What to know about UNC's potential foes in the ACC

The ACC Tournament is consistently one of the top conference tournaments in the country. And this year’s edition will likely be no different.

As the No. 1 seed, North Carolina enters the tournament as one of the favorites to win it. But the Tar Heels aren’t the only team that could bring home the hardware.

No. 2 seed Virginia and No. 3 seed Miami finished one game behind UNC in the ACC standings and feature two of the conference’s top players in Cavalier guard Malcolm Brogdon and Hurricane guard Sheldon McClellan.

Louisville, which finished fourth in the ACC, won’t play in the tournament after imposing a one-year postseason ban amid an ongoing NCAA investigation into an alleged recruiting scandal at the university. But the competition will still be stiff.

Here’s a look at the 10 teams still competing in the ACC Tournament as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

North Carolina (25-6, 14-4 ACC)

North Carolina enters the ACC Tournament on a high note after holding off Duke in the regular season finale to bring a conference title to Chapel Hill for the first time in four years.

After experiencing their share of ups and downs during the season, the Tar Heels appear to have turned the corner. Senior forward Brice Johnson is playing as well as any other big man in the country, and forwards Justin Jackson and Kennedy Meeks finished the season strong.

But the shooting woes of Marcus Paige continue to baffle the Tar Heels. After earning preseason conference honors, Paige shot 27.9 percent from 3-point range during ACC play — far from a 41.5 percent mark in 2015. If UNC hopes to win its first ACC Tournament since 2008, the team will look for its senior leader to return to prior form.

VIrginia (24-6, 13-5 ACC)

Led by ACC Player of the Year Malcolm Brogdon, Virginia stormed to the second-best record in the ACC, tying with Miami. Among the Cavaliers’ 13 ACC wins is a 79-74 win over UNC on Feb. 27. Coach Tony Bennett’s pack line defense stifled the Tar Heels in Charlottesville, Va., where UVa. hasn’t dropped a game all season.

Virginia has been a different team away from home, though. The Cavaliers hold a 5-6 record on the road this season, including losses at George Washington, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Playing at a neutral site in Washington, D.C., isn’t exactly a road game, but UVa. hopes its second-ranked scoring defense can propel the Cavaliers to their third ACC title in program history and second in three seasons.

Miami (24-6, 13-5 ACC)

For most of the season, Miami has looked like one of the best teams in the country. Redshirt seniors Sheldon McClellan and Angel Rodriguez form a dynamic scoring tandem in the backcourt, while senior center Tonye Jekiri is one of the best defenders in the country and anchors the Hurricanes’ top-50 scoring defense.

But poor showings against middling opponents plagued Miami throughout the season. Despite holding serve with North Carolina and Virginia for much of the season, Miami tied for second in the ACC after blowout road defeats at Clemson, N.C. State and Virginia Tech — not to mention a 96-71 shellacking in Chapel Hill on Feb. 20.

Miami could win the tournament or lose its first game. Neither would be a shock.

Notre Dame (20-10, 11-7 ACC)

Despite losing three of its final five conference games, Notre Dame still secured the No. 4 seed and a coveted double-bye — courtesy of a tiebreaking win over Duke and a postseason ban for Louisville.

Coach Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish are no strangers to this stage, as third-seeded Notre Dame topped North Carolina in the final to win the tournament a season ago.

Senior Zach Auguste and junior Demetrius Jackson have carried the load for the Fighting Irish this season, with Jackson — second in the conference with 5.0 assists per game — earning a spot on the All-ACC second team.

But despite boasting two of the ACC’s top-20 scorers, Notre Dame’s 133rd-ranked scoring defense will likely be challenged by the potent offenses of its conference foes.

Duke (23-9, 11-7 ACC)

After defeating N.C. State 92-89 in Wednesday’s second round, Duke advanced to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals for a rematch with fourth-seeded Notre Dame.

