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The NCAA tournament field is set, with the expected teams at the top: Gonzaga is the No. 1 overall seed, while Illinois, Michigan, and Baylor also earned No. 1 seeds. The ACC got seven teams into the dance this year, though none are seeded higher than No. 4. (Here’s a printable bracket.)
And Louisville ended up being the last team left out—those late bid thefts by Georgetown and Oregon State in their league tournaments ended up costing the Cardinals their spot. Syracuse got in off the bubble and also avoided the First Four round, which is a bit surprising.
Virginia and Florida State each earned a No. 4 seed and are capable of runs, but the rest of the league probably won’t be around long. Clemson is a seven-seed, UNC is an eight, Georgia Tech is a nine, Virginia Tech is a 10, and Syracuse is an 11.
The Tar Heels got themselves a brutal draw, with a game against a Wisconsin team ranked 10th in KenPom in their first game, followed by a matchup with Baylor. We love to see it, don’t we, folks.
Georgia Tech definitely has a reasonable complaint about its positioning after winning the ACC tournament. The Jackets not only get stuck in an 8-9 game opposite Illinois, they also have an extremely tough opening game against Loyola, which is ninth in the Pomeroy Ratings. That’s rough, man.
Virginia Tech will have to go through Ohio State to make the second weekend, and Clemson would need to get by Houston.
That’s four ACC squads with some long odds for reaching the Sweet Sixteen. Which is fine by me, frankly. Since NC State isn’t in the field, I’ll be rooting for the failure of the ACC teams that did make it. Embrace the petty!