I would like to preface this whole post by saying that if BC takes care of business like they should, none of this will matter in the long run. With that being said, there are only 13 remaining ACC games left in the season, and you may be wondering which teams BC fans want to do win, and which we want to lose. There are basically 3 reasons to root for or against teams in the remaining games:
- All of the bubble teams in the ACC we want to lose. Teams like Miami, Maryland and Virginia Tech stumbling down the stretch will help BC come Selection Sunday as they we will be more likely be chosen over them.
- Duke, UNC, and FSU continuing to win and rising in the polls will only help boost our quality wins.
- UNC, Duke, FSU, Clemson, and Wake Forest are all ahead of us in the ACC standings. If 2 of those teams stumble down the stretch, and we take care of NC State and GT, we could climb into the top 4 in the ACC and receive a bye in the first round of the tournament. (To jump said teams we need Duke to lose 2, FSU to lose 1, WF to lose 2, or Clemson to lose 1.)
Almost, every game has overlapping motives for BC fans, so it is important to have priorities in place. Here are the breakdowns of all of the remaining matchups. (Bold=Team to root for)
Sunday, 3/1
* Maryland @ NC State
A wolfpack win might knock Maryland out off NCAA contention. One less team for the eagles to compete with.
Tuesday, 3/3
* UVA @ Clemson
A Clemson loss against Virginia is highly unlikely, but will help us in the hunt for a top 4 spot in the ACC.
* Florida St. @ Duke
A Duke win against the Seminoles will also help our case for a first round bye in the ACC tournament (for us to jump FSU, they only need to lose once wheras Duke needs to lose twice).
* Wake Forest @ Maryland
This game is tough because it once again has overlapping motives for BC fans. A Maryland win helps us to get into the top 4 of the ACC (Wake will also need to lose vs Clemson for this to happen) and also makes our win against them on the road look that much better. On the other hand, a Maryland win will greatly increase their NCAAs chances, and could hurt us there if we lose to NC State and/or Ga Tech.
Wednesday, 3/4
* UNC @ Virginia Tech
A UNC win will help keep them ranked high in the polls and will also deny VT another marquee win for their NCAA tournament resume.
* Miami @ Georgia Tech
A loss to Georgia Tech will effectively end Miami's quest for a NCAA berth and will make it one less team for the eagle's to compete with for a bid (and head to head BC is 0-2 vs Miami).
Saturday, 3/7
* Maryland @ UVA
A Virginia win here will really hurt Maryland's NCAA chances.
* NC State @ Miami
Just like the Georgia Tech vs Miami game, an NC State win here will end their tournament hopes.
Sunday, 3/8
* Virginia Tech @ FSU
I did not pick a team to root for here because it depends on how well we finish, and the FSU @ Duke game. If we don't take of business and find ourselves on the bubble, then we want FSU to win no questions asked. It makes our win over them look better and keeps VT from really improving their resume. If we do take care of business and FSU beats Duke, then we want them to lose to the Hokies (as we need them to lose 1 to be ahead of them in the ACC standings).
* Clemson @ Wake Forest
I once again did not pick a team to root for as this game depends on how the Wake Forest @ Maryland game turns out. If Wake Forest beats Maryland then we want the Deacs to knock of the Tigers (and take them out of the top 4 in the ACC). However, if Wake Forest loses to the Terps then this game really doesn't matter as one team will make themselves vulnerable for BC to surpass them in the ACC standings.
* Duke @ UNC
This game really has no impact on BC at all so it really doesn't matter who comes out victorious.
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