The Atlantic Coast Conference has traditionally been a power conference in men’s college basketball, and all the teams have long histories.
This year is no different. That’s why there is a lot on the line for teams competing in the 2008 ACC Tournament.
The North Carolina Tar Heels won the ACC regular season championship and are also ranked No. 1 in the nation. Last weekend, North Carolina beat long-established powerhouse Duke University to win.
However, there is still a lot at stake for the Tar Heels as they compete in the ACC Tournament. If North Carolina sweeps the field and takes the championship, they will inevitably receive a No. 1 seed in the East region of the NCAA Tournament.
The first four rounds of the East Regional take place in the state of North Carolina. So they would have essentially four home games en route to the Final Four in San Antonio.
The Duke Blue Devils also have a lot riding on this year’s conference tournament, too.
With a record of 26-4, Duke appears to have at least locked up a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance. However, if North Carolina loses early, and Duke wins the tournament, many people believe that Duke should receive the No. 1 seed in the East.
In return, if Duke loses early, expect a No. 3 or even a No. 4 seed in the NCAAs.
The Clemson Tigers received third place in ACC play this year. A 22-8 record definitely has the Tigers hoping for a high seed in the tournament. Clemson will play either Maryland or Boston College on Friday night to open their tournament play.
The next three teams have the most to prove in this year’s ACC Tournament.
Virginia Tech has an unimpressive 18-12 record. They finished at 9-7 in the ACC with their only wins coming against the bottom dwellers of the conference.
The Hokies' tournament resume looks bleak, but if they can somehow manage to win two games in the ACC Tourney, they might just sneak in. With a possible quarterfinal game with North Carolina, it doesn’t look good for Virginia Tech.
University of Miami and the Maryland Terrapins both have a conference record of 8-8. Maryland hopes to slip into the NCAA Tournament based on their key win over North Carolina.
Just like Virginia Tech, Maryland will need to win two games in the ACC Tourney in order to find their way in. Anything short of two wins will most likely spell disappointment for the Terps on Selection Sunday.
Miami hopes that they have already locked in a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They started the season with a 14-1 record, but couldn’t find the same success in conference play.
However, they did pick up two quality wins over Duke and Clemson.
At the very least Miami will have to win their opening game against NC State in order to get into the NCAAs. Losing to NC State would likely mean no NCAA Tournament for the Hurricanes.
Some ACC teams have already locked up their spots while others are fighting for their lives. The 2008 ACC Tournament will determine it all.
We'll see who steps up, and who misses out.
3 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Paul Gotham about 1 year ago
Wake Forest has got a couple of wins in them this weekend.
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Andrew Kneeland about 1 year ago
Duke: So long #2 seed...
Uh...maybe next year...?
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Jake Widlowski about 1 year ago
Yeah. they will have about a three seed i think. They frustrate me.
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