Another week, another series of entertaining games in the ACC, which continues to look like one of the nation's most competitive and exciting leagues and now has just two teams unbeaten in conference play:
1. No. 2 Virginia (15-0, 3-0 in the ACC): After surviving a scary double-overtime road game at Miami last week, the Cavaliers continued showing the toughness that has them looking like a title contender early in conference play. Wednesday against N.C. State, Virginia pulled away in the second half by holding the Wolfpack to 20 second-half points en route to a 61-50 home victory. For an encore performance, the Cavaliers slowed down one of the nation's top offensive teams, then-No. 13 Notre Dame, in South Bend, Ind., en route to a thrilling 62-56 victory Saturday afternoon.
A late Justin Anderson 3-pointer and 9-0 run kept head coach Tony Bennett's squad unbeaten despite the heroics of Fighting Irish guard Pat Connaughton, who put up 21 points and eight boards for the home team. Virginia continues to lead the nation in scoring defense and will take on Clemson and Boston College this week.
2. Syracuse (12-4, 3-0): An easier start to ACC play may have been just what the doctor ordered for head coach Jim Boeheim's squad. The Orange, who do not face a ranked opponent until their eighth game in conference play, prevailed in a defensive battle 46-45 at Georgia Tech Wednesday after a late Rakeem Christmas free throw for its fifth straight win.
Syracuse was much sharper Sunday, knocking down 10 of its 17 3-point attempts and getting 28 points from sharpshooter Trevor Cooney to knock off Florida State 70-57. Christmas, who averages 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, had 14 points and 11 boards to record his fifth double-double and help the Orange avoid the upsets that plagued other national powers this week.
3. No. 12 Notre Dame (15-2, 3-1): It was a big week for the Fighting Irish, who took on two ranked squads, and head coach Mike Brey's squad did not disappoint. Notre Dame—which continues to lead the nation in field goal percentage and rank in the top five in points per game—won at then-No. 18 North Carolina 71-70 Monday before pushing the third-ranked Cavaliers in Saturday's 62-56 loss.
Against the Tar Heels, the Fighting Irish held the Tar Heels to 1-of-14 shooting to close out the game and preserve their lead and move their winning streak to 11. Although Notre Dame shot just 33.9 percent against a tough-minded Virginia squad, the Fighting Irish made 10 3-pointers to stay in the game until the Cavaliers late push. Notre Dame may have suffered its first loss since Nov. 23 against Providence, but the Fighting Irish showed they are ready to compete with the ACC's—and the nation's—best.
4. N.C. State (12-5, 3-1): Just as it was a big week for the Fighting Irish, the Wolfpack faced a key point in the season facing two top-three teams in Virginia and Duke and showed they were up to the challenge. After losing to the Cavaliers and struggling to put points up in the second half in Charlottesville earlier in the week, N.C. State torched the Blue Devil defense for 87 points on 55 percent shooting and knocked down 10 3-pointers to pull off an 87-75 upset and hand Duke its first loss. Despite the huge win, things don't get much easier for the Wolfpack, who welcome No. 15 North Carolina to PNC Arena Wednesday
5. No. 4 Duke (14-1, 2-1): The Blue Devils got their first taste of ACC road action this week and will now look to bounce back after two subpar performances, including their first loss of the season Sunday. The Wolfpack were group that knocked off Duke, but Wake Forest also pushed the Blue Devils Wednesday in Winston-Salem, taking a late lead before Duke came up clutch to secure a 73-65 win. Both the Demon Deacons and N.C. State were able to score inside with ease, so defense has to be the priority for the Blue Devils, who take on a dangerous Miami squad Tuesday before travelling to take on No. 6 Louisville in another road test.
6. No. 6 Louisville (14-2, 2-1): After dispatching Clemson 58-52 at home Wednesday despite a slow start, the Cardinals traveled to Chapel Hill to take on then-No. 18 North Carolina Saturday. As it has all season, Louisville put itself in a position to win, seizing a 13-point lead with eight and a half minutes left led by dynamic guards Chris Jones and Terry Rozier—who combined for 44 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds—but fell short down the stretch for the second time in as many weeks.
No. 1 Kentucky pushed past the Cardinals Dec. 27 by making the big plays late and the Tar Heels followed suit, using a huge comeback capped by a beautiful Marcus Paige scoop layup with 8.5 seconds left to win another ACC thriller.
Louisville will have little time to dwell on another stinging loss, as the Cardinals take on Virginia Tech Tuesday before welcoming the No. 4 Blue Devils to the KFC Yum! Center Saturday.
7. No. 15 North Carolina (12-4, 2-1): The Tar Heels desperately needed to win at least one of their home games against top-15 teams this week and delivered Saturday thanks to Paige's late-game heroics after falling short Monday against Notre Dame. Although North Carolina's leader is now battling a number of injuries, the Tar Heels have a chance to reel of a string of conference wins if they continue playing together. North Carolina—which ranks in the top 20 nationally in points per game, rebounds and assists—takes on in-state rival N.C. State and Virginia Tech this week and does not face a ranked opponent until its rematch with the Cardinals Jan. 31.
