Can BC Finish 1st in the ACC?

With Maryland upsetting UNC tonight, there is a chance -- albeit a sliver of one -- for BC to win the ACC regular season championship on tiebreakers. BC can't win it outright because Virginia and VTech play each other this week, meaning one will get to 11 wins. However, if BC gets by GTech next week, there is a scenario where BC wins and gets the No. 1 seed in the ACC tourney.

The first ACC tiebreaker, where two teams are involved, is head-to-head play. If the two teams split their meetings, then you compare their records against the top team in the league. If those records are equal, you move down the standings (against the second place team, third, fourth, etc.) until one team has an advantage. If there are more than two teams in a tie, you create a "mini-conference" and compare the head-to-head records of the schools involved. If there is a tie within the mini-conference, compare each team's records against the top team in the league and work down the standings until an advantage is gained.

The only way BC has a chance is if the Eagles are tied with Virginia and only Virginia, who they beat last month at Conte. If BC is involved in a tie with UNC, alone or with other teams, the Tar Heels have the edge by virtue of their victory over BC in their lone meeting. If BC is tied with VTech, although the teams split the home-and-home series, the Hokies get the nod because VTech swept UNC and at least split with Virgnina.

So to get Virginia alone in a tiebreaker, we have to root for Virginia to first beat VTech and then lose to Wake. Then we have to root for UNC to lose to GTech on the road and Duke at home, AND for VTech to lose to Clemson at home after the loss to the Cavaliers. Pretty unrealistic, I know, but fun to think about.