ACC Tournament Recap | Selection Sunday Special

The NC State Wolfpack had an improbable run in the ACC tournament, winning five games in five days to become champions. The team had underdog status in four of those games, but managed to come out on top. DJ Horn and DJ Burns were key players for the Wolfpack. The team's success was a collective effort, with everyone contributing in some way. Coach Kevin Keats, who was previously on the hot seat, has turned things around and will likely receive an extension. This ACC title is a big deal for NC State, as they haven't won the tournament since 1987. Welcome to Inside the ACC, I'm Noah Teague from Technician Sports and I'm joined today by Troy John from Citrus TV and Brendan Lunga of the Daily Tar Heel. How you guys doing today? Doing good. It's March. I'm coming off one of the best ACC tournaments of all time, so I can't complain. Yep. Can't wait to talk about what was just an improbable run by Wolfpack. Absolutely. And it was an ACC tournament for the ages where we saw maybe the most improbable ACC champion of all time. The NC State Wolfpack wins five games in five days over Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, and number one seed, North Carolina. What happened this week? What did you guys see from the Wolfpack and their opponents? Yeah, I think I said about two or three weeks back when Keats was really on the hot seat, I said, you know, let's slow the breaks down a little bit because the season wasn't over yet. And State, you know, they could always make a run in the ACC tournament. And sure enough, you know, they made one of the most miraculous conference tournament runs probably in NCAA history. You listed the opponents on the way to the championship, underdogs in four of those last five games. Just insane. It was really the two DJs for State that led the way. DJ Horn scored 29 in the championship game. Burns really became a national phenomenon, winning the tournament MVP. And kind of just everything aligned for this team, similar to the survive and advance era of, you know, Jim Valvano Wolfpack back in the 80s. You know, can they keep this magic going in the big dance? I'm kind of hesitant to say so, you know, the team has been pretty mediocre all season as we know, except for this last week, but we'll talk about their path a little later on. But it's really cool to see, you know, what transpired this week, even coming from a UNC student perspective. Yeah. After, you know, they barely beat the worst team in the ACC in Louisville. And you all just think that, okay, they're going to lose to Syracuse, who's well rested and took the thing out the bag. But SCC just came out and demolished Syracuse, outplayed them, out hustled on all cylinders. And that's just what you need in March. DJ Horn didn't even play against Louisville, he came off the bench against Syracuse and Duke as well. He was really just not playing injured the entire tournament. But NC State, they just really relied on that, their entire starting five, plus a guy like Ben Milbrooks off the bench, Jayden Taylor, Kasey Morsell, O'Connell, Burns, Diarra. Everybody had a role, everyone had a moment that they could say that they contributed to this game. And after the O'Connell three to tie it against Virginia in the semifinals, I just knew that, like, okay, this probably is a team of destiny. They beat Virginia in overtime, thanks to DJ Burns dominating. And against North Carolina, Carolina, they struggled, Carolina shoots only one of 15 down the stretch. That contributed to Carolina losing, but State just took control late in the second half. And again, DJ Horn at 29 points, Burns at 20. He also had seven assists, was an amazing, really was an amazing passer this entire tournament. Mo Diarra grabbed 14 rebounds, the all-time ACC Tournament leader now in total rebounds, which is just amazing to see. Diarra's been a really underrated player for this State team. He grabbed 14 rebounds against Carolina, can't forget that he grabbed 16 against Duke as well in the quarterfinals. Just again, well-rounded performance by really everybody on this State team. Everyone contributed in some way, which is really great to see for this program. And Kevin Keats wins. It just looked like they were going to finish off to a midseason, and Keats was probably going to get fired. They lost four in a row heading into this tournament, which is just amazing to think about because they had zero momentum, and then all of a sudden, all the momentum's with them. And I'm really excited to see what they do in the tournament. It won't be an easy first-round matchup, but we'll talk about that a little later. Absolutely. You had told me a week ago that State would be sitting here as ACC champs in the NCAA tournament. I would have asked you to pass the pipe because it is absolutely insane. The run that they went on, I personally thought that they didn't have much of a shot against Louisville. They were trailing at halftime. Sky Clarke for the Cardinals was going off, and then in that second half, something switched, and you could tell in that moment that that team, they rallied, they got past an inferior opponent, but still a challenge. And then from there, they just got better and better and better as the week came along, and you could see it as they really began to believe in themselves that they were playing phenomenal. And you always just expected, like, okay, it's NC State. They're the 10 seed. They've played so many games. The bottoms get dropped out at some point, and it just never did. And the thing that impressed me the most was it wasn't just one dude carrying the team. Last season, Turquoise Williams-Smith and Jarkel Joyner really carried the load for this Wolfpack team. This year in the ACC tournament, it was a collective effort of a lot of guys stepping up. Obviously, he talked about Mohamed Diarra on the boards. One of the cool things that came out of that was he's observing Ramadan right now, and so he's fasting all throughout the day and doing this with sometimes no food and no water, which was absolutely incredible. And then you'd see when the sun goes down, he'd snack up and get ready. So incredible by Diarra to have the energy to just go out there and hoop at his best. DJ Burns, of course, was cooking inside. The thing that really impressed me was earlier in the season against Virginia, Jordan Miners had really shut him down. He had learned from that experience and was able to then cook Miners in the ACC tournament, especially in that overtime period, with seven really important points. And then DJ Hornman playing with the hip flexor injury, and he poured everything out, especially in that Carolina game where you're going up against one of the best in the entire nation. For him to go out there, play with confidence, play with swagger, knock down shots despite being injured, was absolutely incredible. So hats off to the Wolfpack. I'm still waiting to wake up from this dream because I still don't even know how it's real, but it is a historic