Gail Goestenkors discovered over the last half dozen games of the ACC season that it is indeed lonely at the top.
Kay Yow is now discovering life is even lonelier in the middle.
As head coach of N.C. State, the legendary Yow is at the helm of legitimately the only ACC bubble team. There simply is no joy in bracketville. The mighty ACC is...predictable.
Four top-25 teams and four NCAA locks made the 22nd season of ACC women's basketball one of the most exciting, but for those who enjoy picking the brackets as much as the games themselves, the ACC's Big Four have made the selection process downright boring.
In case you didn't journey through the regular season, here's the way the teams shake down for the NCAA tournament.
N.C. State (16-10, 9-7 in the ACC)
Key wins: North Carolina (twice)
Key losses: Georgia Tech, New Orleans
RPI: 52
When Yow figures out her team, she'll be the first person in the nation to do so. Just Chastity Melvin away from the team that upset Connecticut to earn a spot in the Final Four last year, the Wolfpack early in the year found themselves ranked in both the coaches' and the AP's top 10.
Then somebody turned the proverbial gravity up.
Despite outstanding performances by junior center Summer Erb and sophomore guard Tynesha Lewis, the 'Pack plummeted from the nation's elite to life on the bubble.
But it gives us the $64,000 question of the ACC tournament-does Yow make her 14th NCAA tournament appearance? A win in the 4/5 matchup with Clemson would go a long way to ensuring a spot in the field of 64, but it may not be necessary.
Only two of N.C. State's 10 losses have come to teams outside of the RPI top 34. Plus, the 'Pack has come on strong, winning seven of its final 10. It's difficult to believe the NCAA won't recognize that N.C. State has the misfortune of playing in a conference with four teams ranked in the top 25.
Magic 8ball says: Concentrate and ask again later. If there's any justice, the NCAA rewards a legitimately good team in a good conference-the Wolfpack sneaks in the tourney as a No. 12 seed. But reliance on the NCAA's good nature is a dangerous thing.
Clemson (21-5, 11-5)
Key wins: Duke, LSU, Iowa State
Key losses: None
RPI: 21
In Tiger town, head coach Jim Davis definitely has something to smile about. Then again, the personable coach of the No. 14 Tigers is generally smiling anyway. The only question that has to be answered is whether or not his club can snatch an all-important top-four seed. A win in the first round of the ACCs over N.C. State is a must, creating the most interesting of all the first-round games. But it will probably take an unlikely trip to the finals to push the Tigers into the top 16 teams on the NCAA board.
Magic 8ball says: Don't count on it. As in don't count on the Tigers making the top four. Just once in Davis' career has Clemson been seeded as high as fourth. Won't happen this year either; Tigers enter the tourney as a five seed.
Virginia (19-7, 12-4)
Key wins: Clemson (twice)
Key losses: Arkansas State
RPI: 34
Yet another strong finisher, the No. 17 Cavaliers wound up second in the league thanks to an 8-2 run to end the season. A trip to the finals of the ACC tournament would go a long way toward glossing over a relatively weak schedule and giving the Cavaliers home court advantage for the first two rounds yet again.
Magic 8ball says: My sources say no. Little short of an outright ACC championship will give the relatively untested Cavaliers home floor advantage and don't expect that to happen. Virginia enters the NCAAs as a seven seed.
North Carolina (24-6, 11-5)
Key victories: Kansas, Alabama, Clemson (twice)
Key losses: N.C. State (twice), Georgia Tech
RPI: 22
Don't let the seemingly high RPI fool you, the No. 12 Tar Heels will prove to be the darling of the Selection Committee that they have been of the pollsters. A probable trip to the ACC finals won't hurt matters either, as the Tar Heels are almost a lock for homecourt advantage. The only question for Sylvia Hatchell's squad is just how high a seed they can manage.
Magic 8ball says: Definitely. A trip to the tourney finals pushes North Carolina to a three seed to start the NCAA tourney.
Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Florida State, Maryland (33-61, 11-37)
Key wins: All in practice (strangely, not recognized by the NCAA)
Key losses: Nos. 1-61
RPI: Bad
The bright side is, as Maryland's pregame press release proudly proclaimed, the Terps are undefeated when they outscore their opponents. The bad news for these four is it didn't happen often for any of them. Nothing short of the automatic bid saves these four teams.
Magic 8ball says: No.
Ray Holloman is a Trinity sophomore and assistant sports editor of The Chronicle. He would like all to know the ACC and NCAA tournaments have been officially renamed The Journey Tourney.
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