ACC men’s basketball power rankings: New Year’s resolutions

While we hope that we’ll see the Syracuse Orange back on the court tonight we’re going to use this week’s power rankings to take a look at what the the ACC Men’s Basketball teams need in 2022.

1) Duke Blue Devils- (11-1 Last week: 1st)

It would certainly help Duke if the rest of the ACC stayed of their way before March. The Blue Devils’ average margin of victory right now is nearly twenty-one points.

2) Wake Forest Demon Deacons- (11-1 Last week: 2nd)

It would be nice if the Top 25 voters recognized that Wake is 11-1 and have them at least close to being ranked and not at the bottom of the receiving votes category.

3) North Carolina Tar Heels: (8-3 Last week: 4th)

The Tar Heels are shooting 39% from 3 as a team. It’s a bit odd to see them this effective from outside but Hubert Davis’ squad needs this to continue if they want to contend for the ACC crown.

4) Virginia Tech Hokies (8-5 Last week: 3rd)

Lots of people expected Storm Murphy to have a major impact as a transfer so for the Hokies to make a run they will need more from him in the new year.

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5) Clemson Tigers (9-4 Last week: 5th)

Vice-principal Brownell’s team got a big road win over Virginia but they will get a real test against Duke this week. It’s not 2022 yet but a statement win is what the Tigers need to grab before March.

6) Miami Hurricanes: (9-3 Last week: 7th)

This is probably way too high for Miami but the rest of the conference isn’t doing anything to move ahead of them. They will need more from Isaiah Wong moving forward so him returning to the All-ACC pre-season expectations could keep the Canes in the top of the league.

7) Syracuse Orange (5-5 Last week: 8th)

The Orange are hoping to get back on the court this week and with three games on the schedule we will see how they respond to the time off. Syracuse needs to figure out how to get the offense playing complete games in 2022.

8) Florida State Seminoles (6-4 Last week: 9th)

Another team that we don’t know what to make of right now. The Seminoles need to get better on the glass because you won’t win close games when you’re 280th in the country in defensive rebounds.

9) NC State Wolfpack (7-5 Last week: 10th)

NC State is hanging around right now but they are one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country. It’s hard to win games these days when you can’t hit outside shots.

10) Louisville Cardinals (6-4 Last week: 12th)

Louisville decided to replace losing to Kentucky by losing to Western Kentucky. At least it was on the road but the Cardinals need to figure out their offensive issues. They are among the worst in the conference in offensive efficiency and won’t be a threat as long as that’s the case.

11) Virginia Cavaliers (7-5 Last week: 6th)

You get blown out by Clemson in your gym and you’re going to drop. The Cavaliers are another team that needs to find outside shooting in the new year. You can’t try and win every game 48-45.

12) Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-5 Last week: 11th)

How did this team beat Kentucky? Whatever magic that Mike Brey pulled for that one is what he needs to replicate more often in the new year. The Irish look like one of those teams that’s going to knock off the top of the league and still be playing on opening night of the ACC Tournament.

13) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: (6-5 Last week: 13th)

Not sure when Georgia Tech will be back in action but this is a team that won’t be a push-over in conference play. They do need to cut down on their turnovers as they are tied with Louisville as the worst in the ACC.

14) Boston College Eagles: (6-5 Last week: 14th)

There’s at least some hope in Chestnut Hill this winter. The Eagles do need to grab a couple of signature wins because even a NIT bid would feel like big progress at this point.

15) Pittsburgh Panthers (5-7 Last week: 15th)

The Panthers are playing some really boring games and you can live with that if you win them. Lose them and it’s going to be a long season. The goal for Pitt this winter is to avoid a last-place finish.

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Where did we go wrong this week? Will the ACC get five or more Tournament bids this year?