As we march towards summer, we at ACCSports.com continue to take a look back at the 2014-2015 men’s basketball season. Earlier this month, we completed Part One of a three-part series breaking down this past year’s ACC standings, including all regular season and ACC Tournament games. You can check out that feature here:
Breaking Down the Standings: Part I
Part Two features five teams who battled near the middle of the pack in the ACC this past winter — Miami, NC State, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Clemson.
NC State and Miami both put together impressive postseason runs, as the Wolfpack defeated top-seeded Villanova in the East Regional and advanced to the Sweet 16, while Miami advanced to the championship game of the postseason NIT. Unquestionably, the fierce competition both schools faced throughout the ACC’s regular season helped prepare them well for March.
Syracuse sat out this year’s postseason, including the ACC Tournament, while Pittsburgh and Clemson both limped to the finish line and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament. Both the Panthers and Tigers were knocked out of the ACC Tournament in their opening game.
Take a closer look at the Canes, Wolfpack, Orange, Panthers, and Tigers — who they beat that they were supposed to beat, and who they lost to that they probably shouldn’t have.
Miami — 10-8 regular season (sixth place tie), 11-9 overall (ACC Tournament quarterfinals)
Wins against teams ahead of Miami in ACC standings: 1
90-74 at Duke
Losses against teams ahead of Miami in ACC standings: 6
89-80 (2OT) home vs. Virginia
75-70 home vs. Notre Dame
63-55 home vs. Louisville
55-53 at Louisville
73-64 home vs. UNC
70-63 vs. Notre Dame (ACC Tournament)
Wins against teams behind Miami in ACC standings: 9
Victories over Virginia Tech (3), Boston College (2), Syracuse, Clemson, Florida State, Pittsburgh
Losses against teams behind Miami in ACC standings: 3
70-50 home vs. Georgia Tech
55-54 home vs. Florida State
72-70 at Wake Forest
NOTE: Miami and NC State finished tied in the ACC standings with 10-8 regular season records. Miami defeated NCSU in the two schools’ only meeting, 65-60 in Coral Gables Jan. 22.
NC State — 10-8 regular season (sixth place tie), 11-9 overall (ACC Tournament quarterfinals)
Wins against teams ahead of NC State in ACC standings: 3
87-75 home vs. Duke
74-65 at Louisville
58-46 at UNC
Losses against teams ahead of NC State in ACC standings: 5
61-51 at Virginia
81-79 home vs. UNC
81-78 (OT) home vs. Notre Dame
51-47 home vs. Virginia
77-53 vs. Duke (ACC Tournament)
Wins against teams behind NC State in ACC standings: 8
Victories over Pittsburgh (2), Wake Forest, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Syracuse
Losses against teams behind NC State in ACC standings: 3
68-57 home vs. Clemson
88-84 at Wake Forest
79-63 at Boston College
NOTE: Miami and NC State finished tied in the ACC standings with 10-8 regular season records. Miami defeated NCSU in the two schools’ only meeting, 65-60 in Coral Gables Jan. 22. We did not include that game, nor NC State’s game with Louisville in the NCAA Tournament.
Syracuse (9-9 regular season, eighth place) (Orange didn’t appear in ACC Tournament)
Wins against teams ahead of Syracuse in ACC standings: 2
69-59 home vs. Louisville
65-60 at Notre Dame
Losses against teams ahead of Syracuse in ACC standings: 6
66-62 home vs. Miami
93-93 at UNC
80-72 home vs. Duke
73-54 at Duke
59-57 home vs. Virginia
71-57 at NC State
Wins against teams behind Syracuse in ACC standings: 7
68-66 home vs. Virginia Tech
46-45 at Georgia Tech
70-57 home vs. Florida State
86-83 home vs. Wake Forest (OT)
69-61 home vs. Boston College
72-70 home vs. Virginia Tech
70-56 at Boston College
Losses against teams behind Syracuse in ACC standings: 3
66-53 at Clemson
83-87 at Pittsburgh
65-61 home vs. Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh (8-10 regular season, ninth place tie), 8-11 overall (ACC Tournament Round of 12)
Wins against teams ahead of Pitt in ACC standings: 4
76-72 home vs. Notre Dame
83-77 home vs. Syracuse
89-76 home vs. UNC
65-61 at Syracuse
Losses against teams ahead of Pitt in ACC standings: 7
68-50 at NC State
79-65 at Duke
80-63 home vs. Louisville
69-56 at Louisville
61-49 at Virginia
67-63 home vs. Miami
81-70 vs. NC State (ACC Tournament)
Wins against teams behind Pitt in ACC standings: 3
61-60 at Boston College (OT)
70-65 home vs. Georgia Tech
71-65 home vs. Boston College
Losses against teams behind Pitt in ACC standings: 2
70-67 at Virginia Tech (OT)
69-66 at Wake Forest
NOTE: Pitt finished tied in the ACC standings with Clemson and Florida State. The Panthers lost to Clemson, 71-62 in Pittsburgh Jan. 10, and split two games with Florida State — defeating the Seminoles 73-64 at home Jan. 14, and losing to FSU in Tallahassee 61-52 March 7.
Clemson (8-10 regular season, ninth place tie), 8-11 overall (ACC Tournament Round of 12)
Wins against teams ahead of Clemson in ACC standings: 2
66-53 home vs. Syracuse
68-57 at NC State
Losses against teams ahead in the standings: 7
Notre Dame (2) North Carolina, Louisville, Virginia, Miami, Duke
Wins against teams behind Clemson in ACC standings: 5
59-57 home vs. Wake Forest
64-49 home vs. Boston College
62-56 at Florida State
75-54 home vs. Virginia Tech
70-63 home vs. Georgia Tech (OT)
Losses against teams behind Clemson in ACC standings: 2
59-55 home vs. Florida State
62-53 at Georgia Tech
NOTE: Clemson finished tied in the ACC standings with Florida State and Pittsburgh. The Tigers lost two games against Florida State — 59-55 Jan. 19 in Clemson, and 76-73 March 11 at the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. Clemson won its only meeting with Pittsburgh — a 71-62 decision Jan. 10 in the Steel City.