That’s never good when you do a final ranking on a conference’s season, and the college basketball season is still going. That’s we find the ACC this year, and someone has to be first.
15. Boston College (4-16)
Last week: 15
New coach Earl Grant has one of the biggest rebuilding jobs we’ve seen in the last 20 years in the ACC. This is a multi-year project. BC fans will need to be very patient.
14. Wake Forest (6-16)
Last week: 14
Wake Forest played hard all the way to the end, but they were just out-manned. Wake Forest will be a feisty team next year.
13. Pittsburgh (10-12)
Last Week: 12
One February 3rd, Pittsburgh beat Virginia Tech, and we never heard from the Panthers again. Player transfers and tons of losses marked the end of Pitt’s season. Jeff Capel needs to show something next year or he could be in big trouble.
12. Miami (10-17)
Last week: 13
Miami had a very nice ACC Tournament beating Pitt and then upsetting Clemson. They nearly knocked off eventual tournament champion Georgia Tech. If the Canes could have stayed healthy they would have been a top 5 ACC team.
11. Notre Dame (11-15)
Last Week: 11
Notre Dame lost by 42 to UNC in the ACC Tournament. FORTY-TWO! We expect a lot more from Mike Brey, and the natives are getting restless in South Bend.
10. Duke (13-11)
Last Week: 10
Could Duke have upset Florida State in the ACC Tournament? They were playing very well in Greensboro before COVID struck. That said Duke basketball should never be 10th the ACC… ever.
9. NC State (14-11)
Last Week: 9
The Wolfpack had a good late stretch winning 5 in a row, but a blowout to Syracuse in the ACC Tournament and a 1-1 run in the NIT keeps them from moving up this list.
8. Louisville (13-7)
Last Week: 7
Louisville played themselves right out of a NCAA bid losing 3 of their last 5. It was a listless effort in the ACC Tournament getting bounced by Duke. Chris Mack isn’t on the hot-seat, but there’s is an under-current of fan frustration that’s starting to grow.
7. Clemson (16-8)
Last Week: 6
Clemson never could return to their late November to early January form when they knocked off Purdue, Alabama, Maryland and Florida State. Frankly the last couple of weeks of the season, they simply weren’t very good at all.
6. North Carolina (18-11)
Last Week: 5
North Carolina had a good run in the ACC Tournament, but it was disaster against Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament. The guard play for the Heels was at best spotty.
5. Virginia Tech (15-7)
Last Week: 3
Virginia Tech lost 4 of their last 6 games as they struggled with cancelled games after the beginning February. They exceeded expectations. That is for sure, but the Hokies didn’t beat a quality team after January.
4. Syracuse (18-10)
Last Week: 8
Syracuse’s surprise Sweet 16 run has them soaring up these rankings. They beat two really good teams in San Diego State and West Virginia in the NCAA tournament, and finished ACC play strongly too.
3. Georgia Tech (17-9)
Last Week : 4
Georgia Tech won the ACC Tournament title. That counts major points. At the end of the year they were the ACC’s hottest team. We’ll never know what Georgia Tech could have done against Loyola-Chicago if Moses Wright had played.
2. Virginia (18-7)
Last Week: 1
Give the Hoos credit for winning the ACC regular season, but I can’t get that blowout loss to FSU out of my head to put them ahead of the Noles. Also I know they didn’t barely practice the week before the Ohio game, but when you a 4 seed losing to a 13, it’s a bad loss.
1. Florida State (18-7)
Last Week: 2
A run to the Sweet 16, and appearance in the ACC Tournament Finals? To be fair, that’s a pretty good post-season. It didn’t end the way the Noles wanted against Michigan, but in a down ACC year – the Noles were the best the ACC had to offer.
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