Where does Louisville basketball fit in the ACC? It's anybody's guess

It's Week 2 of Atlantic Coast Conference play, and heads are already spinning. 

National No. 1 Duke's dream of an unblemished conference record was dashed Monday in a dramatic overtime loss to Syracuse, two days after fellow ACC power and top-15 team North Carolina was blown out by Louisville. 

The ACC standings look like someone took the league's preseason poll, added a heaping scoop of wacky powder and lazily shook it up. 

It's a testament to the unpredictable nature of the conference — and that maybe no one knows these teams as well as they thought they did. 

Louisville coach Chris Mack described the disarray as an "up-and-down week," and the Cardinals certainly weren't alone in that predicament. 

Florida State should probably learn to guard the wide-open 3-pointer on a late inbound play, but regardless left Duke's underbelly exposed and its confidence shaken after a close finish in Tallahassee. 

Syracuse capitalized on that two days later, holding a Duke team down two starters to a 20-percent shooting clip from 3-point range. The Orange's 14-point loss to Georgia Tech, the team picked to finish 13th in the preseason poll, seems much less glaring now. 

After a disappointing overtime defeat at Pittsburgh, Louisville dominated and handed North Carolina its worst home loss under Roy Williams.

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An experienced Boston College team remains winless in conference play. 

And then there's the Pittsburgh team helmed by first-year coach Jeff Capel and picked last in the ACC, taking down Louisville and Florida State and giving NC State a scare. 

An ACC competition that at one point seemed like a three-horse race between Duke, Virginia and North Carolina could still turn out that way, but the rest of the pack is not as far behind as anticipated. 

For teams like Louisville originally predicted to be in the bottom half of the conference, that means every contest is a game-changer. Wednesday's date with Boston College is a likely trap game. Next month's trip to Syracuse suddenly carries more weight. 

"You've got good coaches, good players, good systems, and that's the challenge of it," Mack said. "There are no 'gimme's.' I think if you go down your scheduling and you start searching going, 'Hey, we're going to win this game' or 'We should win this one,' then I think you're setting up yourself and your own team for disappointment."

Related:How Louisville can avoid a letdown versus Boston College

The Cardinals exceeded expectations with a rout of Miami in their ACC opener, felt the crush of expectation at Pittsburgh and overcame a gloom and doom forecast in Chapel Hill. 

Louisville's 2-1 conference record alone does not tell the full story of its season. The Cards have yet to face any of the teams ranked in the top five in the ACC standings, and although Mack's squad has claimed impressive nonconference victories, league results from here on out could derail or fast-track Louisville's path to the NCAA tournament. 

"The ACC is very unpredictable right now," said Louisville center Steven Enoch. "A lot of teams are getting upset, and I feel like the most tough, together and unbreakable team will prevail again." 

When it comes to the ACC, every game is a minefield. Step wisely. 

Danielle Lerner: 502-582-4042; dlerner@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Danielle_Lerner. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/daniellel.