Most basketball experts agree the ACC is one of the most storied and successful conferences in the history of men's sports. While it's an amateur league that doesn't have the superstar power of the NBA, the conference boasts some of the world's most loyal basketball fans.
With the beginning of March Madness only a month away, fans everywhere are looking forward to spending several weeks watching some of the best basketball in the world. Betting is a big part of the college basketball experience, giving fans an opportunity to participate in their favorite sport from afar. Many prominent sportsbooks offer free bets to allow fans to test the water before going all in.
As excitement builds leading up to college basketball's most exciting month, now's a good time to take a look at some fun facts about the ACC Tournament.
Three Teams Are Responsible for Most ACC Championships
Duke, UNC, and NC State have become known as the triangle trifecta because these original members of the ACC conference are responsible for the vast majority of ACC men's basketball championships, an impressive number, to say the least.
Since the ACC's founding in 1953, Duke has won 21 titles, UNC 18, and NC State 10. The rest of the schools in the conference have combined to win 19 championships. Beyond the triangle trifecta, Wake Forest has continued the North Carolina trend, winning four championships. While impressive, the university is tied with Georgia Tech, which also has four titles.
Beyond those, Maryland and Virginia have three championships each, and Notre Dame, Miami, South Carolina, Florida State, and Virginia Tech each have one. Boston College, Clemson, Syracuse, Louisville, and Pittsburg have never won the ACC tournament.
Clemson's Struggles
Although Clemson University was a founding member of the ACC back in 1953, the university has yet to shine when it comes to men's basketball. They haven't won any men's ACC basketball tournaments and have won only one regular-season ACC title since the conference was formed.
The Most TVs in College Sports
Stretching from Boston to Miami, the ACC occupies a lot of population-dense areas on the East Coast. So, it's not surprising the conference is home to the most television per household and the largest population in college sports.
Many cities within the conference, like Raleigh, Pittsburgh, and Louisville, are known to have some of the most enthusiastic fans in the country.
No Tickets Sold Publicly from 1967 to 2008
If you wanted to get your hands on tickets to the ACC Tournament, the only way to do so was by going through the resale market, including on-site scalpers, websites, or the conference's member schools. This situation lasted for a whopping 42 years, making it impossible for fans to buy tickets directly.
Demand greatly exceeded the ticket supply as the league increased in popularity. What began as a three days celebration became four and later five days of celebration, with people from all over the East Coast wanting to join in.
Several rivalries were also behind the high demand for tickets, including matches between NC State and in-state competitor Wake Forest. Plus, the Big Four Schools, UNC, Duke, Wake Forest, and NC State, were regularly in the national spotlight and participated in NCAA Tournaments.
Two weeks before the ACC Tournament in March 2009, the league opened ticket sales to the public, but only in the nosebleed sections. Fans had to pay $363 per ticket to attend.
Merit System for Referees
No matter what sport you watch, it's hard to find many sports fans who are happy with referees, and the ACC is no different. Referees can have a significant impact on the outcome of a game, and when a championship is involved, it's even more important they make the right calls.
With so much on the line, the ACC supervisors of officials like Bryan Kersey work hard to ensure officials are making the right calls. They keep an eye on referee performance and how effectively they manage a game. If an official gets high marks, their career is likely to continue.