run for the Wolfpack, and it's one that NC State fans will treasure for a long, long time. And it probably saves Coach Keats' job. So we'll transition then over to Kevin Keats. What is next for the NC State Wolfpack's head coach? Yeah, what a turnaround it's been, you know, kind of from really on the hot seat, potentially losing his job. And now with this run, maybe becoming a top three coach in NC State history, which is kind of crazy to say, you know, this run will probably give him an extension, no doubt in my mind. And, you know, kind of here's why, because State has been a solid program over the last half decade under Keats. The one criticism was that there was nothing to show for it, right? Now he has an ACC title under his belt. I think Keats was always a good coach, and the only thing holding him back was that one accolade that he could really hold on to. And now that he's got it, State has no excuse, I think, but to give him an extension for at least a couple more years. You know, I see a lot of UNC fans on Twitter saying something of the sort, like, you know, we might have lost the ACC, but at least Keats is going to stay another few years in Raleigh, so it's a win for UNC. I don't really buy into that. I think Keats is a good coach. He showed it this week, and I'm glad to see him get another chance in Raleigh to coach the NC State team. Yeah, it was really just trending in the wrong direction, but now he's got three NCAA tournaments in seven years, two NIT appearances, only really one year where he missed the at where he didn't have a winning season, and that was in 2021-2022, and almost all other seasons, he's had one, two, three, four, five, 20 win seasons, which in my eyes is very good, very solid for a Power 5 coach, and 20 wins, I feel like is always a benchmark to get into the NCAA tournament and whatnot, and having five of those seasons in your seven years, the other year not being in a postseason was because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it's just a really solid track record for a coach like Keats, again, especially in the Power 5, and you know, he's a solid coach, and as I've seen on Twitter, you've seen Kevin Keats being called a winner, and I don't disagree with that sentiment. He's had good success with a very solid program, especially after 2021-2022, they only won four games. Last year, they made the tournament, and this year, winning the ACC miraculously, and making it to the tournament as an 11th seed for the second straight year in a row. I like Keats. He definitely deserves an extension and another chance at least to see what he's got in the future. For sure. It's pretty crazy, the complete turnaround in the NC State fan base's perception of Keats, where he was hated by probably at least 90% of the fan base, and now you got fans clamoring for him to get a statue outside Reynolds Coliseum, so tremendous week for Kevin Keats. He did earn himself an automatic extension of two years and $400,000 as contract incentives, and I'm sure that Athletic Director Boo Corrigan will probably give him a little bit bigger raise, a little more years on that, because this is something that has not happened for the last several coaches. They haven't won an ACC tournament since 1987, so this is a big deal for State. This doesn't happen all the time, and to do it the way they did, winning five games in five days, obviously you have to have all the basketball things right, all your strategy right, but you also have to manage your players well, making sure that they're disciplined enough to be well-rested, to manage them to make sure that they're able to do enough to be prepared for games, but also not get injured, anything like that, so credit to Keats for bouncing so much over this past week, and with the thought of an inevitable firing coming that he just kept winning, and it's the ultimate boss move for him when your back is against a wall, and you just win everything that you possibly can, and now he is a champion, so congratulations to Keats. I was certainly a doubter before this week, but he proved me wrong. I will eat my crow on that happily, and Keats, he's going to get a very well-earned reward this offseason. So next up, I want to talk about the best players of the tournament. Who do you guys have as the player of the ACC 2024 tournament? I think all of us have a different NC State player on here, and that's how good they were this tournament, but I'm going to go with my favorite guy, and that's Mo Diara. The forward, again, the most rebounds ever by an ACC player in ACC tournament history. Only grabbed four points and four rebounds on the first game against Louisville, but then against Syracuse, eight points, 14 rebounds, six assists against Duke, 14 points, 16 rebounds against Virginia, nine points, 12 rebounds, and then against Carolina in the ACC championship, which was probably overall his best well-rounded game, 11 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. This guy was all over the floor defensively, especially causing a ton of problems, grabbing every point I felt like, every chance he could get. This was a massive breakout tournament for him, and he's always been a pretty solid player throughout the season. He's had a couple of double-doubles, he's had a couple of games with double-digit rebounds. Earlier in the year, he had a game where he had 18 rebounds against Boston College, but on a national stage like the ACC tournament, of course you're going to be recognized for the talent that you have, and Diara showed it, and he really broke out in this sense, really helped NC State's forwards as well. And NC State's forwards are, in my eyes, the strongest part of why NC State won those last few games, especially in the semifinals, and in the tournament final. Just again, a really impressive performance by Diara, and I don't know what's in his future if he comes back next year, but I really hope that he can maybe break into an all-conference caliber player by next season. Yeah, I'll go with the guy, DJ Horn, who really didn't put up some of the biggest numbers that we'll see, just because he was playing with that injury, not playing against Louisville, coming off the bench in the first couple games, but he came up big in big moments, scoring 29 in the title game against UNC, scored 16 against Cuse, 18 against Duke, off the bench, just 8 against Virginia, but again, just a vocal leader of this team. He's been really the leader of this team all year, and while he was overshadowed a bit by DJ Burns, I think, in this tournament, he was a key component of this run, big bucket after big bucket, to beat UNC, and without him, I don't think State is playing this weekend in the big dance. Absolutely, you cannot go wrong with either of those players, who are both completely pivotal, Mo Diara, especially defensively, DJ Horn, offensively. I'm going to go with the other DJ in DJ Burns, who, you know, came into the season as a fan favorite, sky-high expectations, and maybe didn't live up to them