In wild ACC race, U of L gets key win

• Up next: U of L vs. Clemson, 9 p.m., Thursday, KFC Yum! Center. TV: ESPN.

As Louisville's players settled into their locker-room cubbies at Georgia Tech last weekend, they caught up on the world events they missed while they were beating Tech, 65-50, to register their first win in the ACC.

One player was so surprised by what he found on his phone that he repeated it aloud for his teammates to hear.

"Bro, Syracuse beat Pitt by 11 (points)," the player said in disbelief, though it wasn't clear in the packed room who said it.

"The ACC's crazy, man," a teammate responded.

They were right then and they are right now: Through five league games, the ACC has been every bit of the meat grinder of a conference many expected this season, with a handful of surprising results along the way, too. Boston College, the team that lost all 18 league games last season, has already beaten NC State and Syracuse. And Pittsburgh, once a powerhouse in the old Big East, is 1-4 and sitting in last place.

Home teams are 25-11 so far in league play, which means two things: Home games are increasingly important in the ACC title race, and road wins are great when they can be had.

Which is exactly why U of L coach Rick Pitino was so thrilled with his team's 78-69 win over Duke on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.

Louisville (15-3, 3-2 ACC) is now tied for third in the league standings after starting with back-to-back losses. And the Cards held court at home.

That they did it against a Duke team that was preseason No. 1 in the country and the clear favorite in the ACC only adds to the significance of the win.

"I'm really, really excited about this victory because we both had the same record," Pitino said. "We are striving to obviously get in the top four in our league."

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The Cards host a Clemson team in desperate need of a league win on Thursday. After a string of surprising wins last season, including a January victory over Louisville, Brad Brownell's team had hoped this would be a breakthrough campaign, with a real shot at the NCAA tournament.

Instead, the Tigers (11-6, 1-4) are on a four-game skid that includes a three-point overtime loss to North Carolina, a five-point loss to Notre Dame and a four-point loss to Virginia.

Clemson is one of 12 remaining opponents on U of L's schedule that ranks in the top 70 nationally in Ken Pomeroy's efficiency ratings. The Cards have already faced nine such opponents, a big reason why they have the No. 3 strength of schedule, according to CBSSports.com.

"Emotionally, we've got to fight every single game," Pitino said. "We've played one hell of a schedule, and it's not going to stop, because Clemson is a terrific team. We've still got to go to Pitt, at Virginia, at North Carolina. It's not going to stop until the end."

The good news, Pitino said, is that Louisville's inexperienced team, with just about everyone except Mangok Mathiang learning a new role, is improving as it goes.

Saturday's game was a complete, 40-minute performance against one of the nation's top offensive teams.

"We stay at an even keel and keep getting up for every game as if it's a national championship game," Pitino said. "I like the effort our guys give."

And in the wild, unpredictable ACC, effort goes a long way.