By R.L. Bynum
A Friday matchup between the last two ACC regular-season champions for a spot in the semifinals? That’s a possible scenario in the ACC tournament at Charlotte’s Truist Field after the league announced the round-robin schedule Sunday morning for the event.
As expected, No. 7-ranked North Carolina (41–12) will play its round-robin games on Thursday and Friday. That was Coach Scott Forbes’ preference, and his choice since the Tar Heels are the tournament’s No. 1 seed.
UNC is in Pool A with No. 22-ranked and No. 8-seed Wake Forest (36–19) and No. 12-seed Pittsburgh (26–27) after sweeping three regular-season games against both. The Deacons face Pitt at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and the Tar Heels face the Panthers at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
If UNC and Wake Forest both beat Pittsburgh, their meeting at 7 p.m. on Friday would essentially be a quarterfinal game for the right to play in Saturday’s semifinals.
If Pitt beats Wake Forest on Wednesday, UNC could clinch a semifinal berth by beating the Panthers in the Tar Heels’ tournament opener on Thursday. That would make the UNC-Wake Forest game on Friday irrelevant for ACC tournament purposes.
As the top seed, UNC would advance to the semifinals if the Tar Heels, Wake Forest and Pitt each split their two pool-play games.
Wake Forest was the No. 1 seed in last season’s ACC tournament in Durham and advanced to the College World Series.
In Saturday’s semifinals, the Pool A winner faces the Pool D winner at 1 p.m., and the Pool B winner meets the Pool C winner at 5 p.m. The championship game is at noon Sunday on ESPN2, with all other games airing on ACC Network.
In Pool C are No. 12-ranked and No. 3-seed N.C. State (32–19), No. 17-ranked and No. 6-seed Duke (35–18) and No. 10-seed Virginia Tech (32–19). In Pool B are No. 3-ranked and No. 2-seed Clemson (40–13), Louisville (32–22) and Miami (25–29). Pool D includes No. 16-ranked and No. 4-seed Virginia (39–14), No. 10-ranked and No. 5-seed Florida State (39–13) and No. 9-seed Georgia Tech (30–21).
Forbes opted to play Thursday and Friday so that his starting pitchers would stay on their normal routine. Just like in the regular-season-ending series at Duke, he expects to start freshman Jason DeCaro on Thursday against Pittsburgh, junior Shea Sprague on Friday against Wake Forest and, if the Tar Heels advance, junior Aiden Haugh in the semifinals on Saturday.
“I want our pitchers ready,” Forbes said. “We want to try to win the ACC tournament. We’re competitors. We can have them ready for their routine for the next weekend.”
The tournament starts Tuesday with Miami facing Louisville at 11 a.m., Georgia Tech meeting Florida State at 3 p.m. and Duke taking on Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Virginia and Georgia Tech play at 11 a.m., Pittsburgh and Wake Forest meet at 3 p.m. and N.C. State and Virginia Tech play at 7 p.m. In other games Thursday, Clemson meets Miami at 11 a.m. and Duke faces N.C. State at 7 p.m. In the day games on Friday, Florida State plays Virginia at 11 a.m. and Louisvlle meets Clemson at 3 p.m.
ACC tournament
Schedule
At Truist Park in Charlotte
Link to buy tickets
Pool play
Tuesday’s results
No. 11 Miami 8, No. 7 Louisville 5; Louisville eliminated
No. 5 Florida State 12, No. 9 Georgia Tech 9; Georgia Tech eliminated
No. 6 Duke 11, No. 10 Virginia Tech 8; Virginia Tech eliminated
Wednesday’s results
No. 4 Virginia 13, No. 9 Georgia Tech 0, 7 innings, 10-run rule
No. 8 Wake Forest 8, No. 12 Pittsburgh 1; Pittsburgh eliminated
No. 3 N.C. State 19, No. 10 Virginia Tech 9, 8 innings, 10-run rule
