ACC Tournament 2012: Teams Who Need Deep Run to Feel Safe on Selection Sunday

The ACC is experiencing yet another down year outside of North Carolina and Duke, which means multiple teams are squarely on the bubble entering the last week of the season.

The stakes are going to be incredibly high for this week’s ACC conference tournament, with three different teams needing big performances to ensure this year is a success. A first-round bounce for any of them and they seal their NIT fate.

Major NCAA tournament implications are on the line this week at Atlanta’s Philips Arena, as we reach the very best time of year for college basketball fans.

Miami (18-11, 9-7 ACC), RPI: 51

The Hurricanes blew a golden opportunity this week when they lost to NC State for the second time this season. Now they’ll have 12 losses unless they win the ACC tournament, as the win at Duke begins to become a distant memory.

They will need to beat a team like Maryland or Virginia Tech in the first round and will also need a win against a team like Florida State of Duke in Round 2.

If they don’t register at least two wins (which would give them 20) and put up a strong fight in Round 3, the bubble is going to burst for Miami. It’s pretty hard to ignore a 3-10 record against the RPI’s top 100 teams.

Virginia (22-8, 9-7 ACC), RPI: 49

Allowing Florida State to make a 16-2 run on the road to steal a victory last week was brutal. It would have been even worse if they lost to Maryland. But they snuck out with the OT win and now are in a strong position.

With wins over NC State and Miami in conference and a strong victory over Michigan early in the year, they have a better resume than the other two teams on the list, but still need one ACC tourney win to feel comfortable next Sunday.

North Carolina State (19-11, 8-7 ACC), RPI: 60

The Wolfpack had to beat Miami to stay alive. As long as they take care of business Sunday night against Virginia Tech to finish with a 9-7 record in conference play, they will continue to have a pulse.

The problem with the Wolfpack is their lack of quality wins. They beat the teams they should (aside from slip ups against Georgia Tech and Clemson), but they don’t have a signature victory the way Miami does.

Although they have two wins against the Hurricanes, I think Miami has the stronger overall resume at this point…which is why the ACC tournament is so incredibly important.