The ACC is balanced again, but is it good or just average?

Last year, ACC Basketball took hits from almost the beginning to the end of the season, when all the data used by the NCAA tournament selection committee yielded only five bids among the 15 schools.

And then two of those teams – regulars Carolina and Duke – made it to the Final Four and the ACC attention changed almost overnight. The credentials are confusing with Quad 1 wins at home and on the road, plus overall strength of schedule and maybe some other voodoo mixed in.

But here we are in early January, and the question looms: Is the league just balanced or kind of meeting in the middle of mediocrity once again?

Look what happened on Wednesday night alone in the Big Four doubleheader on the ACC Network. Duke fell behind 15-0 to N.C. State’s improved Wolfpack and suffered a historic 84-60 loss. Carolina held serve against a scrappy Wake Forest team. Both games will be rematched in February, swapping home courts.

Georgia Tech, which was 0-4 in the league and looking like a contender for 15th place, rallied at home to stun previously 4-0 Miami, which was getting ACC championship and Final Four buzz before that game.

Clemson won at Virginia Tech and remained the only other unbeaten with Pitt in first place. Remember, the Tigers, Yellow Jackets and Panthers didn’t get a sniff of the last Dance with losing records buried deep in the standings. For the moment, at least, the Tigers are the class of the conference with their second road win in Blacksburg. Pitt is a total make-over in talent and toughness, having beaten 25th-ranked Carolina and No. 11 Virginia within a three-day span at home.

Heading into the weekend, when only Miami is idle, the new symmetry of the ACC has usual have-nots (Clemson and Pitt) at 4-0 and schools with basketball brands (Notre Dame and Louisville) in dead last at 0-4. Miami (4-1) and Syracuse (3-1) are your third- and fourth-place teams, followed by six tied with 2-2 records including perennial powers Duke, UNC and Virginia.

If the usual cream rises to the top, there will surely be more than five getting NCAA bids and they will have to prove their worthiness in March, just like the 2022 Tar Heels did from the eighth seed to a three-point loss to Kansas in the championship game.

As Churchill said (and it could apply to today’s world as well), the ACC remains a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.

 

Featured image via NC State Athletics

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
UNC Men's, Women's Basketball Both Rise 2 Spots in Latest AP Polls
The UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams both jumped two spots in the latest AP Polls Monday. The men rose from No. 18 to No. 16, while the women rose from No. 14 to No. 12. The men’s team is currently enjoying a 5-0 start, tied for its best in five seasons under head coach […]
UNC Men's Basketball Moves Up to No. 18 in Latest AP Poll
After beginning the season with two convincing home wins, Carolina has moved up seven spots to No. 18 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, which was published Monday. The Tar Heels began the season ranked No. 25, their lowest preseason ranking in 20 years. UNC began the season with a 40-point win against Central […]
ACC Returning to 18-Game Schedule for Men's Basketball Beginning in 2025-26 Season
The ACC announced it would be returning to an 18-game conference schedule model for men’s basketball Wednesday afternoon. The change will go into effect immediately. The league had been using a 20-game format since the 2019-20 season (with the exception of the 2020-21 season). “As a league, we have been transparent about the importance of […]
Chansky's Notebook: Dour Dancing
The ACC needs more than one team to advance into the second round, or it would underscore criticism of the underperforming conference.
Chansky's Notebook: 4 Out of 5 Ain't Bad
The ACC was relegated to “medium” space during the regular season and received five NCAA bids, when two or three more should have made it.
AP Poll: UNC Men's Basketball Stays at No. 3, Women Fall Out
Despite a mid-week loss at unranked Georgia Tech, the UNC men’s basketball held firm at No. 3 in the most recent AP Poll, which was released on Monday. The women’s team, meanwhile, fell from its No. 24 spot into the “Others Receiving Votes” category after two consecutive losses to No. 5 NC State and No. […]
AP Poll: UNC Men's Basketball Up to No. 3, Women Up to No. 20
Both the UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams rose in the latest editions of the AP Poll, which were released on Monday. Following wins against Louisville and Boston College – and a loss by former No. 3 Kansas – the men’s team rose one spot from No. 4 to No. 3. The women’s team earned […]
UNC Men's and Women's Basketball Rise in AP Polls Following Big Wins
The UNC men’s and women’s basketball teams each moved up in the latest editions of the AP Top 25 polls, which were released on Monday. Both teams earned ranked wins during the week. The men’s team rose one spot from No. 8 to No. 7 in the poll after wins at Pittsburgh and No. 16 […]
UNC Men's Basketball Moves Up to No. 9 in Newest AP Poll
Following an impressive week, the UNC men’s basketball team rose eight spots to No. 9 in the latest AP Poll, which was released on Monday afternoon. The Tar Heels defeated then-No. 10 Tennessee and Florida State in the Smith Center to move to 7-1 on the season. Carolina is the highest-ranked ACC team in the […]
Chansky's Notebook: Mysterious ACC
The ACC is balanced again, but is it good or just average? Last year, ACC Basketball took hits from almost the beginning to the end of the season, when all the data used by the NCAA tournament selection committee yielded only five bids among the 15 schools. And then two of those teams – regulars […]
›