A few weeks ago, I made the point that the strength of ACC basketball in 2021 would be judged not by the top two teams, but by teams 3 through 6. How has that tension point evolved this season, and where do we stand in late February?
The fifth-place Clemson Tigers have certainly played well of late, but the third-place Virginia Tech Hokies got picked off by Georgia Tech. Yes, COVID-19 pauses are rough, but that’s the hand the Hokies were dealt. Fourth-place Louisville recently got crushed by sixth-place North Carolina, which suffered a very bad home loss to Marquette on Wednesday night.
After all ACC games played on Wednesday, Feb. 24, only Florida State (3-2) and Virginia (5-3) have winning records in true road games. We are not seeing a steadily rising tide in which the top tier of the conference simultaneously expands in size and improves in quality. Yes, Duke and Georgia Tech are getting hot and can still make the NCAA Tournament, but it’s probably still too late for North Carolina State (though not completely, if the Wolfpack can go crazy over the next three weeks).
We are arriving at the end of February and the conclusion of the ACC regular season. If any team has made an authoritative statement this season, Florida State currently stands alone. Virginia’s three-game losing streak means that the ACC could have only one protected seed — that means a top-four seed in an NCAA Tournament region. Florida State is that team.
One top-four seed in an entire NCAA Tournament? That’s a strong indication of how much the ACC has failed to meet its normal standards in men’s basketball this season.
So, if February and the regular season (plus the ACC Tournament) won’t convince anyone that the ACC is any good in 2021, the only avenue left is the Big Dance. That’s when the inconsistencies and flaws displayed over the past several months have to give way to a different identity and personality.
Obviously, Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina, and Georgia Tech have to get into the NCAA Tournament first, before they can worry about making a March Madness statement. You get the point, though: The ACC won’t win any arguments over the next few weeks before Selection Sunday.
The ACC will have to win arguments after the brackets are revealed. That’s where the conference will have to make its stand in men’s basketball this year.
