College Basketball Championship Week 2017: 5 biggest takeaways

By Chris Stone | Mar 12, 2017

Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen (3) cuts the net after defeating against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the ACC Conference Tournament Final at Barclays Center. Duke Blue Devils won 75-69. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 8, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Syracuse Orange head coach Jim Boeheim coaches against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half of an ACC Conference Tournament game at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The ACC bubble teams came up short

The two ACC teams with the most to do in the conference tournament — Clemson and Syracuse — both failed to make up ground in Brooklyn and it cost them on Selection Sunday as neither made the field.

Clemson had the better argument based solely on efficiency metrics. The Tigers ranked No. 35 on KenPom, but failed to put together the necessary quality wins to find their way into the field. That lack of wins is ultimately what kept them on the wrong side of the bubble when it came to the field of 68.

Syracuse, on the other hand, had a much better argument based on the traditional metrics used by the Selection Committee. The Orange have six RPI top 50 wins on their resume, but a loss to Miami in their opening game of the ACC tournament didn’t give them the opportunity to find anymore and sway the Committee’s decision.

The Orange’s predicament poses an interesting problem that relates to what should ultimately matter. On ESPN’s bracketology show, head coach Jim Boeheim argued that it should simply be about who you’ve beaten. That measurement is flawed, though. It prejudices mid-major teams who don’t have the same opportunities of the programs in major conferences. Five of Syracuse’s six RPI wins came during ACC play and the one that didn’t came in the non-conference against the No. 50 ranked team, Monmouth.

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