ACC's elite separate themselves from the pack

After another week of action in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the top four teams have continued to win and have separated themselves from the pack. The league has four ranked teams for the first time this season as Florida State made the leap to No. 21 on the heels of its impressive five-game winning streak.

The Seminoles have been one of the best defensive teams in the conference, allowing just 62 points per game. They soon will face the another defensive juggernaut, No. 16 Virginia who allows just under 51 points per game, the fewest in the ACC. Look for this game to be a slow-paced, physical contest where the winner may not crack 50 points. The victor of this match will jump into the top three in the conference and have a legitimate chance of winning the conference title if it can salvage a win or two against Duke and North Carolina.

The Blue Devils and Tar Heels continued to play leapfrog in the polls this week as Duke is ranked higher in the Coaches’ Poll while North Carolina is higher in the AP Poll. The Tar Heels’ loss of Dexter Strickland did not sting them this week as they won both their contests fairly easily, allowing starting point guard Kendall Marshall to play 34 and 31 minutes in the contests. This number is right around his season average, but in close contests he may be forced to play upwards of 35 minutes. In conference tournaments and March Madness, playing over 35 minutes per game for multiple games in a short time period may lead to fatigue reducing Marshall’s effectiveness. North Carolina’s next big test is not until February 8 when archrival Duke travels to the Dean Dome.

The Blue Devils won both games this week thanks to junior Mason Plumlee’s stellar play. Plumlee has developed into the consistent post presence that Mike Krzyzewski and the Cameron Crazies hoped he would last season. After recording 38 points and 29 rebounds in two wins this week, Plumlee looks to continue his momentum to Thursday night’s contest in Blacksbury against Virginia Tech. The Hokies upset Duke last season thanks to outrebounding the favored Blue Devils 42-35 and limiting them to just 4-for-20 from beyond the arc. Although Virginia Tech’s conference record may imply that they don’t stand a chance against one of the ACC’s powerhouses, its win against rival Virginia stands out on its resume. The Hokies limited the Cavaliers to just 45 points in that contest and will need another strong defensive effort to pull off the upset two years in a row.