1. Florida State- That's right, Florida State is at the top of the ACC. They convinced me that they belong here with a hard fought win over Virginia in Tallahassee. These two teams may be the among the best in the nation in defense, and in one of the best games of the year (especially if you are a defensive nut), the Seminoles outdid the Cavaliers. There are still doubters out there, especially since Florida State has not shown they have a go-to-guy (Snaer? Dulkys? James?), but convincing wins over the other three top teams in the ACC is enough to put them in first place.
2. North Carolina- Besides the (large) hiccup in Tallahassee, UNC has looked like it is one of the top teams in the country throughout ACC play. Roy Williams must have given the Tar Heels a good halftime speech during the Virginia Tech game, as the momentum of the second half of that game has not stopped yet. Zeller is proving himself one of the top big men in the country, and his draft stock only continues to rise. It's good to see a senior who has continued to get better despite injuries throughout his college career. Barnes' ankle will be the story for the short term, and we'll see what happens in the Duke matchup Wednesday night.
3. Duke- Duke has problems. This is not going to be one of those top five teams like Blue Devil fans saw the past two years or during Shane Battier's time. Two losses at home is inexcusable but if anyone can turn things around it is Coach K. Austin Rivers may need to start asserting himself more and we started to see what Seth Curry is capable of during the second half of the Miami game. As is the case with every team (sans Virginia and Maryland) in the ACC there is no go-to-guy for Duke this year. Can Rivers turn into that guy? Look for an interesting matchup between him and Barnes on Wednesday.
4. Virginia- Mike Scott continues to prove himself as ACC Player of the Year. Without Scott, Virginia would be trying to dig itself out of the bottom of the ACC. But if the Florida State game proved anything, it is that the Cavaliers need another playmaker on offense. Their defense is going to be there the rest of the year but they need Harris, Zeglenski, or someone else to start putting in at least 14 points a game. We'll see how good this team really is when they go to Chapel Hill on Saturday.
5. Miami- Yes, Miami jumps over NC State. Reggie Johnson proved how valuable he can be in his breathtaking performance over Duke. The guy needs someone with more strength to stop him. Miles Plumlee did the best job on him, and he is the strongest guy Duke has. I don't see anyone in the conference who comes anywhere close to having Johnson's strength. It will be fun to see how he does against the defense of Florida State, and what the mature Bernard James does against him, on Saturday.
6. NC State- The Wolfpack again did not look great against a bottom tier team in Wake Forest. After squeaking out a win over Boston College you were expecting more out of the team. Mark Gottfried has done a good job with this group but there is nothing that proves they are ready to claim themselves as a top team in the conference. A trap game at Georgia Tech is this week before some time off and a showdown at Cameron Indoor Stadium next Wednesday. Look for CJ Leslie to start asserting himself as the best player on the floor every game (if he stays healthy).
7. Maryland- The Terps are not quite there. But if sophomore Terrell Stoglin stays around, look for this team to continue getting better. Stoglin is the best scorer in the conference and proved it when he was better than anyone on a loaded Carolina team in their upset bid on Saturday. The Terps came up just short in that bid, but it was a coming out party for Alex Len. The Ukranian started showing the confidence to do what everyone was waiting for. If Stoglin and Len can become a one-two punch look for continued improvement in Maryland (next year).
8. Clemson- Clemson showed promise in a tight loss at Virginia and a solid win over Wake Forest. Clemson is young and while they loose leading scorer Andre Young next year, Brad Brownell has a lot or talent coming back. Rod Hall is continuing to make a case for first team All-Freshman and Devin Booker should return next year as a leader. The Tigers would benefit heavily if they can finish the regular season 5-3 (very possible) and possibly grab a win in the conference tournament.
9. Virginia Tech- The Hokies barely beat Clemson at home after getting trounced by Duke. Seth Greenberg's seat is on fire right now and if his team cannot finish with five or six victories in their final eight games it might be time to say farewell. Green, Finney-Smith, and Eddie will lead a team on the rise in the future, the question only becomes will Greenberg be leading them?
10. Wake Forest- Wake saved some dignity by showing up in a road game versus NC State. The Deacons lost by 36 in their first meeting in Winston-Salem but fought till the end in a closer-than-the-score-showed game in Raleigh. Harris and McKie are a good one-two punch, but this team needs help (especially on the defensive side) looking ahead. I like what I see from the Deacons though, and the future is bright in Winston-Salem.
11. Georgia Tech- With the amount of talent that the Yellow Jackets possess it honestly surprises me that they are still the second to worst team in the conference. The starting five of Rice, Udofia, Hosley, Morris, and Miller is solid at all positions. The team is young, I understand, but I would have expected one of two good wins by this point. They won at Raleigh already this year, a sweep of the Pack would go a long ways for this team's confidence.
12. Boston College- Poor Boston College, the Eagles are riding another losing streak. The Eagles showed promise with a season high 12 assists in a losing effort to Georgia Tech but Brian Gregory has walked into a tough situation. The improvements need to start with offense, where Matt Humphrey is leading the team at just over 10 points a game. Yuck.
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