The ACC's RPI report: Heels on top

Duke somehow fell out of the top spot of the RPI. A home loss didn't help the Blue Devils, who dropped to No. 5 after two losses last week in the official RPI on ncaa.com.

UNC's the top ACC team at No. 4. The Heels have the league's best record against the RPI's top 50 at 5-1 (the loss being Wake Forest).

Boston College holds the other win over UNC — and one over Duke — but a soft nonconference schedule has the Eagles hovering at No. 51. That UAB (39) win in New York is looking better, helping the Eagles to a 4-6 record against the top 50.

Virginia Tech's 6-4 in the ACC but just 2-4 against the top 50. That means, like last year, the Hokies are beating the bad ACC teams and losing to the good ones. That halfcourt buzzer-beater in Puerto Rico by Xavier might be the Hokies' undoing. Or the loss to Georgia. Or the loss to Seton Hall. Or Wisconsin.

In a conservative estimate, the Eagles are in and the Hokies are out. Some sites have both in the field, with Miami, which could ultimately be undone by Jack McClinton's untimely slap against Ohio State.

And to clarify for some confused readers last week, this is the NCAA's release of the RPI (done so every Tuesday on its web site) not a random formula produced by Duke math students or Mike Krzyzewski's family.

The NCAA Tournament selection committee uses the RPI to help them seed teams and to determine which teams to include in the Field of 65. Typically, any ranking better than 40 is safe (stressing typically) while anything below 40 puts you in Bubblesville. Note that's on the bubble, not out of the tournament, just in the conversation of the final at-large teams (there are 34) to make the tournament.

-- J.P. Giglio

In

	RPI	ACC	top 50
UNC	4	9-2	5-1
Duke	5	7-4	7-3
Clemson	10	7-4	6-3
Wake Forest	16	6-4	5-2
FSU	20	6-4	4-5

Bubble

	RPI	ACC	top 50
Miami	47	4-7	2-7
Virginia Tech	49	6-4	2-4
Boston College	51	7-5	4-6

Out

	RPI	ACC	top 50
Maryland	61	5-6	3-7
Virginia	90	2-8	1-9
N.C. State	91	4-6	2-8
Georgia Tech	167	1-10	1-5