ACC Tournament 2012 Predictions: North Carolina Will Burst NC State's Bubble

NC State is riding high off its win over Virginia. The Wolfpack need to keep the magic going, and that just isn't going to happen against the red-hot North Carolina Tar Heels. 

After their stunning win, NC State coach Mark Gottfried issued the Wolfpack were indeed NCAA tourney material. Via ESPN. 

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We deserve to play in the NCAA tournament. Obviously, I'm not on the committee. We did what the committee asked us to do. We scheduled hard, tough. And quite frankly, walking into a new job and we weren't in the greatest position at that time either. We did what we were supposed to do. 

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I will excuse the patting of one's back, because this is the time of year when such things matter, and you can't count on others applauding your efforts with a bid. 

Here is to the squeaky wheel getting the grease in the form of a bid to the tournament. However, I will only go so far as to say things are much brighter for NC State. 

North Carolina State's Chances 

The only way to guarantee that their season is prolonged another week is to pull off the seemingly impossible by taking down North Carolina. 

ESPN's Eamonn Brennan looks at NC State and their chances of sneaking into the tournament, and he echoes this sentiment. 

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Things are looking up, and not just because of Friday's win. Texas and Miami also managed to sneak into the RPI top 50 as of Friday morning, which means the Wolfpack...now have four such wins...Sure, each of the four teams is in the 40s in the RPI, so it's not exactly a batch of marquee victories...A semifinals win over UNC would seal the deal. Short of that, NC State may still find itself on the bubble. 

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The Wolfpack can carry a great deal of swagger for one night, but there is still a great deal of work to do. 

I wouldn't be the least bit shocked if this one win got them into the tournament, but I wouldn't raise an eyebrow if it didn't. 

They still need one more to get in, and that's where North Carolina comes in. 

North Carolina 

There were a couple of top-10 tams that looked beatable this week. Syracuse looked shaky and even Kentucky was taken to task by LSU before eventually winning. 

North Carolina looked solid in its win over Maryland. John Henson came away with a wrist injury, but even if he doesn't suit up, the Tar Heels reign supreme. 

North Carolina is deeper, stronger and far more versatile on offense. Henson will be missed on defense, but the Tar Heels have more than enough to make quick work of NC State. 

This is a team that dominated Duke and then played a measured and calm game against Maryland. The Tar Heels weren't trying to send a message or play with too much zeal. They were mature beyond their years in how they methodically broke down Maryland. 

NC State needs one more miracle to get into the big dance, but that isn't coming against these Heels. 

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