NFL
By: Chandler Ragsdale
The ACC is continuing to prove itself again this season as one of the best, if not the best, conferences in NCAA basketball. Last season, the ACC brought seven teams to the NCAA tournament, and to be even more impressive, they had six teams advance to the sweet sixteen. These numbers could’ve easily had another team added to them as well if Louisville would’ve been eligible. They eventually started knocking one another out, and had North Carolina go all the way to the championship. The ACC had one of the most successful postseasons by a single conference in history, and they look to have the potential do even better in the 2017 NCAA tournament.
North Carolina, Duke, Syracuse, these are just a few of the of the classic household names in the ACC. Not to mention others such as Louisville, Notre Dame, and Virginia. Almost all of the teams in the ACC are making a name for themselves and being talked about in the tournament year after year. There are currently five teams from the ACC ranked in the national top 25. Arguments for Virginia Tech, Syracuse, and Notre Dame could also be made to be included in this list. Especially Notre Dame, who lost four in a row recently to lose their spot in the rankings. You get something exciting every week in this conference. For example, Duke beat a Georgia Tech team 110-57, who had beaten North Carolina just recently before. Or how about the resurgence of Syracuse? Syracuse are now winners of five games in a row after beating Clemson on a buzzer beating 3-pointer Tuesday night.
Sure, UNC lost a close game to Kentucky early in the season, but the Tar Heels are now starting to gel, and Kentucky has gone 2-3 in their last five games. Not to mention the teams that Kentucky play from the SEC are not nearly as good as the teams that UNC faces in the ACC. Also, Villanova, who many would say hold the title of being the best team in the country, only beat Virginia by two points, 61-59. From a national point of view, no other conference from top to bottom has a better lineup and more talent. You may say, look at the teams at the bottom of the conference, look at their records, but look who they have to play! Could you imagine coaching a team in the ACC, and having to play Duke, UNC, Syracuse, Notre Dame, Louisville, Virginia, Florida State, and other top programs all in one season? Even Pittsburgh, who is currently last in the ACC with only one conference win, would fare at least around .500 in conference play in the SEC, Big East, or even Big 12. Point being, the ACC is clearly proving that they are the best conference in college basketball, and this will continue to show when the NCAA tournament rolls around in March.
Sources: espn