during the regular season, but he looked like the vintage DJ Burns that we saw last season, once he got to DC, especially on the offensive end, he did a phenomenal job of just working centers, of doing everything that he does well, whether it's the footwork, the passing, or just the touch around the basket, he was absolutely incredible, and at his best, and the thing that I thought was really cool is that he improved throughout the tournament, he got better with each game, you know, so the first game, he's scoring 12 points, solid day, but you know, nothing too impressive, next game out against Syracuse, 15 points, he's shooting much more efficient, he's making passes, setting up his teammates, Duke does a very good job, especially in the passing game, and then Virginia is where he really broke out in this tournament, especially in that overtime period, he ended up with 7 points in that period, 19 points for the entire game, and then the UNC game, he was absolutely pivotal, I think we all know how incredible a player Armando Baycott is, and yet DJ Burns went to work possession after possession, and just got hard-earned buckets in the paint, and he even hit his first career three-pointer, I let out a very loud scream when he shot that, because I thought that was not going to go in, I was worried like, oh my gosh, he's going to airball this, everything's going to go downhill, somehow it goes in, I don't know what happened there, but he even hit a three-pointer, which is something that I would have never in my wildest dreams thought would happen, he also had 7 assists in that game, did a phenomenal job of getting the ball in the post, and then finding open teammates, whether it was guys like DJ Horn, Michael O'Connell, Casey Morsell, finding all the guards around him, so shout out to DJ Burns for playing some of his best basketball in his last ACC tournament. And so now with that, we're going to transition into the big tournament, the NCAA tournament, where the ACC got five teams in, so along with NC State in their auto bid, you also have Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, and Virginia, we're going to start with the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, what are you guys' expectations for where they're at in the bracket, how far can they end up going? Yeah, I think they got somewhat of a bad draw with Michigan State potentially in the second round, Mississippi State obviously also a good team, UNC gets to travel not very far to Charlotte, so they should have the home fans behind them, which is good, but you never want to face an experienced coach like Tom Izzo early in the tournament, obviously everyone's kind of looking to Arizona and a potential matchup against Caleb Love in the Elite Eight, I think a lot of people would love to see that be included, and then Clemson's in this region as a 6C, we can talk about Clemson a little bit more later, but UNC obviously lost to Clemson earlier this season, so that won't be an easy matchup as well, and I think Baylor's a good team as well. I would predict that UNC makes the Final Four, I think they're the most well-rounded team of any team in that region, but it definitely won't be easy, and I think any team of the top 6C's in that region can beat UNC. It's a little bit of a tough draw for Carolina, but I also don't think that these teams will be that good, let me just reiterate, I think Carolina's still going to be very good, I think that they should be able to reach the Elite Eight at minimum, but I think there's some really tricky teams to watch out for, especially kind of in the double-digit teams, you know, you've got a team like Grand Canyon, who have looked really impressive in the WAC all season long, and of course you've got the Mountain West Conference Tournament champions in New Mexico, who I think, if they had not won that tournament, that conference tournament, they would be left off the bubble, and that would be a real shame, because Richard Pitino's squad has been really good all year long, probably the most underrated team in a loaded Mountain West Conference, and another Mountain West team, Nevada, could also give Carolina some issues there, and of course though, we do have Arizona at the bottom of the bracket, would like to see a Caleb Love rematch, Caleb Love Bowl going on there, but my expectation for Carolina is that they probably should be able to get out of the region, but I do think that if they run into a team like Clemson, or like Alabama, or if they face Alabama in the Sweet 16, I might be a little concerned, but Carolina overall, they are the best team in that region, they should, in theory, be able to get to at least the final four. Absolutely, it's definitely an exciting bracket, I think that of the four regions, it's probably the second hardest, East Regional is just loaded with UConn, I would say all that, but Carolina's going to have a tough road, obviously, they'll have Mississippi State or Michigan State in the second round, I'm personally pretty high on Mississippi State, they did a lot of very good stuff towards the end, got a great shooter there in Josh Hubbard, and they're going to be a tough out, but Carolina, obviously, is a very experienced team, they're a very high quality team, so they should be able to get through that, you know, you look at their potential 4-5 matchups, St. Mary's one of the best defensive teams in the country, and then NATO, it's one of the best coaches in the country, leading an Alabama squad that has looked a little suspect at times, but has also been phenomenal at times, so it's definitely a tough start to the bracket. For me personally, I would have them going to the Elite Eight, just because it is such a tough bracket, but they very well could end up winning the national championship, but for at least my own personal bracket, I have Arizona just barely, barely beating them out to make it to the Final Four, but this is a team that can go all the way, they have the talent, both in the big men, on the guards, they're one of the best teams in the country, and very well deserving of the number one seed, so we'll see what happens, but for now I have them as an Elite Eight team. Next up, we have the Duke Blue Devils, who wound up as a 4 seed, and they will be taking on Vermont in the South Regional to open up, what do you guys see with the Blue Devils? You know, this is kind of a tricky reason for them, because potentially you have Houston in that region that you could play in the Sweet 16, I think Houston has one of the best coach teams in the country, with Calvin Sampson, they have the best, most suffocating defense you will ever see, one of the best in the country, and not to mention who they could play in the Round of 32, talk about a very good Wisconsin team that just made it on a run to the Big Ten Championship, or a team like James Madison, who beat a Big Ten team in Michigan State earlier this season, and won the summed up title, so it's not an easy road for Duke in this region, and not to mention the