Unlike the football season, with its two divisions and eight-game schedule, basketball's a bit more complicated. From Wikipedia:
UNC's permanent partners are, naturally, Duke and N.C. State. Here's a rundown on who's playing who this winter:
Team | Home Only | Away Only |
Boston College | Maryland / UNC/ Virginia | Georgia Tech / N.C. State / Wake Forest |
Clemson | Miami / UNC / Virginia | N.C. State / Virginia Tech / Wake Forest |
Duke | Florida State / Virginia Tech / Wake Forest | Miami / N.C. State / Virginia |
Florida State | N.C. State / Virginia Tech / Wake Forest | Duke / UNC / Virginia |
Georgia Tech | Boston College / N.C. State / Virginia Tech | Maryland / Miami / Virginia |
Maryland | Georgia Tech / Miami / UNC | Boston College / Virginia Tech / Wake Forest |
Miami | Duke / Georgia Tech / N.C. State | Clemson / Maryland / UNC |
North Carolina | Florida State / Miami / Virginia | Boston College / Clemson / Maryland |
N.C. State | Boston College / Clemson / Duke | Florida State / Georgia Tech / Miami |
Virginia | Duke / Florida State / Georgia Tech | Boston College / Clemson / UNC |
Virginia Tech | Clemson / Maryland / Wake Forest | Duke / Florida State / Georgia Tech |
Wake Forest | Boston College / Clemson / Maryland | Duke / Florida State / Virginia Tech |
If there's a clear winner in this year's scheduling lottery, it's N.C. State, whose only crack at Boston College and Duke come in the friendly confines of Raleigh. Boston College gets a hand as well, getting their only game against Maryland as well as Carolina at home. Which team is behind the scheduling eight ball depends on your perspective. Is Florida State, whose only games against UNC and Duke are both in the Old North State better or worse off than Georgia Tech, the lone ACC team that has home and aways with the two traditional powerhouses? Would you rather be in Virginia's shoes, and meet Boston College and UNC only on the road, or Duke, the lone team playing that pair twice?
OK, that last one's easy. Who would ever want to be Duke?