With just one week before the ACC tournament, there isn't much time to dilly-dally on the NCAA bubble. There are very few opportunities for a team to make a positive statement....but a ton of ways to screw it up. Who's got a good look at it right now?
LOCKED IN
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North Carolina. The Heels aren't playing the best basketball right now on the defensive end. The offense still looks good, but can get lost in a half court game. This team goes as far as the defense allows it. In every game they've lost....it was the defense that passed them bye. So may a #1 seed.
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Duke. A Blue Devil team with 22 wins and a top ten RPI rating has nothing to worry about. Oh, and that #3 rated SOS may go up with games against Maryland and UNC this week.
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Maryland. They won't even get a first round ACC bye, but the Terps have made it in. They have nearly the same resume as Duke...and crushed the Devils. They're fine.
LOOKING GOOD
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Virginia Tech. They'd be advised to win one more game to get them to the 20-win mark. Two wins over UNC and the win at Duke are the tentpoles to their resume. They've also been hovering around the RPI top 25 for the past month or so. They are also 7-3 against the RPI's Top 50.
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Virginia. Everything points to them being in the tournament...except not a great RPI [#38] or SOS [#46]. Still, 10 wins in the ACC won't be ignored.
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Boston College. They are in the same boat as Va Tech. One more win would pretty much clinch it....but they may be in regardless.
LOOKING BAD
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Clemson. Again, it's hard to think an ACC team could go 17-0 and still miss the NCAAs. But it could happen to the Tigers. They are 2-9 since that amazing start and just don't look like they should be in the dance. However, a run this week against Miami and Virginia Tech....not to mention a first round win in the ACC tournament, could reverse these fortunes.
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Georgia Tech. The Jackets are really hard to figure out. They are 6-8 in the ACC which means they need to run the table to get to .500. Their RPI is a dim #51...they do have 6 wins against the top 50, but also have 8 losses. Their RPI ranking is sitting right around teams like USC, Oklahoma State and Syracuse...who all have better credentials to get in. Beating UNC on Thursday is a must.
NEEDS A MIRACLE
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Florida State. The one thing going for FSU is their RPI isn't horrific [#48] and they could have an easy win against Miami this week. Really, they need to make a deep run in the ACC tournament to have any shot.
