Championship Week - Contenders and Pretenders in the ACC
by Ian James
In the ACC, there are usually only two or three teams that have a legitimate shot at taking the conference crown in any given year. But with so many schools struggling this season, a team like Florida State may sneak up and steal this one. Here is a look at how the ACC stacks in order of their chances heading into Championship Week:
Virginia (50-1) – The Cavaliers have lost 9 in a row, and despite giving a very good Maryland team a scare on Saturday, this team just doesn’t have the talent to compete this year.
Boston College (50-1) – It’s doesn’t look good for the Eagles as they’re going to face UVA for a chance to play Duke in the second round. They laid an egg in their last game versus NC State, an embarrassing 66-54 loss, and just haven’t been able to find any consistency all year. They’ve gone on two separate losing streaks of at least three games this year.
NC State (50-1) – The Wolfpack come into Championship Week with a little momentum as they took out Boston College on Saturday, but beating the Eagles this year isn’t going to scare anybody. They’ll need to win the ACC for any hope of getting into the National Championship tournament, but they’ll have to play the top 4 teams in the conference to do so. Not going to happen.
Miami (45-1) – The Canes will face Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Thursday, for a chance to play Virginia Tech on Friday in the Quarterfinals. If they do get past Wake, which I doubt they will, VT will be too much for them to handle, especially since they’d be playing the very next night.
North Carolina (30-1) – It’s been a while since UNC has been this far out of the ACC race, but it has just been one of those years. The low point of the season came when they were blown out at Duke 82-50 on Saturday night. The one thing that the Heels have going into the tournament is that it is being held just down the road from Chapel Hill.
Georgia Tech (15-1) – The Yellow Jackets are right on the cusp of making it to the 65 team National Championship tournament and they’re going to need to make some noise this week if they want to convince the Selection Committee to give them a bid. It is likely that they’ll have to knock Virginia Tech or Wake Forest out of their presumed spot in the tournament because it’s unlikely seven ACC teams will make it considering how weak the conference was this year. Drawing UNC in the first round is not helping their chances as I see that being the first “upset” of this tournament.
Wake Forest (15-1) – The Demon Deacons look like they’ve secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament, but they don’t want to give the selection committee any reason to leave them out. A run to the semi-finals would give them enough wins to ensure a dance card at March Madness.
Clemson (10-1) – Clemson started out the season like a house on fire, but have cooled off down the stretch. They get NC State in their first round matchup and with a win will get Florida State in the Quarters, a team they swept this year. This could be you’re dark horse in the ACC this year.
Virginia Tech (7-1) – Virginia Tech got one of their biggest victories on Saturday, winning at Georgia Tech to get to 10 ACC wins, which goes a long way in their chances of getting into the National Championship Tournament. Still, losing in the ACC tournament opener could be enough to push the Hokies from the bubble to the curb so look for them to come out strong in a likely matchup versus Wake Forest.
Florida State (6-1) – The Seminoles look to be in the tournament, but they didn’t help themselves out against the stronger teams in the ACC this year, going 0-5 against Maryland, Duke and Clemson and 10-1 against everyone else. They’ll get a chance to balance out that record this week, starting with a likely matchup against Clemson in the Quarters.
Maryland (3-1) – The Terps are coming in on a seven-game winning streak, one that has tested the heart and desire of this team. They’ve had to dig deep and pull out some games that many teams would have let slip away, showing the true character of this veteran group. It’s that experience, that track record of having dealt with pressure that you only get from playing in big games that makes Maryland so tough.
Duke (Even) – The ACC Tournament is in Greensboro, NC and that instantly gives the Blue Devils an advantage. Playing in their backyard as the favourite makes this a tough team to bet against.
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