This was quite the week in the best conference in college basketball. First off, RIP to Buzz Williams’ shirt.
The most surprising news came when Mark Gottfried became Mark Got-fired after a 24-point loss to North Carolina at home. Gottfried will still coach until the end of the season, but wouldn’t it be amazing if he somehow made it into the tourney and the Wolfpack went on a run? Seems to me that they have unrealistic expectations in Raleigh as Gottfried has been the best coach at NC State in almost 30 years.
The Top 5

1. North Carolina 23-5 (11-3)

Keeping the streak alive, UNC is at the top spot again. This week they proved they belong here with blowout wins at Raleigh and at home against Virginia. They look strong going towards to tournament and a possible one seed. If they can beat Louisville this week, they very well may lock up the ACC regular season title.

2. Duke 22-5 (10-4)

Seems as things are heating up in Durham. They are right in the thick of a seven game winning streak right now after beating Virginia and Wake Forest this week. This week they will have two tough road matchups against Syracuse and Miami, which they could realistically lose at least one of.

3. Louisville 22-5 (10-4)

A couple of four point victories later, and Louisville is still seeing themselves as a top ten team. Winning at the Carrier Dome is never easy, but the Cardinals pulled it off in overtime. They also defeated a tough Virginia Tech team at home while Buzz Williams sweated through his jacket. This week Louisville will have to match up in Chapel Hill before going home to take on Syracuse again.

4. Notre Dame 21-7 (10-5)

Not a whole lot went on this week for the Irish. They survived a scare at lowly Boston College on Tuesday and then kicked NC State while they were down on Saturday. More of the same this week as their lone matchup is at home against Georgia Tech.

5. Miami 18-8 (8-6)

Honestly didn’t know who to put here so don’t rip me for switching it up. Florida State lost to Pitt, Virginia lost twice in large fashion, and Syracuse dropped two games of their own this week. I view 5-9 in the ACC as all being close to equal. Virginia is probably the best team of this grouping, but they have not been playing like it lately. Miami beat both Clemson and Georgia Tech this week in route to bursting their tournament bubble. This is a de-facto selection as Miami travels to Virginia on Monday night.

Game of the Week- #7 Louisville at #8 North Carolina on Wednesday

Performance of the Week- Sheldon Jeter, Pitt: 29 points, 8 rebounds in upset win over Florida State

Play of the Week- Ben Lammert Alley-Oop