ACC Bracketology stock watch: buy Virginia Tech, sell Wake Forest
Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young works the bench in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against the Notre Dame during quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament, Thursday, March 10, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Virginia Tech
- What else can you say? Here come Mike Young and them boys!
- All season long, Virginia Tech lurked as a team that was better than its record indicated. The advanced metrics and VT’s point differential suggested that the Hokies were a good team, one with postseason potential.
- Virginia Tech has three straight wins in Brooklyn, including victories over Notre Dame and red-hot North Carolina, two teams in the NCAA Tournament field.
- Resume
- Record: 22-12 (11-9 ACC)
- NET Ranking: 30
- Up 7 spots from the start of the week
- RPI: 61
- KenPom: 25
- The Hokies are now the top team in ESPN’s “First Four Out” category; they’ve usurped Wake Forest in the rankings. A win over Duke at the ACC Tournament would immediately put this team in the field: via an automatic bid. However, even with a loss, Virginia Tech gave itself a real chance. Young’s team now appears in 24 brackets at Bracket Matrix.
North Carolina
- By losing to Virginia Tech in the Semifinals of the ACC Tournament, North Carolina actually added a Quad 1 win. With the Hokies winning and jumping to No. 30 in the NET, UNC’s road win in Blacksburg on Feb. 19 now counts as a Q1 victory.
- This is such a weird system.
Wake Forest
- Since the Demon Deacons were upset on Wednesday by Boston College, pretty much everything has gone wrong for Wake Forest. That loss was costly; however, it was seemingly manageable. For the time being, Wake Forest remained in the 68-team field, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. Unfortunately for Steve Forbes, a lot can change in a few days.
- Indiana defeated Michigan and Illinois in back-to-back days at the Big Ten Tournament. The Hoosiers are safely in the field now.
- Oklahoma upset Baylor at the Big 12 Tournament — before falling to Texas Tech by one point
- Dayton held on to beat UMass on Friday; the Flyers now play Richmond on Saturday
- Texas A&M is still in the “Next Four Out” of Lunardi’s bracket; however, the Aggies have wins over Florida and Auburn at the SEC Tournament. TAMU will play Arkansas on Saturday, which is another opportunity to move further up the line
- Virginia Tech’s run to the Finals of the ACC Tournament has also hurt
- Resume
- Record: 23-9 (13-7 ACC)
- NET Ranking: 45
- Wake started the week No. 39 in the NET
- RPI: 79
- KenPom: 35
