The B.C. headache

Everything seemed so simple before last night.

Virginia Tech was bolstering its resume, and that was good for Clemson because a win over the Hokies on Saturday would give the Tigers' credentials some needed polishing.

Boston College was a bit of an afterthought, but maybe it shouldn't have been. The Eagles were 7-7 in the ACC with a Top 50 RPI, yet they were sorta being dismissed by me and others after a bad home loss to Miami.

Steve Donahue's team entered the party last night -- as a party-crasher. And it was quite the buzz kill for Virginia Tech, which had bagged a supposedly defining and certifying triumph over Duke just three nights earlier.

A quick aside: Is Seth Greenberg the Tommy Bowden of ACC basketball? He's always teetering that line that Bowden skillfully walked during his long tenure at Clemson. Just when you're ready to bury the Hokies, they rise up and do something special. And just when you're ready to crown them, they unravel spectacularly. My memory of this goes all the way back four seasons, when Virginia Tech went into its Senior Night possessing a chance to finish in a first-place tie atop the ACC standings. A team from Clemson spoiled the fun.

Watching the Hokies celebrate their conquest of Duke on Saturday night, some of us were struck by the heartfelt moment Greenberg experienced with his wife and daughters on the court. Now, it seems as if those were wasted tears. Because the Hokies essentially wiped out all those good vibes by getting waxed at home by the Eagles.

So let's assess where everything stands as the regular season nears its conclusion and several teams jockey for position in the ACC standings.

Basically, Clemson has to root like heck against Maryland as the Terps play Miami on the road and Virginia at home. Maryland is 7-7 in the ACC, the Terps can muck up the Tigers' hopes of a Top 4 finish (and first-day ACC Tournament bye) by winning those last two games and finishing in a four-way tie.

If Clemson, Boston College, Maryland and Virginia Tech all finish 9-7, the tiebreaker is winning percentage against the tied teams. Boston College would emerge from that knot by virtue of a 4-1 record against the Tigers, Terps and Hokies.

Boston College swept Maryland, and that's why taking the Terps out of the mix helps Clemson's chances. A three-way tie among Clemson, Virginia Tech and Boston College puts the Tigers in fourth place by virtue of their 2-0 record over Virginia Tech and Boston College (assuming Clemson beats Virginia Tech, of course).

A 9-7 record by Boston College seems virtually assured because the Eagles' remaining game is at home against Wake Forest's woeful outfit. But if the Deacons pull off the unthinkable and win that game, what if there's a three-way tie among Clemson, Virginia Tech and Maryland? The Hokies would win that one, even with a loss Saturday, by virtue of their sweep of Maryland.

Clemson can ball up all these scenarios and toss them in the trash can by winning its last two games and finishing 10-6.

That's not a scenario we media brainiacs are considering, because a Clemson win tonight at Duke is, uh, not likely.

But we wrote off Boston College too, and look at what happened.

LW