The calendars have turned to February. That means March Madness is almost upon us. In other words, time is starting to become an issue in college basketball. Certain teams need to make a run now as we enter conference tournaments. The ACC has been down for a few years. What was the premier basketball conference in the country has been surpassed. But the ACC still has teams who could make magic in the big dance. These are the ACC teams that will join the Madness of March.
Virginia — No. 3 (East)
Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers are hot right now and eying a triumphant return to the NCAA Tournament after last year’s NIT berth.
Duke — No. 5 (South)
The Blue Devils have more than five losses under first-year head coach Jon Scheyer. Five-star freshman Dariq Whitehead got carried to the locker room with an ankle injury against Virginia Tech.
Miami — No. 6 (West)
Miami rebounded from Saturday’s loss to Duke with a resounding 86-63 win over Florida State on Tuesday, keeping the Hurricanes tied with UNC at third place in the ACC (16-4, 7-3).
N.C. State — No. 7 (South)
Winners of five of its last six games, N.C. State is on the verge of making the NCAA Tournament for the first time since Kevin Keatts’ first season (2017-18).
UNC — No. 8 (West)
The preseason No. 1 Tar Heels have found their rhythm recently and picked up only their second road win this season against Syracuse.
Clemson — No. 8 (East)
Clemson is off to one of its best starts in program history and sits atop the ACC standings with a 9-1 conference record (17-4 overall).
Pittsburgh — No. 11 South
Of ACC teams with a winning record, Pittsburgh has the best road record (5-2) but the worst home record (8-3).
