Locked On ACC - Daily College Football & Basketball Podcast - ACC THREAT: Why Miami Hurricanes Must OVERCOME the Man in the Mirror for Championship Glory

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

Miami Hurricanes emerge as ACC football favorites, but could complacency be their biggest rival? Alex Donno and Kenton Gibbs dissect Miami’s championship aspirations, spotlighting roster losses— including tackles Francis Mauigoa and Markel Bell, defensive ends Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor— and the arrival of star quarterback Darian Mensah. With Florida State, Clemson, and Notre Dame looming on the schedule, can Mario Cristobal’s squad stay motivated and overcome the “man in the mirror” challenge? ACC basketball takes center stage as Duke leads a stacked tournament bracket. The hosts review potential Cinderella stories, key player matchups (like Stanford’s Abouka Ogeri and SMU’s Boopie Miller), and the path for teams needing five wins in five days. Analysis of NC State’s offensive upgrades and defensive concerns fuels discussion on Vegas win projections for both Miami and NC State. Who will seize ACC supremacy, and could the tournament field shock the favorites? Everydayer Club  If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub     Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 5-Hour ENERGY Have your cake & drink it too. Birthday cake-flavor is back, no fork needed. Vanilla-y cakey flavor, caffeinated kick, and no sugar. It's party time. Order Now at https://5-hourENERGY.com or Amazon.   Coast Right now, Coast Pay is offering our listeners up to $2,000 credit when you get started at https://coastpay.com/LOCKEDONCOLLEGE. Term Apply. The Coast Visa®️ Commercial Credit Card is issued by Celtic Bank. All card accounts are subject to credit approval. Mazda Like our players, we’re driven by the details. Because highlights make the reel. What it takes to get there makes it count. There’s more to a Mazda. Because there’s more to you.  TurboTax This year you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. Robinhood You’re no longer just a spectator. Play by play. You decide. Trade Every Play with Robinhood. Now available across the U.S. Download the Robinhood app now to begin. Futures and cleared swaps trading involves significant risk and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC., a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm.   Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast   Gametime Today's episode is brought to you by Gametime. Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONfor $20 off your first purchase. Terms and conditions apply. FanDuel FanDuel is giving you a way to turn that energy into even bigger potential wins with a College Basketball Parlay Profit Boost.Visit https://FANDUEL.COMto get started — Play Your Game.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Miami Hurricanes will be favored to win the ACC football championship, but is their biggest threat, the man in the mirror. You are Locked on ACC, your daily podcast on the Atlantic Coast Conference. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. Happy Monday and shout out to the Everydayers. Thank you so much for making Locked on ACC your first listen. We're available free wherever you get your podcast. We're free on YouTube.

We're part of the number one Locked on Podcast Network, your team. every day. He is Kenton Gibbs, former NC State defensive lineman and co-host of Locked on Wolfpack. I am Alex Dono, host of Locked on Cains, and this episode is brought to you by Mazda. We put the same drive into every detail. Wins define the moment, putting in the work that defines you. Stay tuned for highlights in this week's moving the game forward. There's more to a Mazda because there's more to you. We'll talk ACC basketball because the ACC tournament field is set. Tournament's going to start on Tuesday. Will we see a team win five games in five days, or will a team with the buy or double-buy variety end up pulling this one out?

Spoiler or lute, the Duke Blue Devils are major favorites to win this ACC tournament, which will surprise no one. Let's talk some football before we get to that. I want to pick Kenton's brain on NC State heading into this upcoming football season. We can talk Miami as well. So KG, as I mentioned off the top, we don't have the fan dual odds yet, but the Miami Hurricanes will definitely be favored to win the ACC this coming season. They will have top to bottom the deepest roster. You have proof of concept coming off of their deep run in the playoffs last year, and you add Darian Mensa to this group. Now, the important note here is Miami in almost a quarter century now in this conference has never won the ACC before.

And even in last season, when they made a run to the national championship game, they did lose two conference games against Louisville and against SMU and didn't get to the ACC championship despite getting to the national championship. So is the biggest threat to Miami this year actually the man staring back at them in the mirror? Oh, 1,000%. I think that it's the man in the mirror for a multitude of reasons. When you talk about a team being the deepest and all of those things, and you talk about the team being the most successful team in the ACC last year,

complacency is the toughest thing to possibly beat, right? For my comic book movie fans out here, when Bain was beating on Batman, when Tom Hardy is Bain's beating on Batman, he said, your chin has been softened by victory. It basically was that idea of when you win so much, when you dominate so much,

when you are on the top, it is hard to say, hey, come back, be better. And here's the thing about that. That is a skill that only very special coaches have to motivate a team to say, hey, we ain't accomplished nothing yet, right? And even though, and I know Miami fans are going to hate me for this, objectively speaking, in terms of championships, they haven't accomplished anything.

