How UNC Still Has Shot at Double-Bye in ACC Tourney

The regular season is coming to an end, ladies and gentlemen. There are three games left for the Tar Heels, and every game is as important as the next. UNC is currently No. 5 in the ACC standings. The top four seeds will receive a double bye in the ACC Tournament.

The top three seeds are pretty secure, unless something catastrophic happens. Those seeds will be Duke, Virginia and Miami. That leaves the fourth seed up in the air, and that is where it gets tricky. Four teams are fighting for the last spot to have the honor of getting the double bye.

Here is the path to UNC earning the fourth seed in the ACC.

Louisville has a long shot

The team that is still in the running but has the longest shot is Louisville. They are a whole game back behind seeds four through six, but they still have a chance if the dominoes fall the right way. Their last three games are Clemson, Syracuse and the Hurricanes.

They have to win out, and the game against the Tigers and Hurricanes is going to be tough. Plus, UNC has the tiebreaker over the Cardinals due to the win earlier this week. Let’s just say the odds are not in favor of the Cardinals. They will need to win the last three games and hope a few other teams lose as well.

Clemson is in the running

The next team in question is the Tigers, and they are tied for the fourth seed right now but are sitting at the sixth seed due to tiebreakers. They also do not have the most favorable path. They also have to win out. Their last three games are the Cardinals, the Tar Heels and Georgia Tech.

The Cardinals and the Tar Heels will be favored over the Tigers, so they will be climbing an uphill battle. Along with beating two good teams, they will also need a few other teams to lose along the way.

NC State is the favorite

The team with the best shot at the fourth seed is NC State. They own the tiebreaker over the Tigers and the Tar Heels. Along with having key tiebreakers, they have relatively easy last three games.

The Wolfpack plays two of the bottom teams in the conference when they go up against Notre Dame and Stanford. Then they will also have to run into the Blue Devils, which will be a tall task. Worst case, the Wolfpack will go 2-1 in the three games.

Going 2-1 would put them with a 12-6 record in the conference going into the tournament. The only way they would fall under the Tigers and Cardinals is if they go 3-0, which is impossible because they play each other. Therefore, the loser of that game would automatically be eliminated from the fourth seed.

UNC path to the 4-seed

So what is the path for the Tar Heels? It sounds simple, but it will be harder to execute the plan. Well, here are the last three opponents for UNC: Virginia Tech, the Tigers and the Blue Devils.

UNC should take care of business against the Hokies, but then it gets scary. They will be in Chapel Hill when the matchup occurs with the Tigers. If they get past them, then the rematch against the Blue Devils will be the season finale.

The Tar Heels beat the Blue Devils a few weeks ago on a buzzer-beater from Seth Trimble. It will be another hard-fought battle, but this time it will be at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The ironic part is that the game before the rematch is when the Blue Devils will face the Wolfpack, in which UNC will need the Blue Devils to win to be able to get the fourth seed in the ACC.

So, the clear path is UNC going 3-0 to end the season and the Wolfpack losing one of its last three games, which will most likely have to be the Blue Devils.

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