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We conclude our series on the 10 Greatest Conference Tourney Runs of all-time because, let’s be honest, North Carolina fans need anything to give them hope for the postseason.

Part I: #10-6

5. 1993 Georgia Tech
With Jon Barry gone after graduation, this Yellow Jackets squad wasn’t striking fear into any opponents during the conference season. Georgia Tech finished with an 8-8 ACC record and were just 1-3 against North Carolina and Duke. They also lost two of their last three games heading into the conference tournament, not exactly a momentum builder. As the No. 6 seed, they defeated defending national champion Duke – granted, they’d lost a good player (Christian Laettner anyone?).

Following a win over Clemson, Georgia Tech squared off with top-seeded and eventual national champion North Carolina – in Charlotte no less. With UNC’s Derrick Phelps out with an injury and Tech’s James Forrest on fire, the Jackets pulled out a 77-75 stunner. Said coach Bobby Cremins afterward: “If you had been coaching this team this year, you wouldn’t have thought they had a chance. I’m kind of shocked.” Gee, thanks coach.

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4. 1987 NC State
The late coach Jimmy Valvano was no stranger to leading an underdog to the top. Just four years after his unlikely national championship season, Valvano found himself facing long odds again. The Wolfpack were just 6-8 in the ACC, a No. 6 seed destined to fall right away against a Duke team with Tommy Amaker and Danny Ferry. Instead, NC State pulled out a 71-64 overtime thriller.

After beating Wake Forest in double overtime, Kenny Smith, J.R. Reid and the rest of the 32-2 North Carolina Tar Heels were waiting for what should’ve been a weak and weary Wolfpack team that UNC had already crushed twice that season by a combined 35 points. Someone forgot to let Vinny Del Negro and his teammates know. He led NC State to a shocking conference tournament title and MVP honors after hitting the game-winning free throws for a 68-67 win.

Said Valvano afterward: “This has to be the greatest feeling I’ve had since I’ve been coaching.” And that includes this.

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3. 1976 Virginia
Who says 7 is a lucky number? In the ACC Tournament, the No. 6 seed appears to be the spot you want. The Cavaliers were just 4-8 during conference play. But they knocked off NC State and and advanced to play Maryland and John Lucas – only the greatest player in school history.

After a 73-65 victory over the Terps, a bruised and battered UVA squad headed to the finals vs. North Carolina. The Cavaliers seemed to finally hit the end of the road, as the Tar Heels were stacked again and had a 25-2 record behind Phil Ford and Mitch Kupchak. But behind Wally Walker – who went a ridiculous 28 of 41 from the floor in the tournament – the Cavaliers triumphed, 67-62, and went down in ACC lore.

A columnist wrote afterward: “They should fit the whole Virginia basketball team with glass slippers. And Wally Walker should at least get to marry the princess.”

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2. 2006 Syracuse
Just before this tournament began, two different publications polled players and coaches in the Big East – both labeled Gerry McNamara the most overrated player in the Big East. Thanks in part to his team’s 7-9 conference record, it’s all anyone talked about for days. Maybe those polls are best for when the season is completely finished.

McNamara hit the game-winning basket in Syracuse’s opener against Cincinnati. He then hit the game-tying 3-pointer against No. 1 UConn the next evening, and eventually led the Orange to an overtime win. Just to make sure everyone knew how “overrated” he really was, McNamara drained five 3-pointers in the second half of Syracuse’s semifinal game against Georgetown. His treys kept the Orange in the game and he eventually dished the assist on the game-winning basket.

In the championship game against Pitt, McNamara scored an “average” 14 points and notched six assists during Syracuse’s 65-61 win. But he already cemented his conference tournament performance as the greatest of all-time.

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1. 2008 Georgia
Nothing is more newsworthy than a good worst to first story – with a tornado on top. Mix the two and you have our No. 1 conference tournament run. The Georgia Bulldogs were No. 6 in the SEC East with a putrid 4-12 conference record. After an overtime win over Mississippi on Thursday night, the Bulldogs were scheduled to play Kentucky on Friday. But a tornado in Atlanta postponed the game and damaged the Georgia Dome, forcing SEC officials to move the tourney to Georgia Tech’s Alexander Coliseum.

After downing Kentucky in overtime on a turnaround 3-pointer by Zac Swansey, Georgia earned the right to play in the semis – later that day. Since neither rain nor sleet nor tornado could stop Georgia, there was little chance for Mississippi State. The Dawgs won by four, then beat Arkansas by nine for the title.

When it was all said and done, Georgia won as many conference games in the tournament (4) as they had during the regular season. They landed a No. 14 seed in the tournament and had a double-digit lead over Xavier in the second half before finally running out of gas and falling to the Musketeers.

And what better way to honor that team than an Aerosmith monage?

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