There's no national championship under Cristobal. There's no ACC championship under Crystal Ball. So they're in a very precarious situation in that they're both the hunted or they've jumped to being the hunted without ever properly being the hunter, if that makes sense, right? Like everybody else, in order to be the top dog, you've got to be the top dog. Miami has gained that status without winning a championship. That's just what it is. So the man in the mirror absolutely going to be a problem. And you talk about the attrition off the last year's team as well.

It's they lost a lot. They lost a ton of very, very talented players. But the beauty of how they recruited is you have guys to fill in for that. But are you losing one starting tackle or two, Donna? Two. You're losing both starting tackles. Okay. Well, are you bringing back one starting defensive end or two?

None. They lost both their starting. So you're losing both of those too. Okay, so you're losing the bookends for the most important parts of the team that were, in essence, the cornerstones of that team. And yet you still have to get these guys motivated to say, this team ain't done squat. This team ain't won Jack. Y'all don't have a single ring that says, the you and champion year here. And there's no such thing.

You know, so it's the media is feeding them a lot of rat poison and telling them they're the greatest things since sliced bread and all that good stuff. talking about them this year, the way that people talked about Clemson last year, which I'm saying, hey, time is a lot like a flat circle, ain't it? Because we are coming back and saying, there's no way anybody takes the conference away from Miami. After last year, Donald and I were there at ACC Media Days. Over half of the ACC first team had DePaul. They had the ball.

And how did it inform them. So, yes, ultimately complacency, entitlement, and the idea that, that we will show up and be old to win is Miami's biggest competitor right now. Yeah, I think what you talked about and not actually winning any titles last year, I think that's the source of motivation and that's going to be there for them. Like, I think they're going to have the chip on the shoulder knowing we have unfinished business. Yeah, we got to the championship game. We were close, but we didn't pull it off.

We didn't even get to the conference championship game. I think that becomes, again, the number one goal this year is to finally win that ACC championship. So I'm not worried whatsoever about the motivation. I think Mario Cristobald does a really, really good job giving his guys the bulletin board material that they need. But you talk about roster losses as well, right? One of the symptoms of having a really successful team is you lose a lot of guys to the NFL, right? Key departures. Francis Maui Noah at offensive tackle on the right side.

Mark Kel Bell, offensive tackle on the left side. Defensively, you lose your two starting defensive ends, Rubin Bain and a key. Keem Mesidor. Your highest-graded defensive back, Keante Scott is off to the NFL. I feel good about who they're replacing most of these guys with, but you still need to actually see, you know, the results on the field. You know, Cece Maui Noah likely gets replaced by five-star top freshman Jackson Cantwell, who will likely have to carry that load as a true freshman. He's a freakish, unique talent, but he doesn't have the experience, right? The defensive ends. Miami did a great job landing Damon Wilson from Missou in the transfer portal who had nine sacks and 54 pressures in the

SEC last year. A younger guy is going to step up on the other side, maybe Marquis Lightfoot or Hayden Lowe, who are both really talented Lightfoot was the first guy off the bench at defensive end last year, had a good season. Now another area where I think you, in our opinion, because I think you share this with me, where Miami upgraded is its starting quarterback. You lose Carson Beck, you gain a Darry and Mensa. I believe Miami's receiving core, gaining a Cooper Barcate to play with Malachi Tony, the receiving core will be even better than last year. So we'll have to see how a very new offensive line plays together because they lost the majority of their starters from a season ago, but there's a lot to be excited about with Miami with Darry and Mensa leading that group and

with Mark Fletcher and your entire running back room back from last year. Absolutely. But I think when you look at how championship teams are built, right? When we, not what I think, what I know is championship teams are built from the inside of them. That's how champions are built, period. You do not build a champion with nice wide receivers, with dBs that can run all day long and they're super twitchy and all that. It's not how championship teams are built in the trenches. Mario Cristobal is well aware of that. And that is why you're talking about these guys being replaced with five stars and nine sack guys and not like,

Oh, he's been replaced by some guys who've shown promise, who we believe have been developed well here, because ultimately, you know, mass kicks, you know what. That's how this thing works in the trenches. And so my concern for Miami is, obviously, these guys are not, they haven't played together at all. They haven't played together at all. And we talked about the wide receiving, you know,

situation in the passing situation last year. but what could that team lean on early in a year whenever the past game wasn't rolling? Oh, that running game. That running game was it. They were moving around furniture like they worked for Art Van. They were just, hey, come with me, buddy. We said no hats in the club.

