With Feast Week wrapping up we begin to get a clearer picture of where everyone stands in the conference. North Carolina holds on to the top spot for the second week in a row with Duke and Virginia also staying put to round out the top three. Notre Dame made the biggest leap up the standing, going from ninth to fourth after a pair of wins over power-five schools. On the other end of the spectrum, Clemson took the biggest tumble, dropping eight spots from sixth to fourteenth. The Tigers have played the sixth toughest schedule so far and haven’t looked too bad. Their fall has more to do with other teams performing well and rising than it does with the Tigers not playing well. With the ACC/B1G Challenge taking place next week, we should learn even more about where every team in the conference stands.

1.(1) North Carolina (7-0)- The Tar Heels retain the top spot in our rankings after dominating in Maui, and return home with some preseason hardware. UNC won their three games over Chaminade, Oklahoma State, and #16 Wisconsin by an average of 30 points. Joel Berry won the Tournament MVP after averaging 18 ppg, 3.7 apg, and 4 rpg. The Tar Heels will travel to Bloomington to take on the Hoosiers of Indiana in a marquee match as a part of the ACC/B1G Challenge.

2. (2) Duke (6-1)- Duke holds steady at #2 in the rankings after going 4-0 this week, including a pair of ten-point wins over Penn State and Rhode Island to capture the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Championship. The Blue Devils also took care of business versus William & Mary as well as Appalachian State. In Duke’s most recent game, Grayson Allen tweaked his foot with twelve minutes remaining and did not return to action. The Blue Devils (who will already be without Harry Giles, Jayson Tatum, and Marques Bolden) could struggle against Michigan State if Allen’s injury causes him to miss the ACC/B1G Challenge.

3. (3) Virginia (6-0)- Virginia’s defense continues to completely smother every team that the Cavaliers come up against. Tony Bennett’s squad has only allowed more than 50 points twice this season. In fact, Virginia is leading the nation in scoring defense and is only giving up 41.3 ppg so far this season. In their first real test of the season, the Cavaliers dismantled Iowa in a 74-41 game that was uncompetitive after ten minutes of gameplay. The Cavaliers also beat a good Providence team on Saturday night by the score of 63-52. Virginia will host Ohio State on Wednesday before playing #19 West Virginia next Saturday.

4. (9) Notre Dame (6-0)- The Irish might be one of the best teams no one is talking about so far this season. Notre Dame went 3-0 this week with wins over Colorado and Northwestern. Bonzie Colson had a double-double in each of the Fighting Irish’s games this week and averaged 15.3 ppg and 11.3 rpg. The Irish have been elite on the offensive side of the ball averaging 85.7 ppg and has been held under 80 only once so far this season. Mike Brey’s ball club will face another high-powered offense on Tuesday when they host the Iowa Hawkeyes as a part of the ACC/B1G Challenge.

5. (5) Louisville (5-1)- Louisville traveled to the Bahamas this week to take part in the Battle 4 Atlantis. It was a tough trip offensively for the Cardinals, who failed to score 70 points throughout the event. In the first round, the #10 team in the nation snuck out a victory in overtime against Old Dominion after trailing for nearly the entire second half. Louisville picked up a ten-point win over a solid Wichita State team in the semifinals. In the championship game, Louisville took on #20 Baylor Bears. The Cardinals had a 15-point lead at halftime, but fell apart in the second half as the Bears came roaring back to deal Louisville their first loss of the season, 66-63. With a matchup against #17 Purdue looming on Wednesday, the Cardinals need to fix the kinks in their offense or it could be a long season.

6. (4) Syracuse (4-1)- Jim Boeheim’s squad lost their first game of the season on Saturday to a very good defensive team in South Carolina. The Gamecocks held the Orange to 30+ points under their average. Sophomore Tyler Lydon had a solid week for the Orange averaging 16 ppg and 8.5 rpg. The 6’9 forward has been hot from behind the arc, going 7-10. Syracuse will face another tough defense on Tuesday when they travel to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers.

7. (7) Miami (4-1)- Miami has looked good early this season with their only loss of the season coming on Friday to #21 Iowa State, 73-56. The day prior, the Hurricanes picked up a solid out of conference win over Stanford, 67-53, on a neutral court. Ja’Quan Newton scored 21 and 20 in those two games, and ranks seventh in the conference. Miami has a big test against instate rival Florida on Sunday before taking on undefeated Rutgers in the ACC/B1G Challenge.

8. (10) Virginia Tech (4-1)- The Hokies traveled cross-country to Fullerton, California to participate in the Wooden Classic. In the first round, Virginia Tech scored a 20-point victory over a New Mexico team that will compete for the Mountain West championship this year. In the semifinals, the Hokies built a 13-point halftime lead over Texas A&M before letting it slip away late and falling to the Aggies, 68-65. Through the first two rounds of the Wooden Classic, Justin Robinson has paced the Hokies with 18 ppg and 6.5 apg. Virginia Tech has a pair of games against B1G opponents with the first being against Nebraska in the third-place game of the Wooden Classic. Three days later, the Hokies travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in the ACC/B1G Challenge.

