ACC Basketball Power Rankings, January 21
By Joe Micik
Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports
This website speaks at length about Boston College’s evolving basketball team and its progress. It is, of course, relative. BC’s standing in the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference is just as important as the overall play of the team these days, because even if the Eagles are playing fine, where that stacks up with everyone else is a question that must be considered. For example, if BC gets better but so do about seven or eight other ACC teams, that’s almost like moving the goalposts.
Today, we’ll see where the Boston College men rank as compared to the rest of their conference. This takes into account the total body of work to this point, not just ACC play.
ACC Basketball Power Rankings, Jan. 21
1. Duke
NC State beat Duke, but Duke has a realistic chance of being the #1 team in the nation later today, whereas the Wolfpack do not. If they’re the best in the country, they have to logically be the best in their conference.
2. North Carolina State
Their body of work is self-explanatory so far. Very good team and capable of winning the conference.
3. Miami
Who knew that this team would be the third-best in the ACC at this stage without Reggie Johnson? The ‘Canes look like a tournament team to me.
4. North Carolina
Decent, but this is not vintage UNC we’re seeing this year; their meeting at BC on the 29th could be a letdown game after playing NC State, but let’s let time be the judge of that.
5. Virginia
The Cavaliers have some work to do. They’re 12-5 but have an RPI in the 100s, weighed down by some very bad losses to Delaware and Old Dominion. The latter of those could keep UVA out if they’re not careful — it’s that bad of a loss.
6. Maryland
It took the Terps until January 16 to finally find a quality win (NC State), but they need more. They were not challenged in the non-conference schedule at all and it’s gotten them off to a shaky start in the ACC.
7. Florida State
FSU might be 2-2 in the ACC, but they’ve got some bad losses: South Alabama, Mercer, and Auburn. This is not a tournament team right now. In their most recent outing, the Seminoles managed an embarrassing 36 points at UVA.
8. Clemson
I’m not terribly impressed with Clemson but when you get to the bottom of the conference, it becomes very cloudy.
9. Wake Forest
Ahead of BC only by virtue of the fact that they won. Aside from that, the teams are essentially level (as of Sunday, their RPIs were only one space apart, with Wake at 113 and BC at 114).
10. Boston College
The Eagles are a hit or miss team that has played a better than its record. They could easily be a couple spots higher than they are now but BC must learn to close out these ACC games.
11. Virginia Tech
The Hokies have stabilized themselves a bit with some very narrow victories over Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, two of the ACC bottom-feeders, but they had lost four-straight games by double digits immediately prior. VT isn’t much to look at this season.
12. Georgia Tech
Being the only 0-4 conference team will usually get you the last spot, though they played a very tough first four games in the ACC. Their non-conference strength of schedule was 313th, which would lead one to believe that their 10-2 record outside of the ACC was deceiving.