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The ACC is turning into the Duke Invitational. The Blue Devils are 9-0 and coasting. One slip up: Gerald Henderson has a bum wrist. Still, the hardest part of their schedule is behind them as they are set to take another ACC crown. The ACC Power Poll for this week:

1-Duke: The Blue Devils are still undefeated with their two toughest remaining games (Maryland, UNC) at home. Also, they've beaten everyone by at least nine points.

2-North Carolina: The Heels are still 22-2, despite not having Ty Lawson for two weeks now.

3-Maryland: Drama! The suddenly hot Terps head into Cameron Indoor Stadium for a mid-week clash.

4-Clemson: Imagine how the Tigers would be perceived if they had actually finished off UNC on both occassions?

The second half of the ACC season starts up on Saturday, so let's talk a look at what we've seen thus far and hand out some awards.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina. Leading the ACC in scoring and rebounding is a pretty major thing and Psycho T has been better than advertised this season. A marked man on a marked team ... plus he's playing big in the big games.

ALL-ACC: Hansbrough, Tyrese Rice (Boston College), Sean Singletary (Virginia), DeMarcus Nelson (Duke), Greivis Vasquez (Maryland): Nelson is That Duke Guy. The senior who is the glue of the Blue Devils who is such a mismatch with his ability to drive, dish and defend. That's kind of how Vasquez is for Maryland. Rice and Singletary are here mainly because they are the only things holding those two programs up right now.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: JJ Hickson, NC State. Unlike the rest of the nation, this hasn't been a breakout year for freshman in the ACC ... though some may have the potential to be great. Hickson has been the best of the bunch (10th in scoring, 2nd in rebounding, 1st in FG shooting). It is debatable if Hickson has helped or hurt his team, though.

Tonight's Clemson-Virginia game will put us at the halfway point of the ACC season. You have to admit that this current season has been anything but typical. Duke has taken a firm hold atop the conference with North Carolina two games back. From there: a big grouping of 7 teams fighting in the middle of the league ... with three at the bottom just hoping for that final run.

LOCKS: Duke, North Carolina. These two are fighting for more than an ACC title: they both want the cherry deal of heading to Raleigh then Charlotte in the NCAA tournament. With the Blue Devils win over Carolina last night, Duke has a two-game conference lead and has the advantage in that department. The two meet again, plus have the ACC tournament (also in Charlotte) that could determine who gets that spot. Saying that, no one has looked better than Duke this season and it seems as if they only way they can lose that spot is if they get into a massive shooting slump.

LOOKING GOOD: No one. That's right. There is no other ACC team that looks as if they have a comfortable hold on a tournament bid.

When looking at the ACC, it seems as if there are two classes: Duke and North Carolina ... and everyone else. The two traditional rivals are sitting atop of the national rankings, at #3 and #4, with their highly anticipated clashing coming in just over a week with a lot on the line (trust me, we'll have that game covered).

Not only will the inside track for an ACC championship be on the line, but a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Not just "a" top seed ... "the" top seed. Both will probably play the first weekend in Raleigh, but only one of them will be in the Charlotte bracket on the second weekend.

Below them are a mix of 10 teams who look as if they will spend the next six weeks beating up on each other and hurting each other's tournament chances. After the jump, check the latest power poll:

With the always thrilling Duke-Maryland game coming to College Park this Sunday, it's time to look at the ACC's bracketology. Yes ... it is early for that. I know this. However, it gauges how each team is projecting right now and if they stay on the same path.

IN: Duke, North Carolina, Clemson. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils are in the range to get a #1 or #2 seed. That's big because it means spending the first weekend in Raleigh and maybe the second weekend in Charlotte. Clemson looks like a mid-range seed right now.

LOOKING GOOD: Miami. The Hurricanes could be the 2008 version of Clemson: build up a nice record against spotty non-conference competition and then fall off the ACC map. A 1-3 conference schedule hurts badly.

BUBBLE: Boston College, Florida State. No one really knows what to make out of the Eagles. If they can stay near the top of the ACC standings, they will make it. Same thing goes with FSU. The Noles are used to the committee passing on them so they know they've got to surge to the top.

We are one week away from having a full slate of ACC games. Next weekend, we dive into the ACC season with some great matchups: Virginia at Duke, NC State at North Carolina, Florida State at Clemson, Georgia Tech at Miami, Maryland at Virginia Tech and Wake Forest at Boston College.

Still, we have to take a look at the final weekend on non-conference play, including one great conference matchup.

Clemson pounds North Carolina, even in a loss: Not so much on the scoreboard, but the Tigers gave the Tar Heels a big dose of their own medicine. Clemson has the kind of front line that can give UNC fits and the quick guard play that can make teams pay. They did that in spades against Carolina by pounding Tyler Hansbrough inside and pressuring Ty Lawson outside. Still, #1 ranked teams find ways to win games like this ... and they did.

Double trouble for Presbyterian: Presby? The Blue Hose, in their first season of Division I basketball, got a good look at the ACC this week. In a span of five days, they took on and lost to Wake Forest, NC State and Georgia Tech. Actually, they did pretty well, even sticking with the Wolfpack most of the game.

Heading into this weekends games (which will see #1 North Carolina travel to #19 Clemson), the conference has a lot more questions than answers so far:

#1-How does Virginia get spanked by 38 to Xavier? I know Xavier is a heck of a team (I live in the Nati now), but 38 points better than the defending ACC co-champion!?!? I'm hoping that this means Xavier is nitro.

#2-Can NC State really contend for a NCAA bid? Who knows? This team can look really tough at times (like beating Seton Hall) or really looked spaced out (like in losses to New Orleans and East Carolina). We'll find out in ten days or so when they must travel to Chapel Hill and Clemson.

#3-Is there anyone who can back up Ty Lawson for the Heels? On the news wire, losing Bobby Frasor doesn't seem like much ... but it is huge. He could play both guard spots and was one of the few Heels that could stretch defenses. Also, that means Lawson will have to play more minutes since they only true backup is Quentin Thomas (who's a bit banged up too). Roy Williams faced the same lack of depth at point three years ago when a freshman Thomas was Raymond Felton's only relief.