Miami knocked off Wake Forest 6-3 on Friday night meaning UNC cannot reach the ACC Championship game, even with a win over NC State. The Heels can still play spoiler and prevent NC State from reaching the title game with a win tonight versus ACC Pitcher of the Year Carlos Rodon.
The question is how much effort and certainly arms should the Heels expend in what is technically a meaningless game? The answer lies in the notion that UNC should probably treat this game like any other third game of the weekend during the regular season. Scott Forbes, who will be in charge of the pitching with Mike Fox suspended following his ejection on Thursday, will want to give Benton Moss, Hobbs Johnson and even Michael Morin some work to keep them on a normal rotation.
Not to mention, this is a game versus NC State which makes it meaningful on some level, even if it is to spoil the tournament for a rival. And while most are not concerned about national seed implications believing UNC already has one locked up, winning one more game would remove any doubt on the issue.