UVa will tip-off its ACC Tournament run on Thursday night at 7 p.m., as the Hoos face the winner of Wednesday night’s matchup between No. 7-seeded Notre Dame and No. 10-seeded Boston College.

In a 15-team format, BC would’ve been forced to play a Tuesday game against the bottom-seed before potentially moving on to face the Irish, but with GT unable to participate due to NCAA infraction, the Eagles get an extra day of rest.

Virginia and Notre Dame met just once this season, with the Wahoos outlasting the Irish in a defensive stalemate 50-49 in OT back on February 11th. The Cavaliers scored just three points in the extra session but a few late stops were enough to give them the win, the first of eight straight.

Notre Dame heads into the postseason with a 19-12 record overall and a 10-10 mark in ACC play. The Irish have won four of their last six and eight of the last 12 but are a distant longshot to make the NCAA Tournament field regardless. The near-win at JPJ has proven costly, as have a pair of narrow defeats to Florida State (two losses by three total points) and another to Louisville. They didn’t beat any of the league’s top-four teams this season in five tries and the lack of signature wins on their resume will keep them out of the big dance barring a miracle run.

If Wednesday night’s game ends in an upset, the Hoos will take on Boston College in a rubber match after a pair of regular-season contests. The Eagles handed UVa its first ACC loss of the campaign, beating the Cavaliers at home on January 7th, 60-53. That loss was the first of three straight but they obviously were able right the ship and go on a run that included a win over 78-65 win over the Eagles at home in February.

Should BC make a run in Greensboro, it won’t be because the Eagles came in red hot. They have lost five straight since upsetting NC State on February 16th, including a one-point defeat against their next opponent, the Irish.

KenPom gives Notre Dame a 77-percent chance to beat Boston College and expects a game decided by a few possessions.

If Virginia can get by its first opponent and win on Thursday night, the Cavaliers would then play in the second semifinal on Friday evening. Their most-likely opponent would be the Louisville Cardinals, who they hung on to defeat 57-54 at home on Saturday. UVa and Louisville split the season series this year, but the Wahoos have dominated the series since the Cards joined the league, going 11-2 in those matchups since 2014-2015.

Louisville stayed near the top of the Associated Press Top 25 all year, reaching No. 1 at one point, and finished the regular season with a 24-7 mark (15-5 in ACC play). The Cardinals have been a bit more beatable lately, however, losing four of their last seven games after winning 10 straight earlier in the year.

They may have to face vastly different defenses on back-to-back nights if they take on Syracuse before playing Virginia. The Orange dropped their regular-season finale at Miami over the weekend and subsequently dropped from the No. 5 seed to the No. 6. Syracuse split the regular-season series with Virginia, dropping the opener at the Carrier Dome before exacting revenge at JPJ in January. The Orange were 6-3 in league play at one point but finished up 17-14 overall and 10-10 in the ACC, with five losses in their final eight games. As for how they would match up against the Cardinals in a potential quarterfinal, the Orange were blasted by Louisville in their only meeting, dropping a 90-66 decision at the Yum! Center three weeks ago. Jim Boeheim’s teams have been known to get hot in the postseason from time to time, however, and the zone can always be vexing, especially on short rest.

There’s a decent chance that Louisville won’t even have to deal with that zone, as the Orange should be tested in their first ACC Tournament contest. Syracuse will play the winner of Tuesday’s game between No. 11 seed Virginia Tech and No. 14 seed UNC. Despite high expectations, the Tar Heels had a disappointing year, finishing dead last in the league with a 6-14 record. Carolina is healthier of late and has played better, winning three straight before dropping its finale in Durham on Saturday night. UNC is a talented, well-coached team capable of making things interesting in the bottom half of the bracket, but winning three games in as many days in order to reach the semifinals and eventually play Virginia may be too tall a task. The Heels will have the backing of their in-state fans in Greensboro, however, which could make things tough for far-away challengers in the bottom half of the bracket, of which there are many.

UNC is a slight favorite over Tech in their opening game, after the Hokies finished up the season with a loss at Notre Dame to drop to 16-15 on the year (7-13 ACC). The Hokies were a surprise team early in league play before reality set in down the stretch. They are certainly talented enough to beat UNC and maybe even give Syracuse a run for its money (they split the season series, winning at the Carrier Dome and losing in Blacksburg) but it’s hard to imagine them putting a deeper run together.