Hmm, go on down here. And so you're looking at this offensive line saying, can they get it done in this, you know, very much so retooled offensive line? This is a very different offensive line from last year. Am I saying that Miami does not have? have a shop. No. But what I'm saying is it's it's Alice in Wonderland, right? It ends with the same thing it starts with. Beware of the bandersnatch the Jabberwocky da-da-da-da-da, because you run into the same traps year after year. And I am seeing a lot of members of the media run into the same

trap with the ACC that we did last year and they're like there's no chance. Anoint this team. Put them on the, put them on the throne right now. And I hate when we, as members of the media, I hate when we do that every year, right? It was Florida State two years ago, and then they won two games, and they clems in last year. So, yeah, I don't like that high mentality. And here's the thing, right?

At least with the Florida State team a couple years ago, there was some dissent amongst, well, Florida State is good, but Clemson's bringing back a starting quarterback and they got a good defensive line. They got all these things. They could do it.

Last year, it was like, oh, no, there's no conversation to be had. The conversation is who's coming in second, and we're having that exact same conversation this year of like, it's not like the who are the Titans that are going to butt head. It's Miami is a titan. All the rest of you are Pipsqueaks, hoping that a baby can beat a nuclear bomb somehow. I'm so superstitious.

I might vote against Miami at ACC Media Days just so there's some dissent. Like, I'm going to vote for Boston College. He's about saying you're going to be the Boston College vote. He's going to be the Boston College. I'm going to be the Boston College. I'm going to tell you, I'm going to tell you, there are a lot of, There are a lot of teams with promise and potential, and I get that Miami is the most solidified. And that, like you said, Donald, they're the most talented on paper.

They're bringing back all these things. But until you win, I cannot trust you to win. You get what I'm saying? Like Miami, acknowledging the national championship run, acknowledging phenomenal play. I do not think that people are properly rating how much Mesidor and Bain meant to this team. I do not think people are properly rating how when you watch certain games, the Texas A&M game being a prime example, they took over that game. They destroyed them, yeah.

The rest of the defense got back there and, hey, hey, let's have us a good old time. Let's play some Uncle Luke in the locker room and get a hotel ready for after the game. Those two got it handled. That's how great that those two were playing. But again, am I saying that Miami is going to be a bad team this year? No. Am I saying that I don't expect Miami to be in the ACC, championship. No, not at all. I'm just saying there's some

parliamentary procedure to go through before crowning them as ACCC champions for the 2026-27 season. Yeah, as a lifelong Miami fan, but also as someone who covers Miami, I have learned not to automatically count any game as a win. Like I've learned that lesson. Oh, yeah. Going into SMU, that should be easy, right? Like I've learned, and I want us to take a look at Miami's schedule when we come back. I'm going to have Kenton predict what Miami's over under on wins is going to be. And I want to talk some NC State as well because that team could sneak up on some people with that offense this year. You want to keep it locked.

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with other hosts. We also have, we're having a March Madness challenge on there, so you want to check that out as well at Lockedonpodcast.com slash every day or become an everyday or club member today. Okay, so Kenton, look at Miami's football schedule coming up. You got Stanford on the road to start the year, which actually I like getting that one out of the way,

your longest road trip week one where it's, it can't be a trap game because it's week one. Home against Florida A&M, away at Wake Forest, home against central Michigan, at Clemson, home against Florida State, home against Pitt at North Carolina, at Notre Dame, non-conference, but that's the toughest game on Miami's schedule on paper. Home against Duke, home against Virginia Tech, home against Boston College.

I think everyone's got that Duke game circled because it's the Dary and Mensa Bowl, and that's Miami's homecoming game. But I mean, how do you feel about that schedule? Because, again, like, toughest game on paper is non-conference. I don't see any reason why Miami shouldn't be winning seven. seven out of eight games in the ACC or even running the table. This, this role of,

of paper towel is tougher than that schedule. And it's no fault of Miami's. There's no fault. Yeah, right, right. It's not like, you know, outside of scheduling FAMU, there's nothing they could really do to make this thing much tougher.

