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ACC basketball power rankings: A new team claims top spot

By Presley Meyer

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 12: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 12, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 12: Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 12, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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BLACKSBURG, VA – FEBRUARY 04: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals looks to dribble while being guarded by Ahmed Hill #13 and Ty Outlaw #42 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on February 04, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA – FEBRUARY 04: Dwayne Sutton #24 of the Louisville Cardinals looks to dribble while being guarded by Ahmed Hill #13 and Ty Outlaw #42 of the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Cassell Coliseum on February 04, 2019 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Lauren Rakes/Getty Images) /

Louisville’s fall from grace has been tough to watch, but they appear to be rounding into form as the season concludes. They held a 23 point lead with 9 minutes left against Duke, and a 10 point lead in the second half against Virginia. However, they were blown out by Syracuse, and stunned by Boston College recently.

Against Notre Dame on Sunday, Louisville looked to be finding its form again. The Cards led wire-to-wire against the Irish, handled them on the boards, and had quality performances from VJ King and Darius Perry- who previously spent the majority of their time during games on the bench.

Louisville had 53 rebounds against Boston College and 49 vs. Notre Dame, but shot a brutally bad 7 for 46 from three point range this week. If Louisville can continue to be dynamic on the boards and round back into excellent three point shooting form (they are fourth in the ACC in 3 point percentage), the Cards can still be dangerous going forward.

Clemson had an NCAA tournament bid in their grasp, but couldn’t quite complete a comeback against North Carolina on Saturday. They face two must-wins against Notre Dame and Syracuse to finish the regular season, and then may need one more victory under their belts in the ACC tournament.

The Tigers are a team that probably deserves to go dancing, but that’s life in the ACC. They have a one point loss to Louisville, a 2 point loss to UNC, and 2 point loss to NC State. Their lone signature win comes over Virginia Tech, so they will be hoping to finish .500 in conference play and grab a final spot at the table in two weeks.

Syracuse had the unfortunate privilege of playing Duke and North Carolina back-to-back, and although both resulted in losses, this Orange squad has proven over the course of the last month that they aren’t going to lay down for anyone. They bounced back with a blowout win over Wake Forest on Saturday- a much needed reprieve.

Still, Cuse hosts Virginia on Big Monday before traveling to Clemson to finish the regular season. This is a crucial final two games for a team that looks to be in the tournament, but will want to grab the best possible draw.

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