2015 NCAA Tournament: Who is the ACC's Sixth Team In?

The ACC will most certainly place five teams (and likely one of them as an conference champion) into the NCAA Tournament. Duke, Notre Dame, Louisville and North Carolina should be near-locks, barring a major season-ending collapse. Most current bracket projections (including our own Busting Bracketology) have one more team in from the nation’s best basketball conference. Who that team is, however, is still up for debate. Three teams- Miami (FL), NC State and Pittsburgh rest gingerly on the bubble.

In a weekend boasting two significant ACC upsets – Pitt’s 13-point home win over UNC and NC State’s 74-65 upset at Louisville – this debate over who holds the sixth spot is clear, momentarily.

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NC State is, as of right now, that team. I know, the Wolfpack (14-11, 6-7) sport a worse record than Miami (16-9, 6-6) and Pitt (17-10, 6-7). And maybe I’m riding the hype train after NC State’s impressively out-rebounded Louisville by 10, fearlessly took the ball inside on offense and essentially controlled the second half against the Cardinals.

No matter the record or their recent success, two telling figures have jolted the Wolfpack into the Dance. They have two wins over then-top-ten teams- 87-75 over then-#2 Duke and last Saturday’s win over Louisville. In fact, the only other teams to have wins over more than two then-top-ten teams this season are Kentucky (Kansas in Indy, vs Texas, @ Louisville) and Duke (@ Wisconsin, Louisville, Virginia, and Notre Dame in Cameron) Also, in the RPI, NC State sits inside the top 50 at 45, two spots above Pitt (47) and seventeen over Miami (62).

Furthermore, their worst loss (either February 3 to Wake, or December 14 to 21-6 and Southern Conference leader Wofford) far outweighs Miami’s handful of duds (double-digit home losses to Green Bay, Eastern Kentucky and Georgia Tech and a road loss to wake). Pitt’s bad losses at Hawaii and at Virginia Tech in overtime more closely compare, but the Hokies have secured ACC doormat status for this season, while the Rainbow Warriors are middling team in the Big West.

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Miami surviving in double overtime at lowly Boston College and Pitt’s tough loss at a Justin Anderson-less Virginia on Monday night only helps the Wolfpack’s case.

Yes, there is a grueling month remaining in the ACC where this coveted spot in the NCAA Tournament will be fought for by these three bubble teams. Though Miami still has two great opportunities for signature wins (@ Louisville, vs UNC), the Wolfpack have the right balance between a softer final stretch (vs VT, @ BC and Clemson) and two vital matchups against Syracuse and at Carolina. The boat may have already left the harbor for Pitt after the loss to UVA- the Panthers will play at Syracuse and home against Miami, but that’s about it.

With the final push to the Dance ahead, NC State and Miami have the opportunities to solidify their at-large cases before the ACC tournament. But it is the Wolfpack and their two top-ten wins who clearly sit in the best position to secure the conference’s final at-large bid right now.

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2015 NCAA Tournament: Who is the ACC’s Sixth Team In?

By Beaumont Rand | Feb 17, 2015

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