Face-Off Has Lost It's Luster

State and Carolina won their opening games in the ACC baseball tournament and looked on a collision course  to just maybe playing the most important baseball ever between the two Saturday night.  Somewhere on the way to the championship game both stumbled and now one will be out by Saturday and the other will have to win in order to play in the ACC Championship game Sunday at noon.

I am not sure the ACC has ever had eight teams that when the final game of the regular season was in the books that there was no ACC team  in the RPI more than 31.  All eight teams that are in this weeks ACC Tournament have to be in the NCAA  Regional somewhere next week and at least four or five will be host schools.  Why then should we be surprised that the bracket that State, Carolina, Wake and Miami are in all are 1-1 heading into their third games.

If you pull for State you have to pull for Miami to beat Wake tonight in the 7PM ACC TV game.  If Wake wins then State can't make the Sunday Championship game since Wake holds the tie breaker beating State last night. State hold the tie breaker over Miami.  In Carolina's case they have to hope Wake wins since they beat the Deacs Wednesday and not Miami who beat the Tar Heels yesterday.

So Saturday night State has nothing to play for other than beating Carolina if Wake Beats Miami tonight..  Carolina has nothing to play for if Miami beats Wake.  If Wake wins tonight over Miami and State beats Carolina then they play in the championship game Sunday.  If Miami wins tonight then Carolina has nothing to play for Saturday other than beating State.

If Wake wins tonight then Carolina must beat State to get in the Sunday Championship.  If Miami wins tonight then State must beat Carolina to get in.   If I am Wake or Miami I would feel real good about my chances playing Sunday if State can beat Carolina to knock them out or vice versa.   It would all be much simpler to digest if it were a double elimination and play until you lose two.

If Miami wins tonight and Carolina has no chance to play Sunday you can expect both Benton Moss and Hobbs Johnson to share the pitching Saturday night because one would have to
go two weeks without pitching heading into the playoffs.  Mike Fox doesn't want that to happen.