Christmas is behind us. which for college basketball fans means only one thing: league play.

While the ACC starts league play during early December, league play begins in earnest after Christmas, with nonconference slates of November and December giving way to league action throughout January, February and early March.

It has been an eventful nonconference slate for the ACC. North Carolina, the nation’s No. 1 team in the preseason, fell out of the Top 25 entirely. Duke has been steady under new coach Jon Scheyer, however, and Virginia looks like a legitimate Final Four contender after last season’s brief hiatus from the national spotlight under coach Tony Bennett. In fact, the league is flexing nice muscle in the top half, with 4 ranked teams in the final week of 2022, a stark contrast from having just 1 ranked team (Duke) during the final week of 2021.

Here’s a fresh batch of power rankings for your post-Christmas blues.

Happy holidays to all and all the best in the New Year!

15. Louisville (2-11, 0-3 ACC)

Last Week (LW): 15

At least Kenny Payne’s team won 2 games? The Cardinals will need 2 more wins to avoid Oregon State’s record for Power 6 futility, set just last season, when the Beavers finished 3-28.

14. Notre Dame (7-5, 0-2)

LW: 11

It’s not quite panic time in South Bend, Ind., but for a team with 4 senior starters, the Fighting Irish sure are a mess. Dropping 2 winnable games against Georgia on a neutral floor in Atlanta and at an FSU team that started the season 1-9 have not helped matters. The Fighting Irish badly need to find a way to beat No. 14 Miami at home Friday.

13. Georgia Tech (7-5, 0-2)

LW: 10

The Yellow Jackets’ calling card is defense, which made last week’s home loss to Clemson so disappointing. Georgia Tech surrendered 1.1 points per possession to the Tigers, never giving its anemic offense a chance. It’s tough to find wins on the conference schedule for this team, especially when it doesn’t defend.

12. Syracuse (8-5, 1-1)

LW: 7

The Orange had a rough week. They lost at home to Pitt 84-82 and Notre Dame — probably the best win Syracuse has — keeps losing. A New Year’s Eve game against Boston College (below) is a must-win if the Orange wants to remain on the fringe of the NCAA bubble conversation.

11. Boston College (7-6, 1-1)

LW: 14

When you think about the fact that 3 of Boston College’s losses came without Makai Ashton-Langford, it becomes clear that Earl Grant’s team might finish this league with a respectable record and perhaps, an NIT berth. Ashton-Langford was a force against Virginia Tech, burying this triple to help the Eagles grab a huge win against a good Hokies team.

Almost as impressive? The 15 turnovers the Eagles forced in the win — frustrating a very good Virginia Tech offense.

10. Florida State (4-10, 2-1)

LW: 13

What do we do with FSU? Even the Seminoles’ lone ACC loss was a quality loss, as it came by 5 on the road against then-No. 3 Virginia. The Seminoles have weathered adversity and suspensions and sit 2-1 in league play. Baba Miller returns in 2 games as well, which will offer an influx of 5-star talent to a roster that has been decimated by injuries. This team still struggles to defend, but that could change as it gets healthier. Any NCAA bubble hopes might depend on how FSU plays the next 2 games as it waits for Miller to return.

9. NC State (11-3, 1-2)

LW: 12

It’s tough to tell if NC State is good or not. The record is outstanding, but the lone ACC win is against hapless Louisville. The Furman win will age well with the NCAA selection committee, but the Vanderbilt win won’t get much mileage as the Commodores are doomed in a cutthroat SEC. In other words, Kevin Keatts’ team will need to find a way to get to about .500 in the ACC to be in the bubble conversation.

8. Clemson (10-3, 2-0)

LW: 8

Brad Brownell’s team is electric offensively with PJ Hall healthy. The Tigers eFG% ranks 30th nationally, as the interior presence of Hall has opened things up on the perimeter, where the Tigers ‘shooting percentage of 39.4% ranks 18th in the country. The next challenge? Grabbing more quality wins. The overtime victory against Penn State is the signature achievement to date, but great chances against NC State and Virginia Tech await over the next 2 games.

