Busting Brackets
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ACC Basketball: Midseason recap, awards, and observations

By Tristan Freeman

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 15: London Perrantes
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 15: London Perrantes /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 10: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils directs his team against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center on January 10, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 10: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils directs his team against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Petersen Events Center on January 10, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

ACC Bracketology – Teams sitting pretty

Louisville – 7 (Strength lies in the middle)

While some teams like NC State are building their resume via big-time wins, the Cardinals have been steadily piling top 50-100 wins. While it’s true that Florida State is their best win to date, beating teams like Indiana, Memphis, Grand Canyon, and Virginia Tech adds up well when there are no bad losses to weigh them down.

Clemson – 3 (Likely to fall, but has done their job)

The Selection Committee will evaluate the Tigers from this point forward, but that doesn’t take away their earlier accomplishments. Wins over Florida, South Carolina, Ohio State, and even Louisiana Lafayette in the non-conference look great right now. The back-end schedule will be easier than the others in the league so Clemson fans don’t need to worry.

North Carolina – 3 (Bad week, still strong resume)

Losing both games in a week to bubble teams all but eliminates the Tar Heels from No. 1 seed contention but two battles with Duke could change that. What doesn’t change is how good UNC’s non-conference results look. Wins over Ohio State, Tennessee, Michigan, Stanford (out of nowhere), and Arkansas are looking great right now.

Duke – 2 (UVA loss cements Blue Devils as a two seed)

This is a similar situation to the College Football Playoff, where the best from the power leagues fight for the top four spots. Purdue and Villanova look like locks for a No. 1 seed while Kansas fills a spot for the Big 12. That leaves Duke and Virginia fighting for that final spot and with the Cavaliers win in their only regular season match, I struggle to see how the Blue Devils climb back up without a loss from the four ahead of them.

Virginia – 1 (Don’t slip, and the top seed is theirs)

The Cavaliers have beaten both Duke and North Carolina once and won’t play them again in the regular season. That leaves the remaining slate filled with bubble teams and afterthoughts. They can easily go unbeaten the rest of the way and could be a lock for a No. 1 seed.