What the heck has happened to the proud legacy of ACC basketball?

It is ironic that ESPN has spent years producing the docu-series on the history of the ACC tournament and picked this season to debut it Monday night right after Duke took another loss at home to Virginia.

If you haven’t noticed, the league has its lowest ranking in perhaps history, seventh behind the Big 12, SEC, Big 10, Big East, Mountain West and Pac 12. Jay Bilas says it is a matter of personnel, which is only up to par at Duke, the one conference team ranked in another historic footnote.

The ACC is splitting badly between the “Have Some” teams and the “Have Nots.” Five are currently vying for the top four seeds in the ACC tournament and double byes into the Thursday quarterfinals at the Barclays Center. If home crowds around the ACC are any indication, that will be an easy ticket in Brooklyn.

Wednesday night was a typical night of trends. Three teams with something still to play for all took care of business, starting with Notre Dame, which vaulted into first place by beating a lousy Louisville squad in South Bend. Wake Forest kept pace in the first four battle by dispatching State in Raleigh, where Kevin Keatts’ job is suddenly in jeopardy. And Georgia Tech fell at Miami to become the fifth team with at least nine league losses.

The question is what happened to Florida State, which dropped its fifth straight game to a Pitt team that might have saved Jeff Capel’s job. The Seminoles are now the eighth ACC team with a losing conference record and are reeling coming to the Smith Center Saturday afternoon. They looked like they were playing to their home crowd, which was embarrassingly small.

The 9-4 Tar Heels have some work to do to get that double-bye and don’t have tiebreakers against Notre Dame, Wake Forest and Miami by virtue of losing to each in their only meetings of the season. UNC will also lose that to Duke unless it pulls a massive upset in Coach K’s Senior Game.

With three weeks left in the regular season, the ACC is stuck with only one assured entry into the NCAA tournament. As many as five could make it, but right now it looks like three, with Notre Dame and Wake having the best resumes after the still top-10 Blue Devils.

The problem is that the ACC is so bad that unless you beat Duke you can’t make up any ground. It is certainly not the ACC we all know and love.

If you long for the good old days, watch the documentary.

 

Photo via Ethan Hyman/News & Observer.

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
‹
Chansky's Notebook: TV And Hoops
Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler. Bally Sports is out, and Bubba Cunningham is in. Hot news! Two interesting developments were announced this week that may mean a lot more […]
ACC Network Now Official
The long-awaited ACC Network is coming to a television near you in three years and your streaming device much sooner. The announcement was made official Thursday morning at the Atlantic Coast Conference Kickoff media event being held in Charlotte. ACC Commissioner John Swofford and ESPN President John Skipper – both UNC graduates – announced the […]
ACC Network Announcement Expected at ACC Media Days
Thursday will bring the unofficial beginning of the 2016 football season with the convening of the Atlantic Coast Conference Media Days. Representatives from all of the ACC members will migrate to Charlotte for the 45th Annual ACC Football Kickoff. UNC will be represented in the Queen City by coach Larry Fedora, senior wide receiver Ryan […]
INSIDE CAROLINA LIVE 1/14/23 - As Seen On TV!
Joey and Tommy take Inside Carlina Live to YouTube. You can watch this week's episode here or listen to the radio broadcast via the player below. This week's guests - Adam Smith, former Tar Heel Marcus Ginyard and Greg Barnes.
Holding Court: A Bad Regular Season For ACC Hoops?
The truth hurts sometimes. During an ACC game recently, the announcers revisited a common theme from the last several months: Is this really a subpar season for ACC men’s basketball? “What we’re watching is truly special,” the play-by-play voice gushed, “yet, somehow, there’s been a lot of talk about this being a down year for […]
Chansky's Notebook: Still The Storyline
The ACC tourney docuseries sent Dean Smith out the right way. After watching the first two episodes of the 10-part documentary, I wondered how it would treat Smith’s last years on the bench after painting him as the coach who brought the ACC into the modern era. I was pleasantly surprised that Smith remained the […]
Chansky's Notebook: Trapped In NET?
To make the Quad Squad, Carolina can’t lose to anyone but Duke. Ironically, the Tar Heels may not have to beat the Blue Devils at home or away to sneak into the backdoor of the NCAA tournament. Right now, they are on the bubble with not a very secure grip. The old RPI has turned […]
Chansky's Notebook: Good Fortune
Carolina has the schedule in its favor and needs to take advantage. Yes, the Tar Heels are off to a 2-0 start in the ACC, both wins on the road and have the chance for a third straight at Notre Dame Wednesday night. Considering how UNC whipped BC and the Eagles beat the Fighting Irish, […]
ACC Coaches Back Idea of All D-I Teams in 2021 NCAA Tourney
Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball coaches are pushing the idea of having next year’s NCAA Tournament include all eligible teams in Division I. Numerous league schools and coaches released statements Wednesday after the coaches held their weekly call to discuss the proposal, which was first reported by Stadium. There are 357 Division I programs in […]
NC Governor Asks TV Providers to Reach ACC Network Deals
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper wants Disney-owned ESPN and TV providers to “push harder” and reach agreements to carry the Atlantic Coast Conference’s new channel. Cooper’s office released a copy of a letter Friday addressed to ESPN and Disney officials along with league Commissioner John Swofford. The letter asks for increased efforts to reach deals […]
›