Thursday’s results
No. 11 Miami 8, No. 2 Clemson 7; Miami wins Pool B; Clemson eliminated
No. 1 North Carolina 12, No. 12 Pittsburgh 2
No. 6 Duke 8, No. 3 N.C. State 1; Duke wins Pool C; N.C. State eliminated
Friday’s results
No. 5 Florida State 12, No. 4 Virginia 7; Florida State wins Pool D; Virginia eliminated
No. 2 Clemson 8, No. 7 Louisville 7
No. 8 Wake Forest 9, No. 1 North Carolina 5, 12 innings; Wake Forest wins Pool A; North Carolina eliminated
Saturday’s semifinals
No. 5 Florida State 9, No. 8 Wake Forest 6
No. 6 Duke 8, No. 11 Miami 2
Sunday’s championship
No. 6 Duke 16, No. 5 Florida State 4
Pools
| Pool A | |
| No. 1 North Carolina (No. 7 ranked) | 1–1 |
| No. 8 Wake Forest (No. 22 ranked) | 2–0 |
| No. 12 Pittsburgh | 0–2 |
| Pool B | |
| No. 2 Clemson (No. 3 ranked) | 1–1 |
| No. 11 Miami | 2–0 |
| No. 7 Louisville | 0–2 |
| Pool C | |
| No. 3 N.C. State (No. 12 ranked) | 1–1 |
| No. 6 Duke (No. 17 ranked) | 2–0 |
| No. 10 Virginia Tech | 0–2 |
| Pool D | |
| No. 4 Virginia (No. 16 ranked) | 1–1 |
| No. 5 Florida State (No. 10 ranked) | 2–0 |
| No. 9 Georgia Tech | 0–2 |
ACC standings
| Coastal Division | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| XY — No. 7 North Carolina | 22–8 | 41–12 |
| No. 16 Virginia | 18–12 | 40–14 |
| No. 17 Duke | 16–14 | 35–18 |
| Georgia Tech | 15–15 | 31–21 |
| Virginia Tech | 14–16 | 32–20 |
| Miami | 11–19 | 25–29 |
| Pittsburgh | 10–20 | 26–27 |
| Atlantic Division | League | Overall |
|---|---|---|
| X — No. 3 Clemson | 20–10 | 40–13 |
| No. 12 N.C. State | 18–11 | 32–19 |
| No. 10 Florida State | 17–12 | 39–14 |
| Louisville | 16–14 | 32–22 |
| No. 22 Wake Forest | 15–15 | 36–19 |
| Notre Dame | 9–21 | 27–25 |
| Boston College | 8–22 | 22–31 |
Thursday’s results
No. 17 Duke 5, No. 7 North Carolina 3
Louisville 5-5, Notre Dame 3-1
No. 16 Virginia 7, Virginia Tech 3
No. 3 Clemson 12, Boston College 10
No. 10 Florida State 8, Georgia Tech 3
Miami 5, Pittsburgh 3
No. 12 N.C. State 14, No. 8 Wake Forest 3
Friday’s results
No. 7 North Carolina 6, No. 17 Duke 4
No. 16 Virginia 13, Virginia Tech 3, 7 innings (10-run rule)
No. 3 Clemson 11, Boston College 6
No. 10 Florida State 11, Georgia Tech 3
Louisville 14, Notre Dame 6
No. 12 N.C. State 2, No. 8 Wake Forest 1
Pittsburgh 5, Miami 3
Saturday’s results
No. 7 North Carolina 14, No. 17 Duke 6
No. 3 Clemson 10, Boston College 0, 8 innings (10-run rule)
Pittsburgh 10, Miami 7
No. 12 N.C. State 9, No. 8 Wake Forest 6
Georgia Tech 11, No. 10 Florida State 10
No. 16 Virginia 10, Virginia Tech 9, 13 innings
END OF REGULAR SEASON
| Date | Day/ month | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February | ||||
| 16 | Friday | W, 10–3 | vs. Wagner | 1–0 |
| 17 | Saturday | W, 16–5 | vs. Wagner | 2–0 |
| 18 | Sunday | W, 20–6 | vs. Wagner | 3–0 |
| 20 | Tuesday | W, 8–7 | vs. Elon | 4–0 |
| 23 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. No. 14 East Carolina | 5–0 |
| 24 | Saturday | L, 7–4 | vs. No. 14 East Carolina in Fayetteville | 5–1 |
| 25 | Sunday | L, 10–9 | at No. 14 East Carolina | 5–2 |
| 27 | Tuesday | W, 8–2 | vs. VCU | 6–2 |
| 28 | Wednesday | W, 12–3 | vs. Longwood | 7–2 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Friday | W, 12–2 | vs. Princeton | 8–2 |
| 2 | Saturday | W, 11–2 | vs. Princeton | 9–2 |
| 3 | Sunday | W, 13–6 | vs. Princeton | 10–2 |
| 5 | Tuesday | W, 7–3 | at Campbell | 11–2 |
| 8 | Friday | W, 2–1 | vs. Pittsburgh | 12–2, 1–0 ACC |
| 9 | Saturday | W, 7–3 | vs. Pittsburgh | 13–2, 2–0 ACC |
| 10 | Sunday | W, 6–5, 10 innings | vs. Pittsburgh | 14–2, 3–0 ACC |
| 12 | Tuesday | W, 13–7 | vs. Rutgers | 15–2 |
