ACC Tournament 2024: Top Storylines for Men's Quarterfinals

The Pittsburgh Panthers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons play one of the most important games in the country on Thursday at the ACC tournament.

The two NCAA men's basketball tournament bubble teams square off in the quarterfinals in what will serve as an elimination game from the field of 68.

Pittsburgh played the far better basketball down the stretch. The Panthers went 9-2 in their last 11 games, while Wake went 3-5 in its last eight with a trio of bad losses.

The bubble will also be in focus during the nightcap in Washington, D.C., as the Virginia Cavaliers try to end the Boston College Eagles' Cinderella run.

Boston College pulled off the first upset of the event on Wednesday with a win over the Clemson Tigers, who are one of three ACC teams projected to safely be in the field of 68.

The North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils begin their ACC tournament runs on Thursday as well, but most of the day's attention belongs on the bubble battles.

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ACC Tournament Quarterfinals Schedule

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 05: North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) looks to pass during the college basketball game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on March 5, 2024 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC. (Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

No. 9 Florida State vs. No. 1 North Carolina (Noon ET, ESPN)

No. 5 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

No. 10 NC State vs. No. 2 Duke (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

No. 11 Boston College vs. No. 3 Virginia (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Wake Forest, Pittsburgh Square off in Bubble Battle

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WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 13: Kevin Miller #0 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons shoots the ball in the first half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the Second Round of the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at Capital One Arena on March 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller listed Pittsburgh and Wake Forest as the second and third teams out in his latest NCAA tournament bracket projection.

The winner of Thursday's ACC tournament quarterfinal will move on with a chance to earn a quality win over North Carolina in Friday's semifinals.

The loser is most likely out of contention for an at-large spot in the field of 68.

The two sides split their regular-season meetings. Pittsburgh won at home on January 31 by five points, while Wake earned a 91-58 victory in Winston-Salem on February 20.

Wake beat Duke at home four days later and then proceeded to waste its spot in the field of 68 with three straight losses to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Virginia Tech Hokies and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Despite the heavy loss to Wake, Pitt played the more consistent basketball in February and its defense could be equipped to deal with the Demon Deacons' top offensive threat.

Wake owns the 21st-best three-point offense, per KenPom, but Pitt ranks 27th in three-point defense.

The Panthers can neutralize the three-point line to slow the game down and force Wake to beat it in different ways.

Both teams are capable of scoring at high rates, but Pittsburgh did that better down the stretch, as it scored at least 75 points in each of its last five wins. Wake was held to 72 points by Notre Dame on Wednesday and failed to hit the 70-point threshold in four of its last five defeats.

Virginia Looking to Stay on Right Side of Bubble

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DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 2: Reece Beekman #2 of the Virginia Cavaliers reacts following a basket during the second half of the game against the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 2, 2024 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 73-48. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

Virginia enters its ACC tournament quarterfinal as the second-to-last team in according to Miller's bracket projection.

Tony Bennett's team must beat Boston College to remain on the right side of the bubble going into Friday.

Boston College is not the opponent the Cavaliers expected to see in the quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Clemson Tigers fell by 21 points to BC on Wednesday.

Clemson's loss took away the potential for Virginia to earn a quality win on its resume.

BC is dangerous because it has two games under its legs in Washington, D.C. and it only lost by four to Virginia on February 28. The Eagles need to win the ACC tournament to get into the field of 68.

The Eagles' tired legs may come into play as well to benefit Virginia. It is hard to win three games in three days in any conference tournament.

A Virginia win does nothing positive for its NCAA tournament resume. It would set up a clash with Duke on Friday that could be a win-and-in game for the Cavaliers when it comes to the field of 68.