But I expect for that under over to be 10. and a half. I expect for that under. I think you're spot on. And I think they crush that easily, right? Because the reality is, you know, and Donald informed me that the postseason doesn't count here, but even if we're just going regular season, how many of these games will Miami be single-digit favorites in if everything holds right now, right? Like single-digit favorites? Single, so I think there'll be an underdog against Notre Dame. They'll be favorite in every other game. So I would say for single digits. Maybe Clemson?

Clemson, maybe Florida State because it's a rivalry game, but it's at home. So it kind of depends on how good Florida State is. It's like six games into the year, so we'll know. Climson for sure. And gosh, that might be it. Maybe Virginia Tech at home if they've got their thing rolling. But yeah, maybe two games. There'll be single digit favorites. I'm checking a watch I don't have here because Donald was wasting everybody's time trying to find another game that they are not. He's tried his hardest. He tried his darkness. But the reality is this Miami team, the perception of them is their head and shoulders above everybody else.

That's just the reality. And again, on paper, that perception is correct. This is a team that like we talked about already, you're returning your entire backfield, basically. everybody who got a touch and did meaningful things with the football last year out of the back field is coming back Malachi Tony a guy that although he was a four star right he was a high four star he was a three star after he reclassified and then he went down to a three star so I think he overplayed the three star status a little bit so Malachi Tony a guy that was not said to be what he was and then came out and set the world on fire you're combining that with Cooper Barcate who was Darien Minza's favorite target at Duke last year. Oh, and by the way, Darian Minza's favorite target will be thrown to by Darian Minza, a defense that outside of the two headdresses,

you're returning a ton of town. I mean, down the middle there, you know, everybody says football and baseball have this in common. You want to be strong up the middle at every level on defense. Miami does have that, right? They're bringing back a majority of your production at linebacker. you're bringing back your defensive tackles. You're bringing back some safety play as well there.

So you got all of the things strong up the middle like you want to be. It makes sense on paper that this team is scheduled to win 11, 12 games. It makes sense. You know, I will tell you the truth and I will tell you, hey, don't, not so fast on crowning a team, but I will also acknowledge there's a reason everybody's running down the hill with the crown for them. There's a reason. So ultimately what I think Vegas will do here probably 10 and a half because I don't see even if you say, well, you lose one game that you probably shouldn't, right? If you lose that game and Notre Dame, that puts you at exactly 10, which means Vegas really got that good squeeze in where you were half a game below what they predicted you were going to get.

So ultimately, I think that's where this Miami team lands in terms of what Vegas thinks of it. I think you're spot on. 10 and a half, like, that's got to be the number. And if it's anything less than that, you run to fanduil.com. Like, do not walk. You run, right? Because I don't, like, you hardly, I don't know if you ever see 11 and a half. That just doesn't really happen.

So it's either 10 and a half. They were 8.5 last year, but that was like the concern about losing Cam Ward. But, yeah, I think 10.5 is got to be the number. What about for NC State coming into this year, Kenton, you know, some key. some key losses on an offense that should be really good despite, you know, the key losses of Hollywood Smothers, who transfers to Texas, Noah Rogers, who transfers to Alabama, Justin Joe Lee, who's headed for the NFL draft. But, you know, C.J. Bailey is back. You guys brought some talent in at NC State. Well, what's your outlook? And also, what would what would your over under be for NC State? I'm thinking maybe in the seven and a half range, six and a half, seven and a half, seven and a half, something? like that. So, you know, NC State is one of those teams.

They're always going to provide value because Vegas always thinks a little less of them than they probably should. Yeah. For whatever reason. Six and a half is where they go. Six and a half is probably going to be their line, even though it should be seven and a half because Doran has consistently shown. I've always told people, for whatever

criticisms you have of Coach Doran, he is consistently seven to eight wins. That's where you're going to live. That's your floor just about. the problem is it's also just about your ceiling maybe not that's that's about your seal but the fact of the matter remains for the purposes of an underover which again don't be degenerates do this betting thing responsibly uh the reality is dorin has consistently performed above what his uh underover was supposed to be and the most interesting thing about this nc state team you're losing your leading rusher in hollywood smothers and yet when hollywood smothers went down last year duke scott went off for 200 yards yeah and in the following game against Georgia Tech when he was down. So that's what you got there.

