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ACC Roundup - Virginia At UNC Is Going To Be Interesting

And the Wolfpack has a chance to pay Clemson back too.

By JD King
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL: JAN 10 North Carolina at Virginia
 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - JANUARY 10: Virginia Cavaliers guard Kihei Clark (0) attempts to defend North Carolina Tar Heels guard RJ Davis (4) shot during a men’s college basketball game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Virginia Cavaliers on January 10, 2023, at John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, VA.
Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

In Saturday’s ACC Action, Clemson visits NC State, Louisville zips down to Atlanta to play Georgia Tech, Florida State goes to Miami for what looks like a blowout, Syracuse challenges Pitt, Virginia heads down to Chapel Capel Hill and Notre Dame hits Wake Forest in one of the last stops of the Mike Brey Retirement Tour and Soiree.

Let’s start with the Heels vs. the ‘Hoos.

We knew that Virginia hadn’t been playing all that well but we had no idea that BC could punk them. In retrospect, they had it coming.

That was then, this is now.

UNC’s best chance of beating Virginia was if BC didn't. Now they’re going to get a fully engaged bunch of Cavaliers. That doesn’t mean UNC can’t win. It just makes it less likely, particularly given how poorly the Tar Heels have played this season.

In Raleigh, an increasingly confident NC State team gets a second shot at Clemson, having lost 78-64 to the Tigers on December 30th.

Things have changed a lot since then and given how well the Pack has played lately, and how Clemson has struggled of late, it’s really hard to pick against State here.

It might even be crushing.

Florida State is probably going to take a beating at Miami too. FSU would have to play out of its collective mind to compete with Miami at Miami right now. Just can’t see it.

Syracuses’s trip to Pitt should be competitive, but the Orange’s last two losses to Duke and Clemson, have been by an average of 20 points and this Pitt team is as tough as any team in the ACC.

On the other hand, Pitt won by just two, 84-82 as Jesse Edwards had one of his worst games. He surely won't be that bad again (three points after shooting 1-5 from the floor in just 13 minutes).

Jim Boeheim’s 2-3 means Syracuse always has at least a puncher’s chance. They can win ugly against anyone. However, this Pitt team has turned into a really tough group. It’s hard to pick against them here.

Notre Dame’s resilience is admirable but it hasn’t gotten them very far. And while Wake isn’t great this season, they’ve been a tough out.

Both teams have had some hard knocks and still showed heart. This could end up being one of the better games Saturday.

You never know, but that’s probably not going to be the case in Atlanta. Louisville is still losering, but they have improved significantly. The Cardinals beat Georgia Tech on February 1st, and since them, only Pitt has really thumped them. Look at their last four games: lost to Miami by eight, lost to Virginia by three, beat Clemson by 10 and lost to Duke by 15 in a game that was closer than it looked.

Things are really starting to solidify in the rankings. Miami, Pitt and Virginia all have four losses and won’t go down much. Clemson has five and NC State has six. Duke also has six and has a chance to move up a bit if the Blue Devils win and NC State loses.

It looks like the ACC will top out at six bids unless someone pulls off a surprise in the ACC Tournament.

Saturday’s ACC Action

  • Clemson vs. NC State || 12:00 PM || ACCNX
  • Louisville vs. Georgia Tech || 2:00 PM || ACCNX
  • Florida State vs.Miami || 4:00 PM || ESPN2
  • Syracuse vs. Pitt || 5:00 PM || ACCN
  • Virginia vs. UNC || 6:00 PM || ESPN
  • Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest || 7:00 PM || ACCN
  • Virginia Tech vs. Duke || 8:00 PM || ESPN

ACC Standings

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