| 13 | Wednesday | W, 9–8 | vs. Rutgers | 16–2 |
| 15 | Friday | L, 14–1 | at Miami | 16–3, 3–1 ACC |
| 16 | Saturday | L, 2–1 | at Miami | 16–4, 3–2 ACC |
| 17 | Sunday | W, 18–6, 7 innings (10-run rule) | at Miami | 17–4, 4–2 ACC |
| 19 | Tuesday | W, 11–0, 7 innings (10-run rule) | vs. UNCW | 18–4 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 5–4 | vs. Georgia Tech | 19–4, 5–2 ACC |
| 23 | Saturday | W, 11–5 | vs. Georgia Tech | 20–4, 6–2 ACC |
| 24 | Sunday | W, 9–2 | vs. Georgia Tech | 21–4, 7–2 ACC |
| 26 | Tuesday | W, 10–8 | vs. N.C. A&T | 22–4 |
| 29 | Friday | W, 6–5 | at No. 19 Wake Forest | 23–4, 8–2 ACC |
| 30 | Saturday | W, 10–6 | at No. 19 Wake Forest | 24–4, 9–2 ACC |
| 31 | Sunday | W, 14–10 | at No. 19 Wake Forest | 25–4, 10–2 ACC |
| April | ||||
| 4 | Thursday | L, 14–11 | at No. 18 Virginia | 25–5, 10–3 ACC |
| 5 | Friday | L, 7–2 | at No. 18 Virginia | 25–6, 10–4 ACC |
| 6 | Saturday | W, 12–7 | at No. 18 Virginia | 26–6, 11–4 ACC |
| 9 | Tuesday | L, 2–1 | vs. South Carolina in Charlotte | 26–7 |
| 12 | Friday | W, 13–0, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. Notre Dame | 27–7, 12–4 ACC |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 7–2 | vs. Notre Dame | 28–7, 13–4 ACC |
| 14 | Sunday | W, 10–3 | vs. Notre Dame | 29–7, 14–4 ACC |
| 16 | Tuesday | L, 5–4 | vs. Coastal Carolina | 29–8 |
| 18 | Thursday | L, 9–8 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 29–9, 14–5 ACC |
| 19 | Friday | L, 5–4 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 29–10, 14–6 ACC |
| 20 | Saturday | W, 14–3 | at No. 11 N.C. State | 30–10, 15–6 ACC |
| 23 | Tuesday | W, 5–2 | vs. Gardner-Webb | 31–10 |
| 26 | Friday | W, 8–1 | vs. Virginia Tech | 32–10, 16–6 ACC |
| 27 | Saturday | W, 6–3 | vs. Virginia Tech | 33–10, 17–6 ACC |
| 28 | Sunday | L, 4–3 | vs. Virginia Tech | 33–11, 17–7 ACC |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 13–1, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. Charlotte | 34–11 |
| May | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | W, 19–2, 6½ innings (10-run rule) | vs. William & Mary | 35–11 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 16–10 | vs. Campbell | 36–11 |
| 10 | Friday | W, 13–4 8 innings (10-run rule) | vs. Louisville | 37–11, 18–7 ACC |
| 11 | Saturday | W, 6–4 | vs. Louisville | 38–11, 19–7 ACC |
| 12 | Sunday | W, 16–7 | vs. Louisville | 39–11, 20–7 ACC |
| 16 | Thursday | L, 5–3 | at No. 12 Duke | 39–12, 20–8 ACC |
| 17 | Friday | W, 6–4 | at No. 12 Duke | 40–12, 21–8 ACC |
| 18 | Saturday | W, 14–6 | at No. 12 Duke | 41–12, 22–8 ACC |
| ACC tournament | in Charlotte | |||
| 23 | Thursday | W, 12–2 | Pittsburgh | 42–12 |
| 24 | Friday | L, 9–5, 12 innings | No. 19 Wake Forest | 42–13 |
| NCAA tournament | ||||
| Chapel Hill Regional | ||||
| 31 | Friday | W, 11–8 | Long Island | 43–13 |
| June | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | W, 6–2 | No. 24 LSU | 44–13 |
| 2 | Sunday | L, 8–4 | No. 24 LSU | 44–14 |
| 3 | Monday | W, 4–3, 10 innings | vs. No. 24 LSU | 45–14 |
| Chapel Hill Super Regional | ||||
| 7 | Friday | W, 8–6 | vs. West Virginia | 46–14 |
| 8 | Saturday | W, 2–1 | vs. West Virginia | 47–14 |
| College World Series Omaha, Neb. | ||||
| 14 | Friday | W, 3–2 | vs. No. 18 Virginia | 48–14 |
| 16 | Sunday | 7 p.m. | No. 1 Tennessee | ESPN |
| 18 or 19 | Tuesday or Wednesday | 2 p.m. Tuesday (with loss) or 2 p.m. Wednesday (with win) | No. 1 Tennessee, No. 9 Florida State or No. 18 Virginia | ESPN |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics; graphic courtesy of the ACC
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