NCAA Tournament Projections for each ACC team – December 16, 2018

This is going to be a weekly article, where I seed the ACC teams and where I think they’d should be placed if the tournament started the same day as my posting.

In my ranking system, any RPI top (100) win is a good win and any RPI top (50) obviously worth more. Any losses outside the RPI top (100) is considered a bad loss, and outside the RPI (150) are even more damaging. I’m not counting future results only if I think a team would make the NCAA’s if selections were made the day of the post.

Teams get a “*” for top 50 good wins or “*” greater than 150 losses.

My RPI rankings come from, CBSSportsline.com and I will also list the NCAA.net Rankings which is the new ranking system used by the committee.

Locks

(14) Virginia (9-0) (0-0) Projected Seed 1 

NCAA.Net ranking : 1

Last 10 – (9-0)

Good Wins – * (8) Wisconsin, * (25) VCU, (51) Maryland, (90) Dayton

Bad Losses – None

Notes – The Hoos shouldn’t be challenged until a January 5th game against Florida State.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/19 – @South Carolina

12/22 – William & Mary

(10) Duke (9-1) (0-0) Projected Seed 1

NCAA.Net ranking : 2

Last 10 – (9-1)

Good Wins – * (16) Auburn, * (18) Indiana, (70) Yale

Bad Losses – None

Notes – Duke’s ceiling is higher than any team in the country, but can they always play like it? So far the answer mostly YES.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/18 – Princeton

12/20 – Texas Tech

(11) Florida State (8-1) (0-0) Projected Seed 3

NCAA.Net ranking : 30

Last 10 – (8-1)

Good Wins – * (23) Purdue, (55) LSU

Bad Losses – None

Notes – The Noles are long, athletic, and talented.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/17 – SE Missouri St.

12/19 – North Florida

12/22 – Saint Louis

(38) North Carolina (8-2) (0-0) Projected Seed 3

NCAA.Net ranking : 16

Last 10 – (8-2)

Good Wins – * (48) UCLA, (54) Wofford, (69) Stanford, * (6) Gonzaga

Bad Losses – None

Notes – Go watch UNC’s blowout win this week over Gonzaga if you are wondering just how good this team can be.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/22 – Kentucky

(61) Virginia Tech (9-1) (0-0) Projected Seed 4

NCAA.Net ranking : 23

Last 10 – (9-1)

Good Wins –  * (23) Purdue, (76) Ball State, (84) Northeastern, * (15) Washington

Bad Losses – None

Notes – This is Buzz Williams best Virginia Tech. This is a very dangerous team.

12/19  – NC A&T

(19) Louisville (8-3) (0-0) Projected Seed 8

NCAA.Net ranking : 21

Last 10 – (7-3)

Good Wins –  * (9) Michigan State, (62) Vermont, (65) Lipscomb

Bad Losses – None

Notes – Chris Mack already has Louisville ahead of schedule. This team will get better as the season progresses.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/21 – Robert Morris

(43) Syracuse (7-3) (0-0) Projected Seed 9

NCAA.Net ranking : 29

Last 10 – (7-3)

Good Wins –  * (12) Ohio State, (40) Georgetown, (84) Northeastern

Bad Losses – (104) Oregon, * (154) Connecticut, (181) Old Dominion

Notes – What was that against Old Dominion? Syracuse has been all over the map in the non-conference portion of the schedule.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/18 – Buffalo

12/22 – Arkansas State

Bubble But In

(158) NC State (9-1) (0-0) Projected Seed 10

NCAA.Net ranking : 18

Last 10 – (9-1)

Good Wins –  (83) Penn State

Bad Losses – None

Notes – NC State has a great record, but we still can’t be sure about them. We will know after they play Auburn this week.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/19 – Auburn

12/22 – SC Upstate

(102) Notre Dame (7-3)(0-0) Projected Seed 12

NCAA.Net ranking : 57

Last 10 – (7-3)

Good Wins – * (23) Purdue, (95) Duquesne

Bad Losses – None

Notes – That was a good win over Purdue this week, but there’s not much else so far on the Irish’s resume.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/18 – Binghamton

12/20 – Jacksonville

Bubble But Out 

(107) Clemson (7-3) (0-0)

NCAA.Net ranking : 83

Last 10 – (7-3)

Good Wins –  * (36) The Citadel, (59) Radford

Bad Losses – None

Notes – Clemson hasn’t been awful, but it’s been a somewhat disappointing start for a team that many considered NCAA caliber at the beginning of the season.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/18 – Charleston Southern

12/22 – @South Carolina

(138) Pittsburgh (8-3) (0-0)

NCAA.Net ranking : 105

Last 10 – (7-3)

Good Wins –  (52) Saint Louis, (95) Duquesne

Bad Losses – (128) West Virginia, * (283) Niagara

Notes – It’s a stretch to think Pittsburgh could reach the NCAAs in Jeff Capel’s first year, but they are much much better than last year. That’s evident already.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/20 – Colgate

(116) Boston College (8-2) (0-0)

NCAA.Net ranking : 117

Last 10 – (8-2)

Good Wins – * (13) Minnesota

Bad Losses – None

Notes – I don’t have BC in the field this week. They just missed. I’ll put them in if they don’t lose before the new year.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/16 – Fairfield

12/22 – @Depaul

Only if they win the ACC Tournament

(143) Miami (5-4) (0-0)

NCAA.Net ranking : 98

Last 10 – (5-4 )

Good Wins –  * (49) Fresno State

Bad Losses – (110) Penn

Notes – Miami has lost 4 games in row. They need to find some momentum before conference play begins.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/19 – Houston Baptist

12/22 – FAU

(112) Georgia Tech (5-3) (0-0)

NCAA.Net ranking : 65

Last 10 – (5-3)

Good Wins –  None

Bad Losses – None

Notes – The Jackets have been competitive in all of their games, but you still don’t get the feeling they can win more than 3 or 4 ACC games. If they go 3-0 this week, they’ll change some minds.

This Week’s Upcoming Games.

12/17 – Gardner Webb

12/19 – @Arkansas

12/22 – Georgia

(267) Wake Forest (5-3) (0-0) 

NCAA.Net ranking : 220

Last 10 – (5-3)

Good Wins –  None

Bad Losses – (120) Houston Baptist, * (153) St. Joseph, * (303) Richmond

Notes – Georgia Tech looks at their team, and says at least we’re not Wake Forest.

12/17 – Davidson

12/22 – @Tennessee

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