University of North Carolina Athletics
Carolina's ACC Tournament Seeding Scenarios (Updated Saturday Night)
March 2, 2007 | Men's Basketball
March 2, 2007
By Adam Lucas
With just one weekend of Atlantic Coast Conference play remaining, Carolina's ACC Tournament seed could still be anywhere from first to fifth. The current standings can be found here and the ACC Tournament bracket can be found here.
A four-way tie atop the conference is still possible. Carolina, Boston College, and Virginia Tech all have a chance to earn a share of the regular season crown. The remaining games for the league's top five schools:
Virginia finishes 11-5 in the league.
Virginia Tech hosts Clemson on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Carolina hosts Duke on Sunday at 4 p.m. A Tar Heel win would clinch a top-four seed and avoid playing in Thursday's opening round.
Boston College travels to Georgia Tech Sunday at 3 p.m. An Eagle win would likewise keep them in the league's top four and avoid the opening round.
Maryland finishes 10-6 in the league. They need some help to sneak into the top four.
Carolina's ACC Tournament scenarios are as follows. If you think there's another scenario we didn't mention (entirely possible considering the number of teams still involved), let us know.
If Carolina beats Duke:
The Tar Heels can't be seeded lower than second.
If Clemson beats Virginia Tech and Boston College beats Georgia Tech: Carolina gets the first seed. (Explanation: That would create a 3-way tie at 11-5 between UNC, Virginia, and Boston College. The Tar Heels would own the mini-conference by virtue of a 2-0 record against the other two schools.)
If Virginia Tech beats Clemson and Boston College beats Georgia Tech: Carolina gets the second seed. (Explanation: That would create a 4-way tie at 11-5 between UNC, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College. In a four-team mini-conference, the Tar Heels would have a 2-2 record and earn the second slot.)
If Clemson beats Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech beats Boston College: Carolina gets the first seed. (Explanation: Carolina owns the head-to-head tiebreaker with Virginia.)
If Virginia Tech beats Clemson and Georgia Tech beats Boston College: Carolina gets the second seed. (Explanation: In a 3-way mini-conference with Virginia and Virginia Tech, the Hokies' 3-1 record earns the top seed. Carolina and Virginia would be tied in the mini-conference at 1-2, but Carolina's head-to-head advantage prevails.)
In order to get the first seed: Clemson must beat Virginia Tech. The outcome of Boston College-Georgia Tech wouldn't matter.
If Duke beats Carolina:
Carolina will be seeded fourth or fifth.
If Clemson beats Virginia Tech and Boston College beats Georgia Tech: Carolina gets the fifth seed. (Explanation: That would create a mini-conference with Carolina, Maryland, and Virginia Tech. Virginia Tech's 3-0 record earns the third seed, with Maryland's head-to-head advantage prevailing over Carolina for fourth.)
If Virginia Tech beats Clemson and Boston College beats Georgia Tech: Carolina gets the fifth seed. (Explanation: Carolina is in a tie with Maryland at 10-6, but Maryland's head-to-head advantage prevails.)
If Clemson beats Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech beats Boston College: Carolina gets the fifth seed. (Explanation: In a four-way mini-conference, Carolina's 1-3 record would be the worst of Virginia Tech (4-1), Boston College (2-2), and Maryland (1-2).)
If Virginia Tech beats Clemson and Georgia Tech beats Boston College: Carolina gets the fourth seed. (Explanation: That would create a 3-way tie between the Tar Heels, Terps, and Eagles. All three teams have 1-1 records against each other. The next tiebreaker is comparative records in descending order of league finish. Virginia and Virginia Tech would be tied at the top, and per the ACC tiebreaker rules, the 3-way tie for third would be broken by combined record against the top two tied teams. Boston College would win that tiebreaker at 2-1. At 1-2, Carolina would earn the fourth seed and Maryland would be slotted fifth.)
