The Top 5
1. North Carolina 21-5 (9-3)
Thought for sure that this would be the week I’d knock Carolina down, but still not so. Falling in a close game on the road against Duke doesn’t change my opinion of them at all. They still appear in the driver’s seat in the conference. GameDay will be making a visit to Chapel Hill to see the Heels take on Virginia. Early in the week they will also have to go on the road against NC State.
2. Duke 21-5 (8-4)
Considered bumping Duke up to the one slot, but I can’t excuse the bad January. They also barely won at home against an average Clemson team. They may be back to the championship caliber we expected at the beginning of the year, but we have to see more. They’ll look to prove that on the road against Virginia on Wednesday night.
3. Louisville 20-5 (8-4)
A loss to Virginia and a near-slip up against Miami almost cost them to tumble down the rankings this week. I still believe Louisville is one of the top teams in the country and pose a threat to the ACC crown. This week Virginia Tech and Syracuse stand in their way of improving to 10-4 in conference play.
4. Notre Dame 19-7 (8-5)
The Irish were able to get some redemption this weekend by beating Florida State pretty handily. After running through the gauntlet for the first month of ACC play, they are now hitting the easiest part of conference play. This week they go on the road to face NC State and Boston College. If they can rack up wins during the next few weeks, Mike Bray’s team could be looking at a pretty high seed come tourney time.
5. Florida State 21-5 (9-4)
Lastly, we have FSU. They were looking good up until their loss at Notre Dame this weekend. I still believe Jonathan Isaac is one of the most exciting players in college basketball, and depending on the matchups, the Seminoles could be set for a deep run in the tournament. Their lone game this week is at Pittsburgh, who has been pretty terrible all season.
Player of the Week: Bonzie Colson, Notre Dame
Both of the top two performances of the week came from Colson. This kid is a double-double machine, as he now leads the ACC with 16 this season. In two games this week, Colson was able to put up 27 and 33 points along with 16 and 13 rebounds in wins against Wake Forest and Florida State respectively. He also went 8-8 from the charity stripe against the Seminoles.
Play of the Week: Dennis Smith Jr. The most exciting player in the ACC back at it again.
Dennis Smith Jr. with another explosive dunk! This kid is athletic #DSJ #collegebasketball #ncaabasketball pic.twitter.com/1sCGnbPUzd
— Courtsidehoopz (@courtsidehoopz1) February 11, 2017
Game of the Week: #12 Virginia at #8 North Carolina