ACC Winning (And Losing) Streaks In 2023

Every team’s season has a shape, a rhythm. In part that’s built into the schedule, which in turn is an amalgam of coach’s intent and league edict. Then, as the games unfold, as teams power or blunder through highs and lows, they reveal and develop strengths and weaknesses, punctuated by injury and the casual bounce of the ball.

In that context, a quick read on consecutive losses is telling. Only two ACC teams, Miami and NC State, have gone through mid-February while incurring a single, isolated defeat. And only two teams, Duke and Virginia, had suffered two and only two losses in a row by Valentine’s Day.

This paucity of stumbles is a mark of superiority, or at least talent, resiliency and adept coaching.

We only need to look back to Duke under Mike Krzyzewski to make the point. His Blue Devils routinely rebounded from a stumble to quickly regain their stride. During this century Krzyzewski’s squads suffered no more than a single isolated loss seven times over the course of 22 seasons. They lost two in a row 12 times before bouncing back.

K’s ability to keep his teams focused and motivated regardless of the opponent was among his most impressive, if under-celebrated, coaching attributes. Now his successor, Jon Scheyer, is attempting to duplicate that pattern. Duke’s home win over Notre Dame counteracted a bit of the sting of unwarranted defeat at Virginia on Feb. 11, and cauterized the first multi-game losing streak of the Devils’ season.

Along the way Scheyer has set an ACC record for a first-year coach, winning his first 13 home games. With three Cameron contests left he has a chance to give Duke its 19th undefeated home season since the cozy campus arena opened as Duke Indoor Stadium during the 1940 season.

The Blue Devils posted their most recent unblemished home mark a decade ago, capping a run in which the Devils lost three home games in five years from 2010, Scheyer’s senior year, through 2014. Duke compiled an intimidating winning percentage of .964 (80-3) during that span.

Back in the realm of more mundane achievements, Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes own the ACC’s longest 2023 winning streak regardless of venue at 9 games. At 21-5 Miami is currently working on a streak of 5 straight wins.

Over the past 5 seasons, 7 ACC teams mounted double-figure victory streaks, although none since Florida State and Louisville got 10 each in 2020. Virginia led the way during recent years with 16 straight in 2019, its national championship season, and 2018, when it won 15 in a row.