ACC Standings Check-In (January 30, 2021)

Halfway through their conference schedule, the Tar Heels are in fourth place in the ACC.

We are only six weeks away from Selection Sunday. The Tar Heels are just shy of the halfway point of their ACC schedule, having played nine of their 20 scheduled conference games. There is no certainty the game at Clemson will be re-scheduled, so it’s also possible that Carolina is already at the mid-point.

That said, it’s a perfect time to take stock of the ACC landscape.

Due to COVID-19, the 15 ACC teams are all over the map in terms of the number of conference games played (and literally all over the map, but that’s a story for another day). The teams fall somewhere between six and 10 conference games played.

Georgia Tech is the lone team on that low end of six, while Miami is the only team to have reached 10 conference games played. UNC is the sole team to have played nine league games, while the other 12 teams have played either seven or eight games.

The largest collection of teams is those having played seven games. Seven teams fall in that category – Boston College, Duke, Florida State, NC State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and Virginia. The other five teams (Clemson, Louisville, Notre Dame, Wake Forest, and Virginia Tech) have each played eight games.

Given the disparity of games played, the only way to evaluate the ACC standings currently is to look at win percentage.

Keep in mind, that if the ACC Tournament is played as scheduled (and that’s a big if at this point), the goal is to finish in the top four, which ensures those teams a double-bye into the quarterfinals.

The Tar Heels have gone 6-1 since their 0-2 start, vaulting them all the way into fourth place in the conference. Without Carolina’s win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday and Louisville’s subsequent loss to Clemson the next night, the Tar Heels would be in seventh place. That’s how tight the conference race is currently.

Joining UNC in the top four are Virginia (7-0), Florida State (6-1), and Virginia Tech (6-2).

The next group of five (who would each receive a single bye if the ACC Tournament started today) are Louisville (5-3), Pittsburgh (4-3), Duke (4-3), Georgia Tech (3-3), and Clemson (4-4).

The bottom six teams in the standings are Syracuse (3-4), NC State (3-4), Notre Dame (2-6), Miami (2-8), Boston College (1-6), and Wake Forest (1-7).

As far as the remainder of Carolina’s ACC schedule, they will play three games against the current top four, six games against the middle five, and two games against the bottom six.

There are six scheduled ACC games this weekend. The biggest match-up is Virginia at Virginia Tech on Saturday. The rest of Saturday’s slate includes Clemson at Duke, Miami at Wake Forest, Florida State at Georgia Tech, and Notre Dame at Pittsburgh. NC State at Syracuse on Sunday will round out the weekend.

Standings (as of games through 1/29/21)

1. Virginia (7-0)
2. Florida State (6-1)
3. Virginia Tech (6-2)
4. North Carolina (6-3)
5. Louisville (5-3)
6. Pittsburgh (4-3)
7. Duke (4-3)
8. Georgia Tech (3-3)
9. Clemson (4-4)
10. Syracuse (3-4)
11. NC State (3-4)
12. Notre Dame (2-6)
13. Miami (2-8)
14. Boston College (1-6)
15. Wake Forest (1-7)

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