In terms of losing Justin Jolie, he was a much more dynamic tight-in than people give him credit for. You don't replace a guy like that one-for-one. However, they've done some damn good things in the portal in terms of their tight-in pickups. I mean, multiple guys who were either part of championship teams or who were the spear of a passing game, the tip of the spear of a passing game at the tight-end position,

not to mention the wide receivers that they picked up. Yes, you lose Thorelle Anderson. Yes, you lose Nora Rogers headed to USC and BAML respectively. But I'm telling you, it's not often that you're going to see a Jojo trader come on over in an offseat. It's not often that you're going to see a 6-4 receiver running a 4-4-3 coming over in the off-season in the young man we got from outstates. So there is a definitive thing about this office. where we know you're bringing back C.J. Bailey. I don't expect him to get any worse.

You're bringing back your offensive coordinator and Kurt Roper. You're bringing back a good chuck of your offensive line except you carry his peak who transferred to South Carolina and immediately got hurt. You really got a feel for the young man because that just, you know, that really sucks. But you're looking at a situation where this offense, they're going to get you everything you need to get you. Like even with the departures, I'm not worried about the offense. The problem is the same thing I said about Miami losing their two edge rushers. Guess who NC State also lost.

Our two edge rushers, the guys that at times took over games for us last year in Sebastian Harsh and Sloan. So, you know, this is ultimately a situation where the question for NC State is where the stops going to come from. Where's the QB pressure going to come from? You lose, I believe Shirley graduated as well. You lose a ton in terms of. of your edge rushers from last year and guys who are creating a lot of pressure,

you lose Brandon Cleveland as well, which, you know, I talked about being strong up the middle. You lose him. You lose Caden Fordham, who is your middle linebacker, who is your Mr. Everything, who is your leading tackler and all those things. It's tough. It's tough, you know, and out wide you lose Marshall, who he put guys on Marshall Island at the end of the season, and there's no island to be found right now, Not even a peninsula is to be found in the secondary at the moment.

So you're really in a bit of a pickle in terms of just where does the talent stack up defensively? Offensively, you'll be there. You can get in a shootout with anybody. The problem is defensively, you can get in the shoot out with anybody. Sounds like I'm going to be taking some NC state overs heading into next year is what I'm looking at to. Hey, now, it'll be a great time for you. It'll be a great time. you something, man, that, that, your fan do what kind of? They might ban you. You're taking

over some NC State. That might kick you off like that. Get out of here. We've had enough of you. We've had enough. You're just, what? I'm just taking NC State over. It's not my fault. It's going to be some old school Big 12 football. Yeah, but by the way, I'm so excited that I discovered a new wager. I'm always trying to find innovative ways to win because I don't do enough winning. When I, when I bet on teams now, you can wager on teams hitting. the goalpost in soccer games because it happens more than you'd think hitting hitting so like

I'm always taking like over over like zero and a half goal post hit and it seems to cash for me like every time and the times it don't I'm really surprised so that's that's my new hack. Do y'all see the cigarette and the newsboy hat developing over Dono's head right now

we're see see this is the degeneracy I'm talking about we're sitting there talking ACC football he's like by the way. I've got a great bet for you all. I've got one that I know those Europeans, they love to hit the crossbar. I'm telling it. It'll be a great time. It'll be a great bet for all of us. You'll find like more in some games more crossbars hit than goals scored. I'm telling you, you got to check this out. And that's exactly why Americans don't do soccer because what do you mean

more crossbars hit than goals score? But you know, I'll tell you who won't have a problem scoring is this NC state offense. And I will tell you, I will tell you, as much as I talk about their defense and the potential problems there, they also are running into the benefit of a schedule that is extremely favorable. They're also running into the thought of if I, if I'm listing these games off to you, Dono, I'm not going to say favor by double digits, but tell me which ones they're underdogs in, okay?

Virginia. Well, I could go either way on that one. Okay, so we'll say Virginia's a pick-em. I'll give you, Virginia. Richmond. Yeah. Oh, if favored. Vanderbilt.

Probably, I could see them favored, who have Pavia gone. Okay. App State. Favored. Louisville. Underdog. Wake Forest. Favored.

Stanford. Favored. Cal. I could see them favored. Okay. Duke. Is that home or on the road? Cal is at home. Stanford's on the road.

