A lot can still change, but if the ACC Tournament started today, here’s what we’d see:
First, Boston College, Pitt, and Georgia Tech would stay home.
#8 SMU and #9 Virginia Tech would start things on Tuesday, followed by #12 Florida State and #13 Stanford, followed by #10 Syracuse and #15 Notre Dame, while #11 Cal and #14 Wake Forest would close the day out.
On Wednesday, the single-bye teams would start play. #8 SMU and #9 Virginia Tech would get the early game. #5 NC State would see the winner of
#12 FSU and #13 Stanford.
#7 Louisville would get the winner of #10 Syracuse/#15 Notre Dame, and #6 UNC would take on the winner of #11 Cal/#14 Wake Forest.
On Thursday, the double-bye teams start to play. #1 Duke would get the winner of #8 SMU/#9 Virginia Tech. #4 Miami would play the winner of #5 NC State and the #12/#13 winner, either #12 Florida State or #13 Stanford.
#2 Virginia would draw the winner of #7 Louisville and either #10 Syracuse or #15 Notre Dame.
#3 Clemson would play the winner of #6 UNC and whoever wins between #11 Cal and #14 Wake Forest.
Under this scenario, the most interesting potential matchup, if both get there, would be #1 Duke vs. #4 Miami. The teams didn’t play this year and, of course, 1st-year coach Jai Lucas was an assistant to Jon Scheyer for several years. That would be fascinating to watch because those guys know each other very well.
As noted, a lot can and probably will change. Clemson has been struggling, to say the least, with four straight losses, and the last three games are Louisville at home, UNC on the road, and Georgia Tech at home.
Miami closes out with Boston College, then at SMU, and finally at home vs. Louisville. The last two will not be easy.
Virginia finishes up with a trip to Duke on Saturday, then home games against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. Wake should be easy, but the others won’t be.
The unpredictable Pack closes out with a trip to Notre Dame, then Duke and Stanford at home. If Will Wade can’t get a read on his team, there’s no way anyone else will.
UNC closes out with the Hokies and Clemson at home, then the traditional trip to Durham. And of course, Caleb Wilson’s status is anyone’s guess.
That’s just a quick look at a few teams, and obviously there’s no way to predict immense upsets that might happen during the closing stretch. Still, we’re getting a reasonable picture of what Charlotte is going to look like. In the modern tournament, the first couple of days are typically boring, but the last three could be tremendous.
Go to the DBR Boards to find Blue Healer Auctions | Drop us a line
