Tech dropped both of its games this week against foes from the Triangle, with a blowout loss in Cameron Indoor Stadium to Duke and a close loss to North Carolina in Blacksburg.