Cal is at home. Oh, yeah, favored. Could be favored. Syracuse? Favorred. Florida State. Could be a dog. We'll see.

I don't know. Homer Road for that one. Florida State is on the road. I'll say dog. You got Florida State and then North Carolina. Oh, you guys, all you do is beat North Carolina. Favored. So you've got three games right there where you said they're going to be the underdog.

Vegas is going to give you that line of six and a half, seven and a half because they're NC State. but you just named three games. You just named three games where you said, and mind you, I gave you every pickum. Every pickum you said was like a toss-up. I said, let's throw that in there. And you came up with three. So, I mean, one thing about Doran, his teams have not overachieved,

but they also have not underachieve. You have not looked at Doran teams that barring significant injuries, like happened a couple years ago where C.J. Bailey became the starter because Grays and McCall got hurt very early in the season. you do not see during teams underperform, which is why as much as people

maligned them, I give him his credit for his teams show up and they do what they're supposed to do. And if you are correct, and Vegas is saying what they're saying, there's a two-game chasm to the good off rip.

I'm going to take that. I'll take that all day. I'm taking, you know, I might do one less goal post bet and I'll lock in NC State over whatever. Hey, listen, listen, Gavl responsibly, as y'all see, Donnell has never been on the show with a black eye,

looking like he couldn't pay the bucket. Looking like, oh, they're waiting outside my daughter's soccer game because I don't mess around and placed a wage I couldn't match. Oh, for sure. Well, all right, when we come back, the bracket is set for the ACC tournament. Could there be a Cinderella? Could we have somebody like NC State did a couple years ago,

winning five games and five days for a magical run into the tournament. You want to keep it locked right here. We're not done yet on this brand new episode of Locked on ACC. All right, folks, this is Mazda's moving the game forward. For those who show there's more to the score than what's on screen. You know, for moving the game forward this week, Kenton had the perfect suggestion. All of ACC basketball this year.

I'm not going to zoom in on one singular coach or one singular player. This was a really good, has been a really good bounce back year for the conference. Last year was the lowest of lows. Only four teams into the NCAA tournament. This year, the ACC is projected to get in eight, possibly even nine,

depending on what goes down this week in the ACC tournament. So you're going to more than double the number of teams in. And, you know, remember how strong Duke looked last year? They might be even better this year. Like Duke is going to be the number one overall seed. could very well walk through that tournament this season. So ACC basketball is moving the game forward, and it reminds us of what it really takes to raise the bar.

It's the extra work off the court, dialing in every detail. Give it that extra fire, the grit, and I never quit. We put that same energy into every model. Highlights make the real. What it takes to get there makes it count. There's more to a Mazda because there's more to you. Thank you for making Locked on ACC your first listen for your next listen. Make sure you check out our other shows.

Kenton Gibbs and Grayson Boone hosts Locked on Wolfpack talking all things NC State. I host Locked on Keynes talking all things Miami. All right. So Kenton, we have the beautiful bracket here for the ACC tournament. Duke, of course, the number one seed. All the top four have double buys. So Duke at number one, Virginia, two, Miami third, UNC fourth. These teams will not open up their tournament.

until Thursday in the quarter final round. You see single buy for NC State as the seven seed, Louisville at the 6, Florida State, 8, Cal 9, and Clemson as the number 5. And then you look at the teams that have to take the long road, Kenton, Stanford at number 10. Pittsburgh, the 15 seed. That was the last team in.

Only the top 15 get into the ACC tournament. SMU, they've been on a slot. man at number 11 Stanford or sorry Syracuse the 14 seed Virginia Tech the 12 and Wake Forest the 13 So you look at the six teams

They're going to have to open up their tournament tomorrow on Tuesday Could any of those maybe do what NC State did a couple of years ago and go five wins in five days? I'm looking at two possibilities and they're both on the same side of the bracket here Stanford or SMU

If I had to say somebody who's most likely, those are the two teams. And why do I say that? Because more than anything else, when you think about what wins during tournament time, everybody talks about elite guard play. Well, how about the ACC's leading score? He plays for Stanford in Abuco Ogre. He's a guy that's going to be there. In terms of SMU and Boopi Miller, those are guards that can fill it up,

that can strike fear in anybody's hearts. And when you look at Stanford, you got to play pit first, a pit team that I believe, if they have not already, it's pretty much a foregoing conclusion that them and Capel are going separate ways. And then you've got an NC state team

that you just beat that's only won one of their last, what, seven or so? And then after that, you've got a UVA team that realistically, Donald, realistically. Even if UVA wins this whole thing, do they get do they get much better seeding than what they already are?