7. Pittsburgh (9-4, 2-0)

LW: 9

The Panthers picked up a huge win at Syracuse last week. This team doesn’t have Clemson’s record, but the Panthers do have a better résumé, with 3 road wins against top-100 KenPom opposition. The Panthers also are 9-2 when John Hugley IV plays, which should tell you something about Jeff Capel’s team’s ability when it has all its pieces together. Capel might be saving his job here, and that’s a great story.

Another great story? The play of Ole Miss transfer Blake Hinson. Finally healthy, the big wing is averaging 17.2 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, which is closer to the top 150 player Kermit Davis recruited than the injury-riddled guy who struggled in the SEC over the prior 2 seasons.

6. Virginia Tech (11-2, 1-1)

LW: 4

Just when you want to really believe in Mike Young’s club, the Hokies go and lose at Boston College. The unranked Hokies will look to bounce back Saturday, when they will visit Wake Forest.

5. Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1)

LW: 6

Is it time to discuss Tyree Appleby as an ACC Player of the Year candidate? Not yet. But the Florida transfer has been sensational, and his 18-point, 8-assist performance against Duke helped Steve Forbes earn his biggest win to date in Winston-Salem, N.C. Appleby is explosive off the bounce, and his craftiness as an undersized player in traffic always has been underrated.

Appleby does take chances, as his 8 turnovers in the game demonstrate, but it’s reward over risk for the Demon Deacons guard, who already has Wake Forest on the right side of the bubble, where it wasn’t a season ago because it couldn’t win the types of games it is winning this season.

4. North Carolina (9-4, 1-1)

LW: 5

The 25th-ranked Tar Heels have been vastly improved during late December, grabbing résumé wins against Ohio State and Michigan in their past 2 contests. The Tar Heels have the nation’s 4th-ranked strength of schedule, which softens the blow of losing the No. 1 ranking a bit. There aren’t any bad losses for this team to date, and the defense, thanks to Leaky Black’s dominance as an on-ball defender (Black ranks 4th in the country in that category, per Hoops Lens), is coming together.

Things are looking up … which naturally means the Tar Heels are on upset alert Friday, when they will visit Pitt.

3. Duke (10-3, 1-1)

LW: 2

Duke’s loss at Wake Forest isn’t a huge deal, in the grand scheme of things. But the reality is the No. 17 Blue Devils need more out of star recruits Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead. Those 2 are averaging about 17 minutes a game and worse, scoring just 11.1 points per contest combined. If the star recruits get it together, this team is going to be a problem during March. Kyle Filipowski has been much better than advertised, and he’s averaging 14.4 points and 8.9 rebounds a contest with 7 double-doubles. He and Jeremy Roach simply need more help.

2. Virginia (8-2, 1-1)

LW: 1

The 13th-ranked Hoos have lost 2 consecutive games after the hot start, but both have been in single digits. Virginia is the lone ACC team ranked among the top 25 in offensive (15th) and defensive (21st) efficiency, per KenPom, and they have an outstanding pair of nonconference wins in defeating Baylor and Illinois. Nothing to worry about in Charlottesville.

1. Miami (12-1, 3-0)

LW: 2

The No. 14 Hurricanes take over the top spot after nipping Virginia at home 66-64. Star guard Isaiah Wong had 24 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in the win, including 2 absolutely devastating “how do you guard that” triples against great defense.

Miami’s main reason for improvement, however, is on the glass and inside. Thanks to Norchad Omier, last season’s Sun Belt Player of the Year who transferred in, the Canes have improved from a dismal 328th in defensive rebounding a season ago to 50th this season. That has made a huge difference defensively, leading to a big leap for Miami in defensive efficiency as opponents get fewer 2nd-chance opportunities. After 13 games, the difference seems sustainable, and is a huge reason the Hurricanes look like legitimate ACC championship contenders.