The Blue Devils’ plan is simple: shoot 3-pointers and get to the free-throw line. Behind the dynamic play of sophomore guard Grayson Allen and first-year forward Brandon Ingram — two All-ACC honorees — Duke produced the second-best scoring offense in the conference this season despite primarily using a six-man rotation.

But Duke’s thin roster could prove to be its downfall. The Blue Devils flirted with foul trouble in its 76-72 loss to North Carolina on Mar. 5. And if the Blue Devils are to claim a record 20th ACC Tournament championship, Allen and Ingram will have to lead the charge.

Pittsburgh (21-10, 9-9 ACC)

After defeating Syracuse 72-71 in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday, eighth-seeded Pittsburgh will face North Carolina for the second time this season in the quarterfinals.

After starting 4-0 in ACC play, the Panthers lost six of their next nine conference games, culminating in 85-64 beatdown in Chapel Hill for Pittsburgh’s worst loss of the season.

Led by junior forward Michael Young — who earned All-ACC third-team honors in his third year starting — the Panthers spent the early part of the season in the top-25 and boast wins over Duke and Notre Dame on its resume. But after dropping three of its final four games in the regular season, Pittsburgh will likely rely to its do-it-all forward to try to topple the top-seeded North Carolina.

Virginia Tech (18-13, 10-8 ACC)

After Virginia Tech soared through the start of ACC play with a 4-1 record — including a win over then-No. 4 Virginia — the Hokies lost seven of their next eight games, including a crushing 75-70 home loss to North Carolina on Jan 24.

But like a phoenix from the ashes, Virginia Tech finished the year strong. The Hokies claimed their final five ACC games, including a blowout win over Miami to end the regular season and earn the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament.

Led by redshirt junior forward Zach LeDay, an All-ACC honorable mention, Virginia Tech will look to prove its strong play against top competition was more than a fluke.

The Hokies played No. 11 Florida State on Wednesday night for a chance to play Miami in today’s quarterfinals.

Clemson (17-13, 10-8 ACC)

Despite pulling out big home wins over Louisville, Duke and Miami, Clemson struggled on the road during ACC play, going 3-6 and dropping four games by a combined 15 points.

One of the Tigers’ road conference losses came in their ACC opener against North Carolina on Dec. 30, when the Tar Heels improved their all-time home record against Clemson to 58-0.

One of the lone bright spots for the Tigers in the loss to UNC was redshirt junior forward Jaron Blossomgame — who scored a team-best 15 points against the Tar Heels and earned All-ACC first-team honors after finishing third in the conference with 18.6 points per game.

The Tigers faced No. 10 seed Georgia Tech on Wednesday night for a spot in today’s quarterfinals.

Georgia Tech (18-13, 8-10 ACC)

After losing its conference opener 86-78 to North Carolina on Jan. 2, Georgia Tech struggled to gain any traction in ACC competition this year.

But behind inspired play from senior guard Marcus Georges-Hunt, an All-ACC third-team member, the rejuvenated Yellow Jackets claimed five of their final six games — including one-possession wins over Notre Dame and Clemson and a four-point victory against Pittsburgh in the regular season finale.

The Yellow Jackets once again faced seventh-seeded Clemson on Wednesday night, with the winner advancing to play second-seeded Virginia in today’s quarterfinals.

Florida State (19-12, 8-10 ACC)

As the No. 11 seed, Florida State advanced to Wednesday’s second round with an 88-66 victory over No. 14 seed Boston College.

The win over the Eagles marked the Seminoles’ third in a row, as the team has gained momentum since dropping five consecutive games in February. Entering the ACC Tournament, the team scored quality wins over Notre Dame and Syracuse.

For much of the year, Florida State has relied on stellar first-years Dwayne Bacon and Malik Beasley — who averaged 15.7 and 15.6 points per game, respectively. But both players struggled in the first half of the Seminoles’ 106-90 home loss to North Carolina on Jan. 4.

The Seminoles faced sixth-seeded Virginia Tech on Wednesday night for a spot in today’s quarterfinals.

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