team they are facing is Vermont, who it always seems like a very scrappy team in the American niche, John Beggars kind of built a dynasty there, and it might be the year for Vermont to do some damage, they haven't had a big upset in a couple of years, of course they beat Syracuse long ago in the NCAA tournament, has a 13 seed, so maybe this history repeats itself again there, I'm not sure, but Duke should be able to get past Vermont, but against teams like Wisconsin, a very good Houston team, I don't know, so my expectation is that Duke should probably, I think should reach the Sweet 16, get one round better than what they did last season, but I'd be kind of surprised if they get past the Sweet 16, more than the Sweet 16, that's what I mean. Yeah, I think it's very tough to pick Duke right now, you know, two straight losses coming into the tournament, just really nothing to be excited about with this team, could they lose to Vermont? I think it's definitely a possibility, this Catamount team is definitely, seems to be an upset favorite, year in and year out, would I pick it? Probably not, I think Duke will make it to the second round, and they're set up for a very difficult second round matchup, either against Wisconsin, which would be a rematch of the 2016 championship, or James Madison, who only has three losses all season out of the Sun Belt, honestly, I think Duke loses to either of those teams, and even if they do win, I just don't think they can match up with Houston, so I'll say their ceiling is the Sweet 16, I think Houston is unbeatable right now, and even though they lost to Iowa State, I still think they're the best team in the country, and I think Houston will make it out of this, out of this region, and I think Houston will be winning the national championship. Absolutely, it's a, it's a very tough draw, Duke fans are going to hate this, I think they're a one and done, Vermont is a very good team, they, like you've mentioned, have always been indeterminate, they're always very pesky, I think back a few years ago, they played Florida State, and they came down to wire with that one, you know, so they're, they're always right there, and at some point, this team is going to break through, and I think this is the year, and it also, though, is an indictment on Duke's team this year, and one of the things that you see from all the best teams in the country, and I'll use North Carolina as an example of this, is they have clearly defined and established roles, all right, so for North Carolina, you can very clearly tell that R.J. Davis is the man. For Duke, there's not really a guy that you point to and you say, that's definitely the guy. Sometimes it's Phil Pausky, sometimes it's not, sometimes it's Jared McCain, sometimes it's not, and so you look at this Duke team, are they going to be able to step it up in a close game, in a tight game, against a very tough defensive team? I don't think they will. Now, obviously, they're a four-seed for a reason, they have a lot of individual talent on that team, and they could very well make it to the Sweet Six team. I do think that's their ceiling, because, like Brendan, I think that Houston is going to win the national championship, however, I just, I don't see it with the Duke team, I don't think they get there. I think if they somehow do get to the second round, I think they're going to lose, whether it's Wisconsin or James Madison, but Jimmy Duke, as a one-and-done, falling to the Vermont Catamounts. Next up, we have the Clemson Tigers returning under Brad Brownhill to the postseason. What do you guys see with the Tigers this season? Yeah, Clemson's kind of just the wildcard team for me in the tournament in terms of the ACC. I think the Tigers are a little underrated, can very well upset Baylor in the second round, make it to the second weekend, and if you told me, you know, three weeks from now that Clemson made a run and was playing in the Final Four, I'd be surprised, but I wouldn't be, you know, that shocked. I think this team is good enough, led by P.J. Hall, to make a run in the tournament, but also, as Brad Brownhill, it's the Clemson Tigers, they could just as easily lose in the first round. It's going to be tough to get by a New Mexico team that's, you know, very good out of the Mountain West, and then, you know, you have potentially Baylor and Arizona and then UNC afterwards, so I am hesitant to say they'll make a run, but I also wouldn't be surprised. I think they have the ingredients with their guard play to make a run in the NCAA tournament, and I said I thought they could make a run in the ACC tournament, and they lost their first matchup, so who knows with this Clemson Tiger team. I think we'll probably get the bad version of this Clemson team. This is a very good New Mexico team. This is a team that has been on the verge of the bubble all season long. They've been my personal NCAA tournament field, however I think about it, very comfortably. It's kind of shocking that they are in the 11th seed as the conference champions at one of the top six best conferences in the country this year. This is a good New Mexico team with strong guard play in Jalen House and Jamal Mashburn Jr. They have good forwards, solid depth, and I think Patino is one of the most underrated coaches in the country, going back to his days at Minnesota, and now here we're building this New Mexico team that's built, and now they're a pretty respectable program. I really like this matchup for them. I think with how Clemson lost to Boston College in the ACC tournament, and New Mexico running all the momentum, this is a very good New Mexico team. Clemson should not take this matchup lightly, but if Clemson is able to get past New Mexico, I do kind of like their chances of at least making the Sweet Six team. Again, like Brendan, I would not be surprised if they beat Baylor, and they could give Arizona a run for their money, but that's all going to have to depend if Brad Ronell doesn't get in his own way and choke this first game away. I do really like New Mexico in this matchup, specifically that's why I'm picking them over Clemson, but if Clemson gets past this, I do kind of see the Clemson over Baylor matchup, if that happens in Round of 32. Absolutely. I've been very much on the opposite end of the argument about the Mountain West. I've been lower on them all year, but New Mexico is a very quality opponent, under-seeded at 11, and what they did in the Mountain West tournament itself was very impressive, along with their regular season, and so this is a team that's coming in hot, and facing a Clemson team that, tell me if y'all have heard this before, I do not trust Brad Ronell at all, and I got to go with New Mexico here as well. Brad Ronell, he's not shown that he can win a lot of these big games, he's not shown that he can be consistent, he is, to me, the most frustrating coach in the ACC, and when you have a hot team like New Mexico coming in, feeling good about themselves, feeling confident, playing their best