Around the ACC: Week 7

Here is a look at the current ACC basketball standings and a recap of recent ACC basketball action. Most teams haven't started conference play yet, but a few have already secured their first ACC victory—or loss.

1. Virginia Tech (7-4, 1-0 in the ACC): The Hokies remain on top of the conference standings, but likely won't have staying power for much longer. Virginia Tech was blown out 81-51 by VCU last week—after hanging tough in the early going, the Hokies allowed the Rams to score 31 unanswered points to put the game well out of reach.

2. Maryland (7-5, 1-0 in the ACC): Like the Hokies, the Terrapins dropped their only contest of last week, a game that could come back to haunt them come Selection Sunday. Despite 18 points from point guard Dez Wells, Maryland fell 83-77 at home to Boston University. The Terrapins failed to register a significant nonconference victory, and with matchups with North Carolina Central and Tulsa left before ACC play, it's likely Maryland will have to turn some heads in conference play in order to put itself on the right side of the bubble come March.

3. No. 2 Syracuse (11-0, 0-0): The Orange cruised to a 75-54 victory against High Point, staying alive as one of college basketball's 10 remaining unbeaten teams. Like most teams, Syracuse is off until after the holidays, but a showdown with former Big East rival and fellow unbeaten No. 8 Villanova looms large Dec. 28.

4.Pittsburgh (11-1, 0-0): The Panthers suffered their first defeat of the year Dec. 17 at Madison Square Garden, falling to former Big East foe Cincinnati 44-43 in a game in which both teams were severely offensively challenged. Forward Talib Zanna has improved offensively in his redshirt senior season, averaging 12.0 points per game, production that Pitt will need desperately in ACC play.

5. Wake Forest (10-2, 0-0): The Demon Deacons won twice before taking time off for the holidays, defeating St. Bonaventure and UNC-Greensboro. Rebounding has been a strength for Wake Forest in the early going—the Demon Deacons average 43.6 boards per game, good for 10th in the nation.

6. No. 8 Duke (10-2, 0-0): The Blue Devils shook off 13 days of rust to defeat Gardner-Webb 85-66 and used a strong second half performance to put away UCLA 80-63 at Madison Square Garden. The win against the unranked Bruins may look a lot better on Duke's resume by the end of the season, and the re-emergence of Rasheed Sulaimon—eight points, four assists and five rebounds—has the Blue Devils rounding into form with just two weeks to go before ACC play.

7. North Carolina State (9-2, 0-0): Freshman Anthony Barber seems to have relieved sophomore Tyler Lewis as the Wolfpack's starting point guard, and N.C. State has responded. T.J. Warren scored 21 points to help the Wolfpack down Tennessee on the road, then added 32 more in a 90-79 win against East Carolina to give N.C. State its seventh straight victory.

8. Clemson (8-3, 0-0): K.J. McDaniels continues to power the Tigers, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. Although McDaniels poured in 18 points and ripped down seven rebounds, Clemson fell 66-64 to Auburn last week after Auburn made key plays down the stretch. Clemson is still in search of its first road win of the season.

9. Florida State (8-3, 0-0): Behind a balanced scoring attack, the Seminoles are presenting a challenge for opposing defenses. Behind 26 points from Aaron Thomas, Florida State hung 106 points on Charlotte in a blowout victory, then dealt No. 22 Massachusetts its first loss of the season, holding on for a 60-55 win. The Seminoles now have two wins over ranked teams, and their two losses to ranked teams—then-No. 15 Florida and then-No. 14 Michigan—were by a combined three points.

10. No. 14 North Carolina (8-3, 0-0): Guard Leslie McDonald was reinstated by the NCAA before last week's game against Texas and scored 15 points in his return. McDonald's four 3-pointers weren't enough for the Tar Heels, who fell to the Longhorns 86-83. Then, after learning that much-maligned swingman P.J. Hairston will not rejoin the team this year, North Carolina need overtime to avoid a second consecutive home loss. Once in the extra session, however, the Tar Heels rolled past Davidson, 97-85.

11. Virginia (8-3, 0-0): The Cavaliers could use more offensive production from senior leader Joe Harris, who is averaging just 11.4 points per game after scoring at a 16.3 point per game clip last season. The problem is that Harris is still the team's leading scorer, which could spell trouble for Virginia in conference play. The Cavaliers cruised past Northern Iowa last week to end a two-game losing streak.

12. Georgia Tech (8-4, 0-0): The Yellow Jackets split a pair of games last week, defeating Kennesaw State before falling at Vanderbilt. Georgia Tech held a slim halftime lead against the Commodores, but were definitely outplayed in the second half. Four Yellow Jackets average double-figure points, but need to develop more consistency.

13. Notre Dame (8-4, 0-0): The past few days resulted in a double-whammy for the Fighting Irish. Up eight with less than a minute to go, Notre Dame coughed up the lead and the game to No. 3 Ohio State, denying Mike Bray's club a marquee nonconference win. Things got worse when it was announced that leading scorer Jerian Grant will miss the remainder of the season due to an academic issue. Notre Dame must quickly figure out how to replace Grant's scoring and leadership—the Fighting Irish open ACC play with a home game against Duke.

14. Miami: (7-5, 0-1): Like Wake Forest, the Hurricanes head into the holiday break with two wins over mid-majors to build confidence, including a 71-58 triumph over La Salle, a team that reached the Sweet Sixteen a season ago. Senior Rion Brown is doing it all for Miami, leading the team in both scoring and assists and ranking second in rebounds.

15. Boston College (4-8, 0-1): The Golden Eagles have dropped four of five, struggling to live up to the lofty expectations showered upon them at the start of the season. Olivier Hanlan (19.4 PPG) and Ryan Anderson (16.9 PPG) have been solid for Boston College, but they've been the lone bright spots. The Eagles have an opportunity to turn their season around when they face Shaka Smart and VCU in Brooklyn Dec. 28.