The story of the once mighty ACC is an interesting one. After years of domination among conferences in college basketball, they have only 4 or 5 teams in contention for March Madness, with just 2 or 3 of those being surefire bids. In this article, we will breakdown the levels of teams in this conference, starting from March Madness locks all the way down to (spoiler alert!) Notre Dame and Louisville.
Tier I: Top 4 Seed Locks
Duke: Despite their upset loss to Wake Forest just one week prior, this Blue Devils team bounced back strong, blowing out a strong defensive team in Virginia, keeping steady the entire game and never letting up. They have a huge home matchup against North Carolina coming up that they likely will need to win if they want a 2 seed. After that however, they will have the ACC tournament. There, they will have a calm first couple of rounds before facing a test in the semis, likely against one of Virginia, Clemson, or Wake Forest. It does not stop their, however, because if they reach the finals one of those other teams or most likely UNC will be waiting for them.
UNC: After a disappointing last season that ended with the former preseason #1 missing the tournament and multiple key players transferring, Coach Hubert Davis and co. bounced back in a big way, leading the team to a top 10 ranking and possible top 2 seed. Reclassed freshman Elliot Cadeau gives intensity, strong defense, and creative passing. While Stanford transfer Harrison Ingram has picked up the slack when RJ Davis and Armando Bacot have struggled. The Tar Heels have a well built out team with strong bench players to compliment their starters, and if they can knock off Duke on Saturday, their chances of a 2 seed are all but secured.
Tier II: Should Be In
Clemson: Led by forward PJ Hall, the Tigers have had themselves a strong season, and are somewhere on the inside of the bubble. That is not to say that they are a lock, though. They end the season with Wake Forest and Syracuse, two games that they should win, and must, if they want a stress-free ACC tournament. Speaking of the tournament, Clemson's ACC play was not good enough to give them the byes they needed, so they will have to fight their way towards a matchup in the quarters, semis, and finals. From the surface, it looks as though Clemson should be a lock, but you never know what could happen in the last couple weeks of the season.
Tier III: Wrong Side of the Bubble
Virginia: Head Coach Tony Bennet had this Cavs team looking strong, in the Top 25 and likely favored in that first round matchup if March Madness started in February. March Madness doesn't start in February, unfortunately. And Virginia's late season free fall leaves them struggling for a spot heading into the ACC tournament, where they will likely need to win at least one game. Along with that, they will need to hold their ground in their final regular season matchup against Georgia Tech, and they should be good come Selection Sunday.
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons came up with a huge win at home against a top 10 Duke team, but 2 straight losses against Notre Dame and Virginia Tech have them on the outside looking in, needing to win their final 2 regular season games (Georgia Tech, Clemson) and likely one ACC tournament game to get in. It would be a shame if they didn't make the tournament, because they had a solid season filled with good wins, and there is no limit to what they could do if they do actually make March Madness, but that is a big if.
Syracuse: After collecting a huge Quad 1 win against UNC, Cuse lost to Georgia Tech, but bounced back with 3 straight wins, as they sit at 20-10 with a big game against Clemson to win the season. Because of that win against UNC and them generally handling business against worse teams, Syracuse only needs to win against Clemson, and likely only one game in the tournament to secure their spot, but they are still on the outside for now.
NC State: Getting swept against UNC and Duke didn't help, but the Wolfpack are still a contender for the tournament. If they can win 2 more games this season, they could find themselves in the Big Dance. However, those games will be tough. They have Pittsburgh to round out the regular season, and then their first round matchup of the ACC tournament at a neutral site. Probably the least likely out of all teams in tier III, but there is still a decent chance that NC State sneaks its way into a 9, 10, or 11 seed.
Tier IV: Automatic Bid Hopefuls
Pittsburgh
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Miami
Tier V: There's Always Next Year
Georgia Tech
Boston College
Notre Dame
Louisville
-Eli Knight
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