The conference tournament frenzy took an even more chaotic turn, spelling trouble for a couple of bubble teams. North Carolina State’s remarkable five-game winning streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament knocked one borderline team out of contention for the NCAA Tournament.
The Wolfpack, seeded No. 10, emerged as classic bid thieves, clinching their conference’s automatic bid with a thrilling 84-76 victory over North Carolina.
As a result, North Carolina will now rely on an at-large bid, reducing the available spots for bubble teams. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, Oregon secured the Pac-12 Tournament title by defeating Colorado 75-68 in Las Vegas. This victory meant yet another bubble team would miss out on an NCAA Tournament berth.
“I think we beat five teams that have all won a national championship within the 2000s,” remarked N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts, highlighting his team’s impressive victories over Louisville, Syracuse, Duke, Virginia, and North Carolina.
While the top seed has won only 10 out of 32 conference tournaments, there are no No. 1 seeds remaining in the five leagues holding their title games on Sunday.
This scenario heightens the possibility of additional bid thieves emerging, with one potential spoiler being the AAC Tournament final between Alabama-Birmingham and Temple, where top-seeded Florida Atlantic could disrupt the bubble with an at-large bid. FAU fell to Temple on Saturday.
While one-bid conferences have minimal impact on the bubble, the top leagues face a different scenario where additional at-large spots are absorbed by teams that were initially considered locks for the NCAA Tournament.
The ripple effect of N.C. State’s unexpected run could affect other ACC teams, such as Virginia, Pittsburgh, and Wake Forest, adding uncertainty to their Selection Sunday hopes. Keatts voiced his support for the ACC, advocating for a more favorable representation in the tournament.
“We should have seven or eight teams in our league,” Keatts asserted. “It’s very unfortunate that when you get down to it, people are reporting that we may get four or five. That’s just not right.”
