Elevator Music

Usually momentum is invoked when winning is discussed. But a team on the skids can gather momentum too. So both sides of the coin are worth examining -- winning and losing.

Safe to say, teams that are on losing streaks at this point in the season are in big trouble. They may still right the ship, but the horizon of options is narrow, and shrinking.

That means watch out Wake Forest, loser of six straight and counting. The prospects grow that Jeff Bzdelik, his team now 14-12, will turn in a fourth losing season in four tries.

Next up: a trip to North Carolina immediately after it plays Duke, followed by a Clemson visit to Winston-Salem.

Brad Brownell's snapping-tiger defense has 16 wins, tied for sixth-most in the league, after defeating N.C. State handily on Feb. 18. Last year Clemson ended with losses in 10 of 11 games, including the last seven straight in a 13-18 season. This time the Tigers are 16-9 with four beatable opponents coming up (Georgia Tech, Wake, Maryland and Miami), thanks in no small measure to the All-ACC exploits of junior K.J. McDaniels.

Of course Syracuse was on a bit of a winning streak -- 25 straight before losing to Boston College on Wednesday night. Until the Eagles landed, the parade of close calls enjoyed by the Orange appeared almost fateful as they marched through their first ACC season under Jim Boeheim.

BC next plays at Miami in a battle of teams with little home court advantage; the Hurricanes have lost 7 of their last nine. If Steve Donahue's club can build upon the improbable and beat the 'Canes, it would match Boston College's longest winning streak of the year.

Meanwhile the next step for smarting Syracuse is a trip to Duke. The Blue Devils have won in bursts, enjoying three strings of five victories in a row. They head for Chapel Hill on a four-game winning streak.

The Tar Heels are enjoying a seven-game victory run, easily their longest of the season. They've fully absorbed the eligibility-fueled departure of P.J. Hairston, their best, most experienced player. UNC's situation is not unlike Notre Dame's loss of senior Jerian Grant for academic reasons.

Except Roy Williams has gotten things rolling, while the 14-13 Irish are in danger of matching the most losses (15) since Mike Brey arrived at South Bend in 2001.

Finally there's Virginia. Tony Bennett's club has won an impressive 10 in a row, tied with Pitt for second-best in the ACC in 2013-14. UVa is doing it late; the Panthers opened the season with their run. Unfortunately it seems the Cavs have fallen into a black hole when it comes to publicity.