Conference play begins this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Already, some games are regarded as must-win affairs.
The league has struggled mightily in nonconference play.
Only three ACC teams are ranked, but national polls have absolutely nothing to do with the field of 68. And only one Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) is used by the NCAA tournament selection committee, not those available by a variety of web sites.
The ACC has serious issues as conference play begins. How many losses can Duke and North Carolina afford to have to anyone either than each other and still contend for a No. 1 regional seed? Is there a cutoff line for the number of league wins a team must have to even generate consideration for an at-large invitation?
If so, the quality of those league wins could vary. North Carolina State, for example, plays perhaps the three worst teams in the league — Boston College, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest — twice each. Meanwhile, Maryland gets only the Yellow Jackets twice. Plus, Maryland plays both North Carolina and Duke twice, whereas the Wolfpack takes on Duke only once.
Maryland has a much tougher conference schedule, so if both finish 10-6 in the ACC, the Terrapins will be viewed more positively. That’s why the only meeting between NC State and Maryland this season, Sunday in Raleigh, is a must win for NC State. The Wolfpack need the head-to-head, just in case.
The ACC is 117-51 in nonconference play, and its .696 winning percentage out of conference is second-worst among the six power conferences. Only the Pac-12, which is 89-57 (.610) versus nonconference foes, has struggled more. The Big Ten (123-28), the Big 12 (100-26), Big East (153-45) and Southeastern Conference (125-46) round out the power conferences.
The photo gallery embedded on this page includes a quick breakdown of each ACC team and a look ahead to its conference schedule. Included is official RPI, as provided on the NCAA web site, NCAA.org, for the first time.
Keep in mind that the RPI will change a great deal and look quite different come March, mainly because conference play will strengthen the big boys’ schedule rankings. Also, note that the current RPIs are as of Jan. 1 and do not reflect any games played since.
