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College Basketball ACC Power Rankings: Week 10

By Charlie Maikis

Dec 31, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) shoots the ball as Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) defends in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Seminoles won 60-58. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Florida State Seminoles forward Jonathan Isaac (1) shoots the ball as Virginia Cavaliers forward Isaiah Wilkins (21) defends in the second half at John Paul Jones Arena. The Seminoles won 60-58. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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North Carolina at Clemson
Dec 31, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II meets with teammates prior to the game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports /
7

North Carolina Tar Heels

Last week: 2-1
Last rank: N/A

The Tar Heels disappointed in their first ACC contest, losing to the lowly Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The game was on the road, but an elite team expecting to be a title contender gets no passes. They bounced back strong with in overtime win over Clemson and then a beatdown of rival NC State. Joel Berry had an up and down week for Roy Williams, and he needs to be more consistent for them to truly compete. After putting up a stinker against Georgia Tech in the loss, he dropped 31 on Clemson, shooting 7-10 on 3-pointers. He was great down the stretch in that game, willing his team to a tough road victory. This week they’ll travel to Wake Forest in a must-win game, then head back to Chapel Hill for a showdown against the Florida State Seminoles. That will be one of the biggest games of the ACC season to this point, so North Carolina will have to come out ready to play.

6

Duke Blue Devils

Last week: 2-2
Last rank: N/A

Duke has had a rough go of it lately, recently losing Coach K to back surgery. Fill-in Jeff Capel will have to do a good job to keep the Blue Devils afloat in such a tough conference. They dropped their first game of the ACC season to Virginia Tech, but came back with a beatdown of Georgia Tech and a comfortable win over Boston College. The spotlight was on as they traveled to Florida State last night, and they lost that one by double-digits as well. The way the Noles are playing right now, beating them on the road can’t be expected of any team, but Duke probably hoped to keep it closer than the 16-point margin it ended up finishing with. Duke only plays once this week in a big game at the Louisville Cardinals. Proving they can go out and beat an elite team on the road would be huge for Capel and company and would certainly get Duke back to the top of the ACC pecking order.