ACC Roundup - Final Saturday Of The Regular Season And Coaching Moves Begin

Let’s see how things shake out Saturday and get read for Greensboro!

In Saturday’s final day of ACC regular season action, NC State and Miami square off in the Loser Bowl, Stanford visits Louisville, Georgia Tech challenges Wake Forest in the Joel, SMU is at Florida State, Cal takes on Notre Dame, Virginia Tech will see Clemson, BC plays Pitt and Virginia jets up to Syracuse.

We’d hope NC State wins but it’s the last game of the season for Miami and there’s a lot of change going on at that program. They had a couple of more injuries, notably to Lynn Kidd, and it’ll be tough without him.

Is there a chance for Stanford at Louisville? Yeah, but marginal. It’d take a tremendous effort by Stanford and a bit of a letdown by the Cardinals. It should be a lot of fun to see Chucky Hepburn and Jaylen Blakes hound each other. We can imagine Maxine Raynaud going nuts here but he won’t be enough, plus Louisville still has a chance at finishing first in the ACC.

Wake Forest can’t afford to lose to Georgia Tech - we’ve heard that before. It doesn’t really matter at this point. Wake’s only chance is a deep run in Greensboro next week. This is a game between a team vastly exceeding expectations amidst adversity and one that has not lived up to their own. But it is a home game and Senior Day and that should be motivation for the Deacs.

SMU at Florida State is interesting because Andy Enfield used to work for Leonard Hamilton and the student is about to exceed the master. It might not be pleasant for either of them but the Mustangs are the better team. However, it’s not just the final game of the season, it’s Hamilton’s last game and the end of an era. That’s powerful motivation. It’s hard to pick a winner here but let’s say FSU.

Notre Dame has been erratic and in fairness, losing two starters in Braeden Shrewsberry and Matt Allocco is a lot to overcome. But they still have Markus Burton and Tae Davis and Cole Certa has been surging. And the last game of the season is always a big deal emotionally so we’ll take the Irish.

Virginia Tech brings bad ballhandling to one of the best defensive teams in the country. Maybe if the Hokies get on an unholy roll and maybe if Clemson lets up.

Maybe.

But again it’s Senior Day and for the Tigers, that means Ian Schieffelin and Chase Hunter, who both stuck it out, along with Jaeden Zackery and Viktor Lakhin who have been outstanding transfers.

And like Louisville, Clemson still has a shot at part of the regular season title. So it’s hard to see a well-coached team blowing it at home on Senior Day.

Side note: former Duke players Jaden Schutt and Christian Reeves will meet as opponents for the second time.

Pitt’s season has turned depressing and while Boston College has shown heart, they’re struggling too.

This sort of seems like a game between teams that would just as soon the season be over. We’d take the home team probably and somebody has to win but odds are it won’t be a great game.

Finally, Virginia goes up to Syracuse and both teams have shown a pulse lately. Virginia has won two of their last three. Meanwhile, Syracuse beat NC State, lost to Virginia Tech in OT and almost beat SMU.

We’re not sure Virginia has a good answer for Eddie Lampkin, who can be a real force around the basket.

On the other hand, Syracuse has a habit of fading late. We’ll still go with the homies here, but it’s a tough call.

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We don’t know yet just how many ACC coaches will be dismissed following the season, but presumably it will be more than Miami, Florida State and Virginia. Miami of course has hired Duke assistant Jai Lucas and he may prove to be a home run. He’s been terrific as an assistant at Kentucky and Duke and great things are expected from him.

Florida State is still looking but reports emerged late this week that former FSU guard Luke Loucks, currently an assistant with the Sacramento Kings. It’s hard to know how well he’ll do. He is highly thought of, but most of his coaching experience is in the NBA. It’s always tough to go from that to college and it’s much more difficult now than it was just a few years ago. We’ll have to see how things work out.

Saturday’s ACC Action

• NC State at Miami || 12:00 || CW
• Stanford at Louisville || 2:00 || ESPNU
• Georgia Tech at Wake Forest || 2:15 || CW
• SMU at Florida State || 4:00 || ESPNU
• Cal at Notre Dame || 4:00 || ACCN
• Virginia Tech at Clemson || 6:00 || ESPNU
• Boston College at Pitt || 6:00 || ACCN
• Duke at UNC || 6:30 || ESPN
• Virginia at Syracuse || 8:00 || ACCN

ACC Standings

• Here’s a breakdown of UNC’s possible ACC tournament seeds
• Lowest Seeds to Ever Win the ACC Tournament, Men’s and Women’s
• NC State men’s basketball eliminated from 2025 ACC Tournament contention
• Louisville basketball’s final game has major ACC and NCAA seeding implications
• Pitt tries to move up ACC ranks in finale vs. Boston College
• While preparing to honor Pitt’s seniors, Jeff Capel recalls his own special night at Duke
• Analysis: Unwilling or unable to improve, Pitt’s struggles have no end in sight
• No. 11 Clemson chasing new program record vs. Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest desperate for wins, faces hot Georgia Tech squad
• Edwards likes Ga. Tech as an underdog at Wake Forest
• Terry leads Georgia Tech against Wake Forest after 31-point game
• Leonard Hamilton looks for ACC win No. 200 against SMU in final game in Tucker Center
• Podcast: Celebrating Leonard Hamilton’s Florida State legacy, breaking down what’s next for Seminoles basketball
• Bubble team SMU still searching for wins, visits Florida State
• Leonard Hamilton prioritized education, relationships over wins, titles
• Cal visits Burton and Notre Dame
• Did a big week from Markus Burton help Notre Dame basketball break ACC honor streak?
• Virginia, Syracuse look to build consistency going into ACC tourney
• Previewing UVA basketball’s regular season finale at Syracuse
• Lampkin, Syracuse Orange to host McKneely and the Virginia Cavaliers