2017-18 ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Week 1
Teams 13-15
Georgia Tech is the first team in the not so good group. The Yellow Jackets continue their precipitous fall from a preseason ranking of sixth all the way down to the bottom of the ACC.
Georgia Tech is the only ACC school to finish 2017 with a losing record and one of only three schools to have a loss to a squad ranked below 150 in the RPI. The team ranks 320th nationally in points scored, though surprising 36th in points allowed.
The Yellow Jackets finally have Josh Okogie back and with him hope to start to right this ship. That all starts Wednesday when the team takes on Miami.
The Panthers move up a spot this week, thanks not only to the poor play of the Yellow Jackets but also by winning seven of their past nine games. Now that doesn’t mean that Pittsburgh is better as most of those wins came against sub 200 RPI teams, just that they are winning the games they should.
Pittsburgh has a sub-150 ranking nationally in points scored, rebounds, and assists. Ryan Luther is averaging a double-double this season, one of only four ACC players to do that, but he hasn’t played since December 9th after he injured his foot prior to playing McNeese State.
The Panthers will be looking for an early ACC win on Tuesday when they travel to face a Louisville squad that just got crushed by Kentucky.
The Demon Deacons also jump up a spot this week thanks to an improvement in play as well.
Wake Forest had won six straight before their current two-game losing streak, both to the ranked teams and definitely gave UNC all they could handle at the Dean Dome.
Like the Panthers, the Deacs improved play has come thanks to lesser competition as four of their six wins were against sub 200 RPI teams. They also continue to have the most losses to sub 150 RPI squads thanks to their poor start.
The backcourt of Keyshawn Woods and Bryant Crawford will be looking to right the ship this week against Syracuse in Winston Salem on Wednesday.