‘Twas the day before Christmas, and all through the south … and northeast … and parts of Indiana … not a creature was stirring, not even an ibis. The jerseys were hung in the lockers with care, in hopes that the NCAA would not soon be investigating there. The players were nestled all snug in their dorms, while visions of March Madness kept them warm.
Hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season and wrap up 2014 with joy in your hearts. Here’s to an awesome 2015. Thanks for taking some time out of a busy week to read this, and for all your support of All Sports Discussion and the ACC Weekly podcast. Let’s get to the rankings.
1 – Duke: While Duke’s men merely beat defending champion UConn this week, the women attempted to break a Guinness record for most people wearing holiday sweaters at one time. No word on Matt Doherty’s opinion on the attractiveness of those sweaters.
2 – Virginia: Duke fell short on that holiday sweater record, and Duke’s Tommy Amaker fell short of leading Harvard to a victory against Virginia. Or leading them to 30 points on the scoreboard. The Cavaliers defense is nightmare fuel.
3 – Louisville: Speaking of nightmare fuel, Louisville gets to face Kentucky Saturday! Free advice, Cardinals, try to score at least one of the first 24 points. That game will be on ESPN2 because the Military Bowl (starring Virginia Tech) will be on ESPN. Free advice, fans, watch ESPN2.
4 – Notre Dame: The Irish rolled against Purdue and Northern Illinois. We won’t see them again until Tuesday against Hartford.
5 – North Carolina: The Tar Heels’ win over Ohio State was probably the best game they have played this season. The only thing missing was a player dunking on Buckeye assistant coach Greg Paulus for old time’s sake.
6 – NC State: The Wolfpack helped erase memories of a loss to top-25 squad West Virginia with a come-from-behind win against Louisiana Tech.
7 – Pittsburgh: The Panthers have won four in a row, but Jamie Dixon wants more. Or less. He wants fewer minutes from his starters. Or more minutes from his bench. It’s all about perspective. Who’s on first?
8 – Miami: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. The Hurricanes go into the holidays reeling from losses to Green Bay, Eastern Kentucky, and Providence.
9 – Syracuse: It was a tough loss to Villanova, but the Orange cleaned up by beating Colgate Monday. Get it? Because Colgate is also a toothpaste? I’ll leave now.
10 – Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets lost to the school that gave Brian Gregory his head coaching start back in 2003 Tuesday night.
11 – Clemson: I would have suggested bringing in Deshaun Watson to see if he can turn the basketball team’s fortunes with his mere presence, but I’d be afraid the poor unlucky guy would tear his other ACL setting up a water cooler or something.
12 – Boston College: Southern Cal exacted some football revenge by defeating the Eagles on the hardwood. It had otherwise been a pretty good December for BC.
13 – Florida State: Three wins against small in-state schools for the Seminoles this week. Their next such game, against Florida, might be a slightly tougher challenge.
14 – Virginia Tech: Just like in football, Hokies fans did not hesitate to inform me I was COMPLETELY WRONG on my ranking for VT. And just like in football, they informed me my ranking was far too optimistic.
15 – Wake Forest: So no pressure, Wake Forest. You’re the only thing separating Hokies fans from proving me wrong, just like in football.
Until next week, peace, love, and #goacc
Become a fan of the ACC on Facebook and follow the ACC on Twitter
Leave a Reply