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ACC College Basketball Power Rankings: Week 11

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By @writered21

ACC Basketball Power Rankings For Week 11

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

After bad losses at North Carolina State and at home to Miami doomed Duke to No. 8 in last week's rankings, the Blue Devils came back with a vengeance, winning on the road at former No. 3 Louisville Saturday to return to the conversation at the top of the ACC. Meanwhile, North Carolina rolled through three opponents. Are the Tar Heels the new No. 1 this week?

15. Virginia Tech (8-9, 0-4; Last Week: 15)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

15. Virginia Tech (8-9, 0-4; Last Week: 15)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Hokies gave North Carolina a bit of a run in Chapel Hill in their only game of the week, but it ended as every other conference game has for Virginia Tech this season, with a loss. Tech is 2-20 in the last 22 league games. A home game Sunday with Virginia, however, provides the Hokies with the perfect chance to save their season.

14. Boston College (8-9, 0-5; 14)

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14. Boston College (8-9, 0-5; 14)

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Boston College doesn't feel like one of the worst teams in the conference, but the results show that the Eagles are just that. BC did beat Harvard outside the league last week, but they lost at home to Virginia after hanging tough for 30 minutes or so, then lost at Syracuse where BC actually beat the 25-0 Orange a season ago.

13. Wake Forest (9-10, 1-5; 11)

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13. Wake Forest (9-10, 1-5; 11)

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Wake Forest proved tough for the first half against North Carolina last night, but the Tar Heels pulled away late and dealt the Demon Deacons a blowout home loss. Wake is better than the bottom teams in the league, but how much better under first-year head coach Danny Manning remains to be seen.

12. Georgia Tech (9-8, 0-5; 10)

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12. Georgia Tech (9-8, 0-5; 10)

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Not many people would have pegged the Yellow Jackets to lose their first five ACC games this season, but two losses to Notre Dame, a 46-45 squeaker with Syracuse and losses at Wake and Pitt put Georgia Tech in the conference cellar. It doesn't get any easier for the Ramblin' Wreck, who go to Virginia tonight.

11. Clemson (10-8, 2-4; 12)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
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11. Clemson (10-8, 2-4; 12)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Just when you want to believe in Clemson after the Tigers beat Syracuse soundly, Clemson does what Clemson usually does and throws that faith back in your face, losing at home to Florida State the next time out. The Tigers are going to find it difficult to even finish 9-9 in the league this season.

10. Florida State (10-9, 2-4; 13)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

10. Florida State (10-9, 2-4; 13)

ACC Basketball Power Rankings
Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State moves up in part because of the misfortune suffered lately by the other teams in the bottom third of the ACC. But the win at Clemson was a decent way to end what had been a troubling week that included losses at Pitt and home to N.C. State. FSU is at No. 15 North Carolina on Saturday.

9. Syracuse (14-5, 5-1; 5)

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9. Syracuse (14-5, 5-1; 5)

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Despite a 5-1 record in the league, the Orange aren't as good as that record suggests -- at least not right now. The loss at Clemson will probably cause Syracuse to refocus and be better in the middle third of the ACC season, and the Orange recovered well to beat Boston College next time out. However, Syracuse still has six games with ranked opponents left on the schedule.

8. Pittsburgh (13-6, 3-3; 9)

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8. Pittsburgh (13-6, 3-3; 9)

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Pitt being right in the middle of the ACC standings and these power rankings is about perfect for the Panthers. They really haven't done much noteworthy in the league in terms of wins, but don't have any truly bad losses, either, save for perhaps a 71-62 home defeat to Clemson. But after losing at Duke on Monday, the Panthers host No. 10 Louisville on Sunday.

7. N.C. State (13-6, 4-2; 7)

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7. N.C. State (13-6, 4-2; 7)

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The Wolfpack were on top of the world after dominating Duke in Raleigh for a big win, but they came back to earth when North Carolina came to town, took control of the game, then fought off N.C. State's valiant comeback effort as the Tar Heels prevailed, 81-79. State rebounded with a nine-point win at FSU and visit Miami tonight before hosting No. 8 Notre Dame on Sunday.

6. Miami (12-5, 2-2; 6)

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6. Miami (12-5, 2-2; 6)

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The Hurricanes played a decent road game in South Bend last Saturday but came up short, 75-70. But Miami is entering a stretch now where they won't see another ranked team until Feb. 3 (home to No. 10 Louisville), with four games to try and pad the NCAA Tournament resume. Tonye Jekiri is averaging 10.1 rebounds per game for the Hurricanes.

5. Louisville (15-3, 3-2; 3)

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5. Louisville (15-3, 3-2; 3)

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Louisville had their two biggest games of the year to this point at home with No. 1 Kentucky and No. 4 Duke, and they didn't win either one, falling to the Wildcats 58-50 and the Blue Devils 63-52. Coupled with a loss at No. 18 North Carolina, it's fair to wonder if the Cardinals aren't a significant notch below the top of the ACC in this, their first year in the league.

4. Duke (16-2, 4-2; 8)

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4. Duke (16-2, 4-2; 8)

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Duke's win at Louisville moved head coach Mike Krzyzewski one closer to the 1,000-victory plateau, but more importantly, it kept the Blue Devils from an unheard of three-game losing streak. With the ship righted, Duke leaves ACC play on Sunday to play at St. John's before a grueling back-to-back at No. 8 Notre Dame and at No. 2 Virginia.

3. Notre Dame (17-2, 5-1; 4)

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3. Notre Dame (17-2, 5-1; 4)

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With Jerian Grant back in the fold, an unsung hero for the Fighting Irish this season has been Pat Connaughton. He is second on the Irish in scoring at 13.8 PPG, leads the team in rebounding (8.3) and is hitting nearly 44 percent from three-point range. Notre Dame is at Virginia Tech tonight.

2. North Carolina (15-4, 5-1; 2)

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2. North Carolina (15-4, 5-1; 2)

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The Tar Heels struggled to get out of the gate a little bit against Virginia Tech but ended up pulling away for a 68-53 win. They then dropped the hammer late on Wake Forest (87-71) last night in Winston-Salem. The Heels have home games with FSU and Syracuse and could be 7-1 in league play before going to No. 10 Louisville and hosting No. 2 UVA back to back.

1. Virginia (17-0, 5-0; 1)

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1. Virginia (17-0, 5-0; 1)

UVA
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The reigning ACC champions were on the court just once last week, getting taken to the limit at Boston College for much of the game before pulling away in classic Virginia style late for a 15-point win. The Cavaliers host Georgia Tech tonight and go to Virginia Tech on Sunday, two teams that are 0-9 combined in the ACC. UVA could be 19-0, 7-0 on Jan. 31 when No. 5 Duke and ESPN College Gameday come to Charlottesville.

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