There is still another set of games in the penultimate round of the ACC regular season, which makes figuring out tournament seeding difficult.
Well, beyond the fact Virginia is No. 11 and Georgia Tech is No. 12.
SEE RELATED:
As for Maryland, a late-night scouring of the possibilities says the Terps won’t go higher than No. 7 nor lower than No. 9.
The tie-breakers for any set of sixth-place ties —- with Boston College; with BC and Virginia Tech; with BC and Miami; with BC, Virginia Tech and Miami —- simply don’t work for the Terps.
Here’s why:
With Boston College at 8-8: BC won the lone regular season meeting.
With Boston College and Miami at 8-8: Miami went 3-1 against the Terps and BC; Maryland and BC both were 1-2.
With Boston College and Virginia Tech at 8-8: BC was 2-1 in this mini-group, while Maryland was 1-1 and Virginia Tech was 1-2.
With Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech at 8-8: Miami was 3-2 in this mini-group, Maryland and Virginia Tech were 2-2 and BC was 2-3.
In short, no No. 6 seed. The No. 7 seed is the upside.
On the worst-case scenario front, the Terps aren’t going to tumble any lower than No. 9. Even if N.C. State works its way into a tie at 7-9, Maryland holds a tiebreak over the Wolfpack (and will fare well in a mini-group that also includes Miami and/or Virginia Tech).
Rather than run through a ton of scenarios now, let’s make this simple:
If Maryland wins Saturday at Virginia AND Virginia Tech loses to either North Carolina OR Florida State, the Terps will be the No. 7 seed under all but one possibility.
That would require a three-way tie between Boston College, Maryland and Miami at 8-8, and to have Virginia Tech lose both of its final games. Miami’s mini-group record would place it at No. 6, and Boston College would get the edge for No. 7.
Complicated? Yes. Worth fretting over now when in 24 hours the scenarios will be simplified? Not so much.
Bottom line: Maryland will be the No. 7, No. 8 or No. 9 seed in Atlanta.
—- Patrick Stevens