basketball, it's going to be really tough to stop them, and so I have to go with the Lobos. However, with Clemson being a Obviously, they do have a real shot to win this thing. If they do, they have an interesting matchup with Baylor. Again, I would take Baylor. I think that they have a significant coaching advantage, they have a lot of talent as well, and they're very battle-hardened playing in the Big 12, so that would not be an easy matchup either. So for me, I put their ceiling at the second round. I just don't see it with Clemson this year. Obviously, it sucks for P.J. Hall if this is how he goes out, but at least Brownell got him into the tournament, but give it to Lobos in this one. Next up, we have NC State against Texas Tech. It's an 11th seed versus a 6th seed in the South Regional, so same one as Duke. What are y'all's thoughts on the Wolfpack's chances? You know, I really want to say that they'll keep their momentum going from the ACC tournament after winning five games in five days against a very good Texas Tech team. I don't see it happening personally. This, again, is a Texas Tech team that was really on fire at the beginning of this year. They only had lost two games. They were 15-2 at some point, but their only losses were two very good teams, as the Big 12 is filled with very good teams. They lost to Houston in the Big 12 tournament. They lost to Iowa State and Baylor. It's Houston in the regular season, but they have good wins. Beat Baylor, beat BYU twice, beat Kansas by 29. This is a very, very good Texas Tech team, and I just really want to say that NC State can keep the momentum going, but against a better coached team, and Grant McMastin is doing a fantastic job in his first year in a Texas Tech team that, again, is just very good and I think will outplay NC State in a lot of categories, I would have to pick Texas Tech, and I would be surprised if NC State got out of the first round. But if they do, that Kentucky matchup against Kentucky would be pretty exciting, but I don't think they would get past Kentucky in that case. Yeah, I'm in a similar boat with NC State as I am with Clemson. I think they could very easily lose to Texas Tech in the first round. If this was a matchup, you know, two weeks ago even, I think we would all pretty much say Texas Tech is going to win this game. But, you know, NC State has all of the momentum in the world, probably the hottest team in the country right now, and if they get through Texas Tech, I think they could beat Kentucky. And I don't think Marquette is all that good, personally, and I think if you told me they were playing in the Elite Eight, I wouldn't be surprised. So I think, again, it all depends. Can NC State, like Clemson, can they get out of the first round, keep building on that momentum, and then potentially, you know, maybe they can keep riding it to an Elite Eight. Again, they'll play Houston eventually in the Elite Eight, which is a rematch of the 80s. That would be a really fun matchup. I think Houston is unbeatable. So like Duke, I don't think NC State can make the Final Four out of this region. Absolutely. You know, State might have been on a miracle run. Houston might be the best team in the country, but it is not 1983, unfortunately. So I don't think State's going all the way, and I don't think they're getting out of the first round either. But it's definitely an interesting spot for them for the Wolfpack. I think they're just grateful to be in the tournament this season after the way that the past three months have gone for this team. You know, you talked about Texas Tech. They, like Baylor, like all these other Big 12 teams, are very battle-tested. So whatever you throw against them, they have seen it, and they've hung with some of the best in the entire country. Obviously, they've had their ups and downs, but I just don't see the momentum continuing for State, especially playing five games in five days. You're going to get some rest, but you're still going to be feeling it. You're going to be tired from that, and I think against this Texas Tech team that is very well coached by Grant McCaslin, it's going to be tough for them to get out of the first round. Ironically, I would have liked their second round matchup better against Kentucky, who, despite all their offensive firepower, is just brutal to watch defensively at times. Former NC State commit Rob Dillingham would be playing for the Wildcats, which would be a big-time storyline for Wolfpack fans to follow. But I don't think we will ultimately get that matchup. I think that NC State is going to be a one-and-done. And last team in the NCAA tournament, they're going to be playing in Dayton to start against Colorado State. That is Virginia. What do you see from the Cavaliers sneaking in off the bubble? Yeah, I'm not going to say much about Virginia. This team stinks, if we're being honest. Can they win their first four games? Potentially a first-round game, maybe. If they beat Colorado State in Dayton, they'll match up against Texas. I don't think they have much of a chance against Texas. But if they win that, I think Tennessee, as a 2C, is just a 10 times better version of Virginia. So I don't think they have any much of a chance of a run at all. Ceiling, round of 32, I guess. But that's what I have for Virginia. I think overall, just looking at the big picture for the ACC, I'll predict at least one ACC team makes the final four. And just in general, I think it should be a fun tournament for the conference. At least three or four teams, I think, should be playing into the second weekend. Virginia is not one of them. I can agree with that sentiment from Brandon. And honestly, this matchup between Virginia and Colorado State, it should go Colorado State's way. This is a team that, again, has a lot of depth. They were kind of down last year, but they've just gotten better this season. I think Nico Mavet is another very underrated coach, coaching in the Mountain West right now. Isaiah Stevens is one of the best guards in the country, one of the most underrated guards in the country. They have great forwards. They can score well. This is a team that I think is going to give Virginia a lot of headaches, unfortunately. And even if Tony Bennett can even get past them, they'll face another team with another really good scoring guard in Max Avesmith in Texas. And if they somehow get past Texas, they'll face one of the top five players in the country in Dalton Connect. And that would not go well for Virginia. So again, I maybe can see them getting to Tennessee, but they're running toward the end there. And I can't even really see them getting out of Dayton in the first round. I'm with you guys. I think that their absolute max ceiling is that second round because Tennessee would be absolutely a brutal matchup for them. But going up against Colorado State is going to be tough. Obviously, Colorado State has played a lot of very good teams. So like some of these other teams, they're going to be very well battle-hardened. And they