UNC Basketball: How many ACC teams will make the NCAA tournament?

The UNC basketball program is not the only ACC program looking to earn their way into this year’s NCAA Tournament? How many ACC teams will actually make the big dance this year?

Let’s call a spade a spade: the Atlantic Coast Conference is not a very strong conference this college basketball season.

Currently, the conference only has one top-25 ranked team, but its had a few schools jump in and out of the rankings through the first two months of the season.

Similar to the UNC basketball program, other teams in the ACC have had some bright spots, but also have had some ugly losses added to their resumes.

As we inch closer towards “Selection Sunday,” there is just one question to ask:

How many ACC teams will actually make the NCAA Tournament this season?

This week, we took a look at North Carolina’s bracketology rankings. At the current moment, the Tar Heels appear to trending closer towards not making the tournament, although they hope the final few weeks of the regular season will help them secure a bid.

The Tar Heels are not alone in this dilemma, as a few other ACC teams appear to be on the cusp of making it to the big dance.

Based on his recent bracketology rankings, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi predicts that five ACC schools will earn bids into the NCAA Tournament. Below is a list of the schools Lunardi predicts will make the tournament, along with their projected seeds:

Duke- 2 Seed
Wake Forest- 8 Seed
Florida State- 9 Seed
Miami- 10 Seed
North Carolina- 10 Seed

Miami and North Carolina are viewed as “Last Four Byes” teams, while Virginia Tech just misses the cut to join the list as a “Next Four Out” squad.

Needless to say, other than the school from Durham, the other ACC programs currently listed are not guaranteed to earn a bid in this year’s tournament. How many of these teams will actually be in the field come tournament time?

This question will all depend on how the teams fare over the final few weeks of the season, as the UNC basketball program is not the only ACC school that needs to bolster their final resume.

You have to also consider the automatic bid for the ACC tournament champion. Just last year, Georgia Tech was 9-8 in early February, and was a bubble team throughout the season. Josh Pastner’s team got hot at the right time and took the decision out of the committee’s hands, earning their bid by winning the conference tournament.

Could a team like Virginia get hot at the right time and be this year’s Georgia Tech? Possibly another team among the field could come out and final a way to make a last minute push towards the big dance.

Simply put, these teams need to win games to help make their case.

From what we know right now, it’s probably safe to say that at least three of these teams will get in the tournament. Optimistically, the conference hopes that at least the five current squads make the tournament, as it would be a bad look if only a few schools represent the ACC during March Madness.

As much as two recent close victories over Miami helped Florida State, the losses could come back to haunt the Hurricanes down the stretch. Additionally, how do the recent two blowout losses impact the Tar Heels, and can Hubert Davis’ team avoid any more ugly losses this season?

Each program has their fair share of positive and negatives to look at, but to make the tournament, these teams have to avoid adding more negatives to their resume.

The great thing about this process is that teams ultimately have the ability to control their own destiny. For teams on the bubble, every win is crucial, as one bad stretch of games could end up making you a spectator come March.

At this point, we’re all concerned about the Tar Heels tournament status, but a bigger issue is currently arising for the ACC. Can the conference make a strong end of the season push to make the committee realize that it should be well-represented in the NCAA Tournament.

Only time will tell…

Continue to follow the Keeping It Heel team for all the latest news and updates on the UNC basketball program as well as the ACC conference as a whole.