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College Basketball ACC Power Rankings: Week 14

By Charlie Maikis

Feb 6, 2017; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward V.J. King (0) shoots the ball over Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2017; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Louisville Cardinals forward V.J. King (0) shoots the ball over Virginia Cavaliers guard Devon Hall (0) in the first half at John Paul Jones Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Coach K
Dec 21, 2016; Greensboro, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski reacts to a call in the first half against the Elon Phoenix at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
7

Notre Dame FIghting Irish

Last week: 17-7, 6-5 ACC
Last rank: 6

With just one game this week, Notre Dame desperately needed to pick up some momentum after losing three in a row. Unfortunately that lone game was against first-place North Carolina. Though the game was postponed by a day and moved to Greensboro instead of the less-friendly Dean Dome in Raleigh, away against UNC is never an easy game. The Irish put up a valiant fight but ended up losing the game by seven. They came back after a rough first half and cut the deficit to two with just under four minutes remaining, but they were unable to complete the comeback as UNC pulled away. They have a few chances to end the skid this week, with games against Wake Forest, Florida State, and Boston College. After losing their first conference game in a close one to FSU just a few weeks ago, that game is sure to be another classic, though this time Notre Dame will have the upper hand at home.

6

Duke Blue Devils

Last week: 18-5, 6-4 ACC
Last rank: 9

The Blue Devils finally appear to have hit their stride in the ACC. They’ve won three in a row after making a change to the starting lineup and rotation. In the three wins, Jayson Tatum has started at power forward and has spent much of his time on the floor with just one big. That spacing has greased the Duke offense and unlocked some efficiency in Tatum’s game. The offense again led the way in the win against Pittsburgh, limiting turnovers and shooting nearly 40 percent as a team from 3. This week was especially big as Coach Mike Krzyzewski returned to the sideline after undergoing back surgery. He comes back just in time as they have perhaps their biggest game of the season, at home against hated rival North Carolina, on Thursday. They follow that up by hosting Clemson over the weekend. The game against UNC will be a big story as it remains to be seen whether or not Coach K will stick with the smaller rotation against UNC’s dominant front court.