As ACC road teams are coming alive, beware Thursday night.

With No. 1 Villanova getting stunned at Marquette, No. 2 Kansas losing at West Virginia for the fourth straight year and No. 4 Kentucky slipping up at unranked Tennessee, I am more worried about what is trending on the road in ACC basketball.

After home teams had won better than 90 percent of the conference match-ups, road warriors have won four of the five ACC games played so far this week.

Virginia Tech won at Clemson on Sunday; State shocked Duke at Cameron Monday night; on Tuesday, 12th-ranked Virginia ran away from No. 14 Notre Dame in South Bend for its tenth straight win over the Irish, and Louisville went to Pitt and dealt the Panthers their worst defeat in the modern era, causing coach Kevin Stallings to apologize profusely to Pitt alumni and fans.

Even the one home team that has won so far this week, Syracuse, trailed Wake Forest at halftime in the Carrier Dome before eking out a five-point victory. Assuming Florida State wins at Georgia Tech tonight, if Boston College pulls the upset at Miami in the later game, then the Tar Heels better beware for a couple of reasons.

Dangerous Virginia Tech comes to the Smith Center Thursday night, and the 15-4, 4-3 Hokies are more than capable of shocking a perhaps too-confident Carolina team. Then the week ends Saturday afternoon with all five road teams favored – Notre Dame at Georgia Tech, Clemson at Pitt, FSU at Syracuse, UNC at Miami and embarrassed Duke at Wake Forest. See how confusion reigns?

Even top 10 teams getting upset on the road seems more natural than what’s trending in the ACC, which up to this point has had the most dominant home record in college basketball. Are we peaking ahead to February, when the madness really begins on the way to March? Of the Tar Heels’ last eight games, four are on the road and six are against ranked teams.

It IS maddening. To win the ACC for a second straight season, 6-1 UNC must find two more road victories and hold serve at home against Virginia Tech, Pitt, Notre Dame, Virginia, Louisville and Duke.Buckle up, starting Thursday night.

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