came into the tournament a little bit on a slide. They lost some games towards the end of February. So you kind of look at them and say, maybe they're a little vulnerable. But obviously, you get most of this week to regroup after they got knocked out of the Mountain West tournament. So I guess this weekend and then heading to Dayton. So it's going to be a tough matchup for Virginia. Throw in their horrendous, horrendous free-throw shooting. And it's tough. But I do think that Virginia has a puncher's chance in this one. They have a lot of phenomenal defenders. For Virginia, the key is make this game ugly, and then anything can happen. I've seen Virginia hold teams to 38 in a single game. I've seen them hold teams to 15 in a single half. So Virginia certainly has the defense. It's just, can they make Colorado State get into one of these ugly slugfest games and then find enough offense themselves to get past that? And then going up against Texas. Texas has been inconsistent this season. Obviously, they're a very talented team. They're a very athletic team, but sometimes they have lost some inexplicable games throughout this season. So we'll see. That's certainly one where Texas could be on upset watch. But I do think that there's no prayer that they get past Tennessee. So if I have to lock in an official prediction, I'll say they get through Dayton. But then I don't think they quite get past Texas, but it's possible. So first round for the Virginia Cavaliers. So obviously, the five teams there got into the NCAA tournament. However, there were also some ACC teams that did not get into the NCAA tournament. Obviously, Pitt was the biggest snub. Wake Forest was also not there. And then Syracuse, Boston College, Virginia Tech. And so talk a little bit about some of their NIT chances, if they're going. And we can start with Pitt, who has, it looks like, declined an invite to the NIT after just barely missing the tournament. Yeah, I have no gripes, honestly, with the committee on this one. I think a lot of ACC Twitter is kind of disappointed that Pitt didn't get in. I think Virginia deserved it more to be in the tournament, despite what the eye test might say. Should Pitt have been a tournament team? I think they should have been. It's a shame we won't be seeing Blake Henson in the tournament. But they also lost to Missouri in the non-conference, who went defeated in the SEC. So Pitt really has no one to blame but themselves. Wake had a chance to play themselves into the tournament on Thursday. Lost to Pitt in a game they were favored in. Pitt got that win, almost took down UNC in the semifinals of ACC, which could have been their ticket into the big dance. They couldn't get it done, and they declined the invitation to NIT. They were the third team, I believe, out of the NCAA tournament. Yeah, it's just a tough job for Pitt. I mean, I think after all those big stewards won, and a lot of other bubble teams were winning games, I think it was just always going to be an uphill battle for Pitt, despite building up a good enough resume, in my eyes. This is a Pitt team that is definitely good enough to make the NCAA tournament. This is a team that probably could have won a game in the NCAA tournament. This was a team that was really on fire, that dominated winning over Wake, and they didn't play a bad game against Carolina. This team, again, definitely should have been in the tournament. But unfortunately, with the way the bubble shook out, it was going to always be an uphill battle for them after they lost to Carolina. But this is still a very impressive season for Pitt. I think after, again, a slow start to ACC play, they really started to build themselves back up after that win at Cameron Indoor against Duke. So again, Pitt probably should be in, but unfortunately, it just didn't go their way. And declining the NIT invite, I totally get. They want to get the offseason rolling right away and get their guys in for next season, especially after they're going to lose their best player in Blake Hinson. It was a tough draw for sure for Pitt. It was something that was, I think, expected nationally, but still disappointing. If it were up to me, I would have sent them to Dayton because when you have a team that's not really sure what you do with them, just send them to Dayton. But I guess they're not going to get that. But it's a tough way to go out for Pitt. Obviously, they played their hearts out against Carolina in the ACC semifinals and just fell short against one of the best teams in the country. So while I can't blame them for declining the NIT invite, I do wish they would play just because, you know, I think it's always fun to have those top teams in the NIT. But definitely a sour way to end the season, but nothing for them to hang their heads about. Capo did a good job this season with a very talented squad led by Blake Hinson, and we'll see what they can do heading into the offseason. Next up, we have Wake Forest, who earned a one seed in the NIT, so obviously missed out on their big goal, the NCAA tournament. I can't really feel bad for them after what they did following that due game with some inexplicable losses. And as the one seed, they will be hosting, it looks like, App State. So what are we thinking with the Demon Deacons? Yeah, I think Wake Forest is one of the better teams to have missed the tournament. I think that's a tough first round matchup against a good Sunbelt team in Appalachian State. If, you know, we're just going based off talent, I would say Wake can make it to the final four of the NIT. But I think the biggest issue is, you know, just how much do they want to be there? I mentioned just before, you know, Wake had a chance to play themselves into the tournament on Thursday. They beat Pitt. I think their aim and they were favored in that game. Couldn't get it done. I think they obviously didn't deserve to be in the tournament. Kind of just a big letdown after they got a big win against Duke and then just some bad losses down the stretch leading to them being out of the tournament. I think, you know, if they have, you know, they want to be there and they want to play and they want to win a championship, I think they very well have the feeling of winning the NIT. But it's always a question for any ACC team, you know, playing in the NIT. Will they want to be there? We'll just have to see. Yeah. Again, Wake is another good, another team that definitely is good enough for the ACC tournament. But unfortunately, unfortunately, they collapsed near the end of the season after their ginormous win against Duke and losing to Pitt in the ACC tournament pretty much put a nail in their coffin. They weren't even close to the first four out. And unlike Pitt, which had a decent enough resume, I don't think Wake's resume got better until that week, until that Duke win. And then it all came crashing down after they lost to Notre Dame in Georgia Tech. But again, this is a team that I think has talent to make the tournament. It just couldn't, they just