The Miami Hurricanes won their first ACC tournament title in school history, and now have an outside shot at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Miami wins 2013 ACC basketball tournament: Can Hurricanes grab a No. 1 seed?
Miami won the ACC tournament and has done nearly everything asked of them to secure a No. 1 seed, but it’s a crowded field this season. Where do they fit in on the pecking order?
The Canes locked up the No.1 ACC seed and a first round bye after finishing first place in the regular season. They took care of Boston College in the second round, knocked off N.C. State in the semifinals, and held off North Carolina on Sunday thanks to a barrage of three-point shots. They won every game in the tournament by double digit points. Shane Larkin took home MVP honors after a blazing-hot run, scoring 20 points or more in all three games.
So where do the Hurricanes go from here? They certainly have the resume to merit a No. 1 seed, sporting a No. 4 RPI and a 9-2 record against Top 50 teams, including signature wins over Duke and Michigan State. On the other hand, this is one of the more crowded fields in recent memory. Louisville, Indiana, Gonzaga, Kansas and Duke all have worthy claims to one of those four spots.
In the end, the decision may come down to tournament winners. It is extremely rare for a team with Miami’s track record to win both the regular season and conference tournament and not get a No. 1 seed. By that criteria, Duke and Indiana could be on the outside looking in, although the Hoosiers’ resume is too good for the committee to ignore despite not being able to beat Wisconsin. The Zags may get dinged for coming from a weak conference, but their numbers on paper are otherwise impeccable. Louisville and Kansas should be considered locks for dominating their respective tournaments.
We won’t know for sure until approximately 6 PM ET where the Canes will be playing. Until then, it’s going to be a interesting debate to have. In the meantime, congratulations to Jim Larranga’s team for putting together one of the finest seasons in Miami’s history.
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