Bracketology: Updated Bubble Watch and another mailbag
ACC
Lead-Pipe Lock: Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida State, Duke, Notre Dame
Some Perspiration: Virginia Tech
Better Double-Up on the Deodorant: Clemson, Wake Forest, Miami, NC State, Georgia Tech, Syracuse
Virginia Tech Hokies, 16-6 (5-5): With a .500 record in the ACC, things have been fairly solid for the Hokies since moving into conference play. With how difficult the ACC is, Virginia Tech closes their season with six games against tournament contenders. If the squad can manage a conference record of over .500 (which is fairly likely), they could be staring down a seed line of around a six when the year finally ends.
Quality wins: @ Michigan, vs. Duke, @ Clemson
Bad losses: vs. Texas A&M
Missed opportunities: @ North Carolina, @ Florida State, vs. Notre Dame, @ NC State, @ Virginia
Up next: @ Miami (2/8), vs. Virginia (2/12)
Clemson Tigers, 13-10 (3-8): On a last-second three by Syracuse, the Clemson Tigers dropped a home game against the Orange in what was a game with huge bubble implications. The Tigers had a busy week playing three games, but they went just 1-2 and did not help their tournament chances, even with a win over another bubble contender Georgia Tech. Clemson was in the “Next Four In” category on Monday, but are falling with their loss to Syracuse.
Quality wins: @ South Carolina, vs. UNC-Wilmington, @ Wake Forest, @ Pittsburgh, vs. Georgia Tech
Bad losses: vs. Oklahoma
Missed opportunities: vs. Xavier, @ Georgia Tech, @ Louisville, vs. North Carolina, vs. Virginia, @ Notre Dame, vs. Virginia Tech, @ Florida State, vs. Syracuse
Up next: @ Duke (2/11), vs. Wake Forest (2/14)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons, 14-10 (5-7): I hate to say it again, but…missed opportunities are killing Wake Forest. They have had what seems like endless chances against tournament teams and just cannot capitalize. Their strength of schedule continues to keep them afloat, but their resume is severely lacking a signature win. They were projected in the tournament on Monday, but are they still? Unlikely.
Quality wins: vs. Miami, @ NC State, vs. Georgia Tech
Bad losses: None.
Missed opportunities: vs. Villanova, @ Xavier, @ Northwestern, vs. North Carolina, @ Florida State, @ Virginia, vs. Duke, vs. Clemson, @ Syracuse, @ Notre Dame
Up next: vs. NC State (2/11), @ Clemson (2/14)
Miami Hurricanes, 15-7 (5-5): Over the past week, Miami went 1-1, with a win over NC State and a loss to Florida State. This was a rather pedestrian week and did very little to help the case of the Hurricanes. In fact, Miami is in the exact same position (first team out) that they were in last week. This coming week poses a lot of opportunity for Miami with games against VT and Louisville. Going 2-0 would surely put them in the tournament.
Quality wins: vs. North Carolina, @ Pittsburgh, vs. NC State, @ NC State
Bad losses: None.
Missed opportunities: vs. Florida, vs. Iowa State, @ Syracuse, @ Duke, vs. Notre Dame, @ Wake Forest, vs. Florida State
Up next: vs. Virginia Tech (2/8), @ Louisville (2/11)
NC State Wolfpack, 14-10 (3-8): Their conference record leaves a lot to be desired, but NC State continues to hang in contention for the Big Dance with wins over VT and Duke. NC State was my eighth team out of the tournament as of Monday, but in ACC play, there are all kinds of opportunity for the Wolfpack. With Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia still left on the schedule, they can still play their way back in.
Quality wins: @ Duke, vs. Virginia Tech
Bad losses: @ Boston College
Missed opportunities: vs. Creighton, @ Illinois, vs. Wake Forest, @ North Carolina, @ Miami, vs. Georgia Tech, vs. Syracuse, vs. Miami
Up next: @ Florida State (2/8), @ Wake Forest (2/11)
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 14-10 (5-6): Even though their record is very similar to NC State, Georgia Tech boast several quality wins on their resume. Because of how the Yellow Jackets have proven their ability to win big games, GT continues to surprise and finds themselves in my projected tournament. They had an off game from ACC play by taking on Tusculum, and they were able to get the victory. 14-10 is not the ideal record for a bubble team, but they do have a few things going for them, most notably those first three quality wins.
Quality wins: vs. North Carolina, vs. Florida State, vs. Notre Dame, @ VCU, vs. Clemson, @ NC State
Bad losses: vs. Ohio, vs. Georgia, @ Penn State
Missed opportunities: vs. Louisville, @ Virginia, @ Duke, @ Tennessee, @ Virginia Tech, @ Clemson, @ Wake Forest
Up next: vs. Boston College (2/11), @ Miami (2/15)
Syracuse Orange, 16-9 (8-4): Don’t ask me how, but Syracuse is 8-4 in ACC play and has played their way back into serious NCAA Tournament discussion. The Orange are riding a five-game winning streak that consists of wins against all potential tournament teams (Wake Forest, FSU, NC State, UVA, Clemson). Can they keep it up as the rest of their conference schedule is also against likely tournament squads?
Quality wins: vs. Florida State, vs. Virginia, vs. Wake Forest, vs. Miami, @ NC State
Bad losses: @ Boston College, vs. St. John’s, vs. Connecticut
Missed opportunities: vs. Georgetown, @ Virginia Tech, @ Notre Dame, vs. South Carolina, @ Wisconsin, @ North Carolina
Up next: @ Pittsburgh (2/11), vs. Louisville (2/13)