As almost a third of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s schedule has been played, many of its members will be looking forward to the beef of their schedules to enhance their tournament resumes. During 2010-2011 many believed that the conference lost its luster come tournament time, which resulted in only four of its 12 schools receiving a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
With close games and early upsets already commonplace in the schedule so far, notably by the giant-killing Florida State Seminoles , and others playing above their expectations, it’s clear that the ACC is much deeper than many expected going into the season.
Aside from perennial powerhouses, Duke and North Carolina, other programs have stepped up, and the national stage has taken notice. The Virginia Cavaliers have been ranked No. 19 in the AP Top 25, and scored a key non-conference win over Michigan. Even though they are currently sitting in third behind a three-way tie and Carolina in second, they did come within three points of knocking off the Blue Devils; They have some of the best shooters in the ACC, but they will need to grab some key wins down the stretch.
N.C . State has taken most by surprise this season. First year head coach Mark Gottfried has introduced the UCLA system to the Wolfpack , which has allowed it to have each of the five players in the starting lineup averaging within 1.3 points of each other. The revamped offense has pushed the Pack to opening the conference schedule 4-1 and tied for the top spot. Even though State hasn’t seen the heavy hitters in the conference yet, it will meet North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Thursday, which will present its first test after defeating Texas. If the Pack can get through it, it has a legitimate shot at earning a bid to the tournament.
The aforementioned Seminoles have definitely made up for its non-conference woes when the conference schedule kicked off. Not only did they beat two teams that many viewed as contenders for the conference but also for the national championship. They are sitting at 4-1 in the midst of a four game winning streak after its loss to Clemson. They are also sharing the number one spot along with Duke and N.C . State. Also, similar to Connecticut’s run through the Big East last season, the hottest team in conference play is usually the most dangerous come tournament time.
Not to be slept on, the Maryland Terrapins could also be a dangerous team. The Terps also picked up key wins outside of the conference this season against Notre Dame and Colorado, but they will play Virginia Tech and Miami who are sitting at the bottom of the conference after their bout with Duke. These two matchups give them a prime opportunity to grab some very winnable games.
With that being said, I do believe that there will be six teams worthy of a tournament bid in the ACC based on their non-conference schedules and the fact that the conference is virtually in a dead heat at this point. Remember, conference depth does matter to the selection committee, something that can be gauged by looking at the Big East from last season.
