Bracketology: 10 key storylines for Championship Week in 2019

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /

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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 05: Teammates Marcquise Reed #2 and Shelton Mitchell #4 of the Clemson Tigers react after a play against the Duke Blue Devils during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

4. Clemson vs. NC State in ACC bubble battle

The seedings for the ACC Tournament has been decided, with bubble teams Clemson and NC State getting the eight and nine seeds respectively. Assuming Syracuse is safe regardless of what happens, these are the two ACC teams still fighting for an at-large bid.

As of now, each is projected as 11 seeds and among the last four byes. Of course, with bid thieves and other power conference programs likely to get big wins this week, that’s not a position to feel comfortable at. That’s what makes their second-round battle so important on Wednesday, as it may be an elimination game.

There are different reasons which each team is on the bubble. The Wolfpack does have a great win over Auburn and a head-to-head victory over Clemson but also has awful losses to Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. NC State’s biggest problem is their non-conference SOS, ranked the second-worst in the country.

As for the Tigers, they have a win over Virginia and a bad loss at Miami…. and that’s it. Clemson beat everyone they were supposed to beat and lost to those viewed as better. But their top-35 NET ranking combined with a collective lack of awful defeats has them hanging on for dear life.

The winner of this game will take on top-seeded Virginia so either way, these teams will probably remain on the bubble. NC State may be in better shape between the two but both teams really could this one to feel a little better about their resume.

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