didn't have the juice near the end of the season. But I do think they could make a run in the NIT, which I think a lot of ACC teams do have the potential to, so. For sure. Wake Forest did not deserve to be in the NCAA, despite what Forbes and some of the ACC media, Twitter people are saying as of right now. They just blew it at the end of the season, lost to Notre Dame, lost to Virginia, lost to Georgia Tech. You can really only afford to lose one of those, definitely not all three. And then the fact that they then couldn't make up for it in the ACC tournament, fell to Pittsburgh. Obviously that loss in and of itself is not that bad, but you needed to make up for those bad losses. And they just weren't able to do it. And to me, the story of the season is just a missed opportunity. Obviously they had so much talent on this roster, whether it's Hunter Salas, Efton Reed, or the rest of their squad. It just, they were so close this season in the resume, it just didn't come together. It didn't quite stack up and it sucks for Wake Forest because they're always on the precipice with Steve Forbes, but just never quite able to break through. Like you guys have talked about, the motivation, will it be there? I think it will. Wake Forest will have a chip on their shoulder after, in their eyes, probably being seen as a snub, but we'll see kind of what goes down. I do think that they have a great shot at winning the NIT. Next team I want to talk about, and this is, to me, this is shocking. Syracuse, obviously they didn't make the NCAAs. They also did not make the NIT, which to me is mind boggling because you have a very fun team, a dynamic backcourt, and somehow, some way, they did not make it in after a solid season. So what do you guys have on the Orange? So I'm just like very confused. A lot of points went to, a lot of signs pointed to the Orange being in the NIT. All the NIT bracketologists, when I had Q's in their field, pretty comfortably a lot, actually, and there was no reports, unlike what Pitt did earlier today, where they said that they wouldn't accept an invite to the NIT. There was not really nothing, and so all points you would assume would say that Q's would make the NIT, but as the brackets just came out, as we recorded this, they're not involved in the field with the three other teams from the ACC, which is just a little shocking to me because I do think that this team had a little bit more value to get into play in the NIT, especially against a team like Providence, was good enough to make the NCAA tournament, definitely had the players to do so. And just like with this Q's team, as reports are coming out right now, it's just a lot of reporters here are pretty surprised. There's not been a lot of communication, I guess, to say, did Adrian Autry reject the invite, or were they just not invited in general? It's more likely that they declined the invite, but I would be a little surprised that they didn't say something about it earlier, so we would have had a little more clear communication in that front, but we didn't, and now their season's over, shockingly, which is, I guess, to say that they weren't that good enough even to probably compete in the NIT against a very good Providence team, but it still surprises me a little bit that they weren't included in the initial field at all. Yeah, this is pretty surprising, you know, Syracuse kind of ended up being in the top half of the ACC. I think some people thought they maybe can work themselves into the bubble talk, but I don't think they were ever really, by the time the ACC tournament came around, they were ever in the discussion to begin with, kind of needed to win the ACC, ended up falling in their first matchup. You know, I guess it's good from the perspective of a first-year head coach kind of getting right into the offseason for Syracuse, and I don't mind this for them, but it's very surprising to not even get an invitation for the NIT, considering the other teams that did get invitations, like Virginia Tech, who I think Syracuse is better than. So, yeah, this is, you know, really shocking news to see. Yeah, for sure. I would hope that they declined it and just weren't snubbed because Hughes was, they had a good season. I know that they obviously have higher aspirations eventually to make it to the NCAA tournament, compete in the NCAA tournament, being, you know, such a quality program. However, you know, with a first-year coach, I think an NIT opportunity would have been valuable. You know, you get a few more games in with the guys you got. Aushree would get a few more games in as a head coach at Syracuse and get kind of that first taste of postseason play, and it just kind of sucks to see that they went out kind of on a really sour note, especially after what seemed like a strong end to the regular season. But it's definitely tough. I would have enjoyed seeing J.J. Starling, Judah Mintz, Chris Bell, and the rest of the Orange in the NIT. However, they're going to go ahead and hit the offseason, it looks like. Next up, we have Virginia Tech, who is going to be a three-seed in the NIT, and they're going to be playing against Richmond. Thoughts on the Hokies? Yeah, Virginia Tech, I think, you know, playing a Richmond team that always seems to have, you know, some upsets in March, I wouldn't be surprised if Virginia Tech falls in the first round. I haven't been able to really look at the bracket, but I also think Virginia Tech has the talent to make a run. This was a fun team. I think maybe played a little bit over than what they were expected coming into this year, but I think, you know, Virginia Tech definitely deserves to be in the NIT, and I think they could always make a run. Yeah, this is, again, a very okay Virginia Tech team, but they always have had the capabilities to make some sort of run, but I just don't like that, you know, it doesn't feel right that Syracuse is not in it, but Virginia Tech is. So, like, and again, we still don't know if Syracuse projected an invite or not, but, like, I still feel like it's a little wrong that a 20-win team is not in it, but a 17-win team is. So, but I am excited to see a little more of Hunter Couture and Sean Padua in that backcourt for Virginia Tech against a pretty solid Richmond team that won the 8-10 this season. Yeah, for me, Virginia Tech is, they're just very average. You know, you kind of look at their season, the highlight was that 30-point drubbing of Virginia, but outside of that, it wasn't all that exciting for them. They beat a lot of the teams they were supposed to beat, lost pretty much all the other teams that they were supposed to lose to, and so for Virginia Tech, obviously, they were nowhere near making the NCAA tournament, so for them, it should be a fun postseason. Richmond is going to be a challenging matchup, one of the better mid-majors that was not in the NCAA tournament. I do think that Virginia Tech could end up going one-and-done, but like you mentioned, with that backcourt, those guys can heat up and they can