8. Miami (11-4, 1-1): The Hurricanes rebounded after last week's gut-wrenching home loss to No. 3 Virginia, overcoming a gritty Boston College road effort to notch a 60-56 home win Saturday led by center Tonye Jekiri's 13 points and 15 rebounds. Strong play from Jekiri will continue to be a key for head coach Jim Larranaga's squad, which usually gets great guard play from Angel Rodriguez and Sheldon McClellan but has road tests at No. 4 Duke and No. 12 Notre Dame on the docket this week.
9. Pittsburgh (11-5, 1-2): The Panthers fell behind twice this week and were only able to pull out one comeback win. Monday against Boston College, Pittsburgh came up clutch in regulation and overtime to prevail 61-60 on the road led by Josh Newkirk and his 15 points, but the Panthers looked flat Saturday at home against Clemson. The Tigers used a zone to stymie the Pittsburgh offense and used their size advantage to win the rebounding 39-22 en route to a 71-62 victory.
The Panthers will have to do a better job on the glass in the coming weeks if they want to make a push for an NCAA tournament berth, as after taking on Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech this week head coach Jamie Dixon's squad will play six of its next nine against ranked foes.
10. Clemson (9-6, 1-2): When three of your first four conference games are against ranked opponents, the schedule isn't doing you any favors, but the Tigers appear to making the best of it. After getting slaughtered by then-No. 19 North Carolina 74-50 last week, Clemson looked like a new team this week, pushing then-No. 5 Louisville on the road before eventually falling 58-52 and notching the 71-62 win at Pittsburgh Saturday despite travel to the game being delayed. Forward Jaron Blossomgame and guard Rod Hall led the way, combining for 30 points, and will need to continue scoring with games against defensive-minded squads in No. 3 Virginia and Syracuse looming.
11. Florida State (9-7, 1-2): The Seminoles used a red-hot shooting effort to down Virginia Tech 86-75 Tuesday before falling to Syracuse Sunday night. Florida State shot 73.1 percent and put up 53 points in the first half and was 7-of-10 from 3-point range against the Hokies but cooled off against the vaunted Orange 2-3 zone. The Seminoles went just 2-of-16 from distance at the Carrier Dome in the loss and take on N.C. State and Pittsburgh this week.
12. Wake Forest (9-8, 1-3): As is the case with Clemson, Wake Forest has reasons to be positive despite dropping multiple games early in conference play. After almost upsetting then-No. 5 Louisville last Sunday, the Demon Deacons pushed No. 2 Duke more than any other team has to this point before falling 73-65. The junior guard-forward tandem of Codi Miller-McIntyre and Devin Thomas seems to be developing into one of the conference's best, and the duo helped head coach Danny Manning notch his first ACC win Saturday against Georgia Tech. Wake Forest beat the Yellow Jackets 76-69 led by Thomas' 17 points and 14 rebounds and a 41-29 rebounding edge.
13. Virginia Tech (8-7, 0-2): The wheels could be about to fall off the wagon for the Hokies in head coach Buzz Williams' first season. Virginia Tech's loss at Florida State was its third in a row and with four consecutive contests against ranked teams upcoming—including road tilts against No. 6 Louisville and No. 15 North Carolina this week. The Hokies struggle in almost every major statistical category other than field percentage, and although leading scorer Justin Bibbs appears to be a potential star in the making as a freshman, Virginia Tech struggles to put together consistent performances on both ends.
14. Georgia Tech (9-6, 0-3): The Yellow Jackets are winless in ACC play, but have dropped three games by a combined 15 points. Georgia Tech could not crack the Syracuse zone and shot 26.3 percent Wednesday, missing its final 11 shots to give the Orange a 46-45 victory. The Yellow Jackets shot 45.9 percent Saturday at Wake Forest, but got outhustled on the boards by a hungrier team, eventually falling 76-69. Forwards Marcus Georges-Hunt and Charles Mitchell continue to lead the way for Georgia Tech, which faces the Fighting Irish and Pittsburgh this week.
15. Boston College (7-7, 0-3): After losing by 23 points at Duke last Saturday, the Eagles responded in their next two ACC games but came up empty. Boston College led for much of the game at Pittsburgh Tuesday thanks to star guard Olivier Hanlan's 18 points, eight boards and six assists, but eventually fell 61-60 after coughing up a late lead. Saturday at Miami, the Eagles tried to engineer their own comeback, but fell just short despite Hanlan's 19 points, falling 60-56. Boston College will take a break from ACC play by hosting Harvard Wednesday before playing No. 2 Virginia at home Saturday.
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