I don't think so. What are they projected? Like a four seed? Three or four at this moment? Yeah, three four line right now. That's what I. I don't see them moving up to a two or a one. I don't think they have anything to play for.

I mean, just aside from wanting to win things, I don't think they have anything to play for. Of course. But that's my point. So you can see a world. And here's the other thing about that. You always need one game

with a little bit of magic. if you're going to have that five games and five days thing like NC State did. And their game, oddly enough, where they caught some magic was against UVA. And then after that, you see Miami or Louisville. Miami's lack of shooting has kept bad teams in games, plenty of times. And their lack of depth, like Miami has like a six or seven man rotation. And that's what scares me about the postseason for Miami. I mean, for the ACC tournament, it's good to have a double by when you use seven players.

But then once you get to the NCAA tournament, a little bit tougher when you've got a really thin rotation. Yep, yeah. And ultimately, when you talk about where they would go next, at that point in time, you're in the championship, probably playing the Duke team. That again, does Duke have a ton to play for to where it's like, hey, this ACC championship is everything.

So ultimately, Stanford could be in a situation where they know we've got no shot at the tournament without winning these all five of these balls. games. Every team I just mentioned, for the most part, they're going to be in the tournament. I talked about them beating NC State, going to be in the tournament. Talked about them being Virginia, going to be in the tournament. Talked about them playing Miami, going to be in the tournament. Even if Miami loses to Louisville, they're going to be in the tournament. And if SMU finds a way to win, beat Syracuse and beat Louisville, they're going to be in the tournament already after beating Louisville and Miami in back-to-back games before they would see Stanford.

So ultimately, this is a situation that Stanford has their limitations. They are known. But Okery could go off any single night. And the same thing with Boopi Miller and company with SMU. There are two teams that could win five and five. I wouldn't put my money on it. I would not bet on it. But is it possible?

Yes. Yeah. So what we're looking at exciting possibilities in this ACC tournament, you know, assuming Duke. and Carolina both win their quarterfinal matchups. They are likely to pair up in the semifinal, which is going to have everyone talking every time Duke and Carolina play. You know, for Miami, their first game in the quarterfinal

will likely be a rematch against a Louisville team that just beat them a couple of nights ago. And if Miami gets through that, it'll be a rematch either way. They could either play your NC State Wolfpack. who, you know, Miami miraculously came back to beat during the regular season or Virginia, who won a close game against Miami. So you've got possible rematches galore from good games in the regular season. This ACC tournament is going to be a lot of fun, Kenton. Absolutely.

I love, you obviously, there's no substitute for the big dance, but the whole thing about every single day in the ACC tournament, and it just gets so exciting to play up to five games in five days or four games. in four days. I love the ACC tournament, and I can't wait for this. I'm going to try to watch every second of it if I can. You and me both, brother. I'm going to be right here posted. Thank God I work from home because I get to scream and shout as loud as I want to at my TV, and nobody's going to be there in judgment. Nope, nobody. We'll be judging you from afar, is how we're going to do that. Just know if you hear some yelling coming from North Carolina,

it's probably me. It's probably me. If the wind blows a certain way, it'll carry it down to Florida from there you go. There you go. You know, it's a lot going on with this tournament, but I'm going to tell you, you know, like Donald talked about earlier during one of our ad breaks, this is phenomenal ACC basketball. This is phenomenal ball that we are seeing. And, and let's not take this for granted. Let's not take for granted that we have six, seven, eight really good teams that any day could shock anybody, which we've seen in this conference. A lot of teams with double buys lost to teams that are playing on night one. A lot of teams with the buys, lost the teams playing on night one.

So this is, again, a deep ACC, a fun ACC, lots of talent, lots of storylines, lots of everything. I want to see some March Madness. I love it. Thanks everyone so much for making Lockdown ACC your first listen. Make sure you check out Kenton and Grayson Boone on Lockdown Wolfpack and follow Kenton at TGIF underscore Kenton. Follow me at Alex Dono and check me out on Locked on Caines. and we'll talk to everyone again next time on another episode of Lockdown ACC. We are part of the number one Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.