ACC Basketball Standings: Is it Really a Three-Team Race?
By Cem Yolbulan
North Carolina has been the team to beat in the ACC all season. It looked like they were running away with the conference regular season championship at times this season, but the gap between them and the field is tightening, setting us up for a fascinating final stretch of the season.
The Tar Heels suffered one of the worst losses of the season last week when they were outplayed by short-handed Syracuse all game, falling 86-79. Their defense left plenty to be desired. Then, North Carolina bounced back with a dominant win against Virginia Tech on Saturday, like they have done at home all year.
Duke, on the other hand, continues their rise. After falling to North Carolina two weeks ago, the Blue Devils have won four straight, all convincing victories. They held all four of their opponents under 70 points in these wins. If they can sustain this level of defensive performance, they can be a very dangerous team in March, as they already have a top-10 offense in the country, according to KenPom ratings.
ACC Basketball Standings
Team | Conference | Overall |
|---|---|---|
UNC | 12-3 | 20-6 |
Duke | 11-3 | 20-5 |
Virginia | 11-4 | 20-6 |
Pittsburgh | 8-6 | 17-8 |
Wake Forest | 8-6 | 16-9 |
NC State | 8-6 | 16-9 |
Clemson | 7-7 | 17-8 |
Florida State | 7-7 | 13-12 |
Syracuse | 7-8 | 16-10 |
Boston College | 6-8 | 15-10 |
Virginia Tech | 6-8 | 14-11 |
Miami FL | 6-9 | 15-11 |
Notre Dame | 4-10 | 9-16 |
Georgia Tech | 4-11 | 11-15 |
Louisville | 3-12 | 8-18 |
What North Carolina is made of will be clearer with their remaining schedule. In their remaining five games, UNC will play a difficult slate of games against Virginia, NC State, and Duke. This will not only determine where they end up in the ACC at the end of the season but also their seed in the NCAA tournament in March.
Duke has a similarly difficult schedule the rest of the way. Once they are done with Miami on Wednesday, four out of their final five games are against Wake Forest, Virginia, NC State, and North Carolina.
There is a very good chance that the final Duke-UNC game will be the deciding factor for who wins the ACC regular season title.
ACC Basketball Odds
Don't count Virginia out just yet. Even though North Carolina (-265) and Duke (+205) are still favored, Virginia has an easier schedule the rest of the way. They have also hit their stride at the right time, boasting one of the most elite defenses in the nation, once again. They will try to make this a three-headed race with their odds at +1100.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.