really score at times, so we'll see. It should at least be a fun game for the Hokies, and we'll see if they can make a run, and then next up is Boston College, who made a little bit of a run in the ACC tournament, obviously knocked off Clemson, took Virginia to overtime, and now they'll be playing Providence in the NIT. What are your expectations for the Eagles? Yeah, this is another team that I think is playing really good basketball right now in March, and I wouldn't be surprised if they make a run in the NIT. You know, you mentioned taking Virginia to overtime. They win that game. They have NC State in the semifinals, and who knows? Boston College could be the team that goes on that five-wins-in-five-days streak and ends up in the NCAA tournament instead of NC State, so with Quinton Post down low, I really like this Boston College team. It's a fun team to watch, and I'm excited for it to get at least one more game of seeing the Eagles play basketball in March this season. Yeah, I'm really excited to see, I guess, Quinton Post play one more game, but again, it just, you know, it doesn't feel like Boston College deserves to be in the NIT, especially with all the changes they've made in the last year. There should be a lot of mid-major one-seasons that should be in it, but instead we get mediocre teams like Boston College, and especially a 16-17 Xavier team that's for some reason in the NIT, but I'm really, but like again, I'm really excited to see the Boston College team that is, you know, the Boston College team play at least one more game. I think Earl Grant is a good coach. I think Quinton Post is really good. I just, it's not, it's not the worst to see them play one more game. For sure, I'm definitely excited to see BC play. Obviously, you know, if Syracuse is not getting invited and BC is, there's a major problem with the NIT, but Boston College is a team that I think they do deserve some sort of postseason, especially with the way they ended the season. Earl Grant has done a nice job of bringing this program to a point where it's solid. It's not great, but it's solid, and you know, with that run they made in the ACC tournament, I think that fans will want to see a little bit more of this Boston College team on a national stage. They'll get a good opponent from the Big East in Providence, and so we'll see what they can do. Quinton Post, obviously one of the best players in the ACC, and I'm excited to watch them. That's one of the teams that I'm definitely going to circle and say I'm going to watch them in the NIT. Even as mediocre as they are, they're a fun team and they're trending in the right direction, so nice reward for the Eagles there. And it looks like that is all from the ACC in terms of postseason play. So before we get out of here, just want to wrap up, get some overall thoughts on the ACC season this year so far. Yeah, I thought it was a another great competitive year of ACC basketball. Two teams on top of the conference for most of the season, and UNC and Duke, who should be the teams leading the ACC. Some great bubble teams like Wake Kitt that really came down to the final week of ACC play, and then you get an incredible Cinderella run from NC State in the tournament to punch an unexpected bid. I think this is all you could ask for in an ACC season, especially with everything changing next year with SMU, Cal, and Stanford coming in. The last year of the ACC, we've kind of all knew, the last decade or so, ending it with UNC and NC State in the championship just feels right. It's still the best conference in college basketball, no matter what anyone wants to say, and I think we'll see two or three teams playing for the second weekend, and hopefully a team playing for the national championship come April. I've kind of been down on the ACC for most of this season, but as the season, especially this late season, has come along, you know, it's been a stronger showing for the ACC late on in the season. Yeah, I know it really, if you get outside of the top six, it's kind of a really weak conference, but the top six is objectively very strong. You know, I know like it's not maybe the most engaging style, exciting style of basketball, but it's good basketball, objectively, overall, and the fact that we got, we were able to get a couple, five bids in the ACC, into the NCAA tournament this year, especially with NC State winning miraculously, was a very exciting way to end just the ACC in general. So, it's a very, it's a very, it's very exciting. I do really think that we should see at least three teams get through the second weekend, maybe two, get to the second to the Sweet 16, but I think that the, I think the ACC overall, a little disappointing, a little bit of a down year. I think, you know, it's not crazy to say that the ACC hasn't been bad this year, but I think it ended the year pretty strongly. For sure. I think for me, the biggest takeaway that I had was the parity of the ACC. It was just a really fun year. We saw a lot of big-time upsets, whether it was Georgia Tech beating Carolina, beating Duke, beating Clemson. You also look at some of these other teams that had some incredible upsets, whether it's Pitts win in Cameron Indoor, whether it was the clashes between Carolina and Duke, whether it was Boston College making a run in the ACC tournament, or NC State going all the way in the ACC tournament. We saw a lot of the teams that do not traditionally win get some awesome moments, and for me, that's the biggest takeaway that I have from this season. It was a really fun year, even if the league doesn't quite stack up with the ACC, with the Big 12. It's still a phenomenal and a very fun basketball conference, in my opinion. We'll see. A lot of teams are moving in the right direction. NC State has finally turned a corner. Syracuse, with Coach Autry, looks like they're moving in the right direction. Virginia Tech, Florida State, I don't know. Maybe they're not going to move in the right direction, but there's a lot of these teams that didn't quite finish towards the top, but are moving in the right direction. Boston College is another one. Earl Grant is going to mess around and make an NCAA tournament at some point soon. He's a very good coach, so the league is in good hands. It's definitely changing at the guard from what we've seen traditionally with the ACC. Obviously, this used to be Roy Williams and Coach Kate's conference. They've moved on, and so we're seeing new teams emerge along with old powers still remain incredibly talented, and I'm very excited for next year. Obviously, Duke, very impressive recruiting class coming in for them. Carolina, great year. They're going to be able to build off of this, and the rest of the ACC is going to be playing catch-up, but I think that they'll be in a position to do so well, and that'll wrap it up for us this week on Inside the ACC. Thank you to everyone that was listening for our big mega NCAA and NIT episode. We will be back later on during the tournament, and we'll be back next week.