9.(8) Florida State (5-1)- Florida State started the week off right by dropping 100 on Detroit before heading to New York for the NIT Season Tip-Off. In the first round, the Seminoles jumped out early on the Temple Owls and built a 10-point halftime lead. Freshman Quinton Rose came off the bench to score 26 for the Owls as they came back to shock FSU, 89-86. Florida State bounced back nicely with an 11-point win over Illinois in the consolation bracket. FSU will take on Minnesota in the first game of the ACC/B1G Challenge on Monday before having the rest of the week off.

10. (11) Pittsburgh (5-1)- In a conference filled with talented scorers, Pittsburgh has the top two at this point of the season. Michael Young scored 44 points in the Panthers’ two games this week against Yale and Morehead State, while Jamel Artis added 37 of his own. The duo has accounted for 52% of the Panthers’ scoring this season and give first-year head coach Kevin Stallings a couple of steady options each night. Pitt will travel to Maryland for their first road game of the season to participate in the ACC/B1G Challenge.

11. (12) North Carolina State (5-1)- Even though the Wolfpack has a record of 5-1 so far this season, it has not been an easy road to get here. N.C. State lost their first game of the season last Sunday to Creighton in a shootout, 112-94. The next day Mark Gottfried’s squad struggled to put away St. Joseph’s, but held off the Hawks for a 10-point victory, 73-63. North Carolina State struggled again on Saturday night and eked out a two-point victory over Loyola (CHI), 79-77. Freshman Dennis Smith Jr. continues to live up to the hype and averaged 25 ppg, 7.3 apg, and 4 rpg. The Wolfpack will travel to Illinois as a part of the ACC/B1G Challenge before returning home for a game against Boston University on Saturday.

12. (13) Wake Forest (5-1)- The Demon Deacons claimed a pair of double-digit wins this week against Charleston and Coastal Carolina. While Wake hasn’t beaten anyone of note yet this season, they have won by at least 12 points in each of their victories. Sophomore John Collins has been a force down low for the Demon Deacons and is an early candidate for most improved player. The 6’10 forward from West Palm Beach, Florida averaged 17.5 ppg and 9 rpg this week, but will have to prove he can keep the production up against higher level competition. Wake will play Northwestern on Monday in a game between two teams that are evenly matched.

13. (14) Georgia Tech (4-1)- The Yellow Jackets have looked good early under new head coach Josh Pastner, jumping out to a 4-1 record with wins over Sam Houston State and Tulane this week. Ben Lammers continues to impress, averaging 19 ppg and 10 rpg, and 5 bpg in Georgia Tech’s two games this week, and is quickly establishing himself as a player to watch in the conference. Georgia Tech enters the toughest portion of their non-conference schedule next week with games at Penn State and Tennessee.

14. (6) Clemson (3-2)- The Tigers lost their second game of the season last Sunday when they fell to the Oklahoma Sooners in the third-place game of the Tires Pro Invitational. After having the rest of the week off, Clemson bounced back with a nine-point victory over High Point on Friday. Jaron Blossomgame exploded for 49 points in the two games and continues to look like a strong candidate to win the league MVP if Clemson has a successful season. The Tigers only play one game this week, but it is against a quality opponent in Nebraska in what could be an early season bubble game for both teams.

15. (15) Boston College (3-3)- The Eagles lost their second game in a row on Saturday, and fall to .500 on the season. While the Eagles have a couple of nice pieces on their roster, they don’t have enough talent to be competitive night in and night out. Jerome Robinson remains the lone bright spot on the team averaging 20.7 ppg through the Eagle’s three games this week. Boston College gets the next week off before returning to action next Saturday against Dartmouth College.

Player of the Week

Dennis Smith Jr., North Carolina State– North Carolina State’s top recruit has been one of the best players in the conference so far this season. Smith has proven to be an invaluable piece of the puzzle for Mark Gottfried and can affect the game in a variety of ways. Through three games this week, Smith averaged 25 ppg on 47% shooting from the field, 40% from deep, and 83% from the charity stripe. On top of that, Smith also averaged 7.3 apg, and 4 rpg while playing 38.7 mpg for the Wolfpack.

Game of the Week

#4 North Carolina @ #3 Indiana– The Tar Heels are rolling right now and look to keep that momentum going against another top-ranked team in Indiana. The Hoosiers lost a shocker on Tuesday when IPFW pulled the upset off in overtime, 71-68. Indiana is still a very talented team led by shooter James Blackmon Jr. who is averaging 20.5 ppg through the first five games of the season. Down low, Thomas Bryant is a load for anyone and will provide a good test to the Tar Heel’s frontline. The big man is averaging 13.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg and has begun to show the ability to step outside and knock down a jump shot. This game will come down to who can stop the other team’s offense first which should favor the Tar Heels who proved they can lock opposing teams down in the Maui Championship.