Raise your hand if you thought the ACC would lead the nation with the Big 12 for the most Sweet 16 teams in college basketball of any conference? Three ACC teams Duke, North Carolina, and Miami made the Sweet 16.
Ok stop you’re lying.
Even optimistic ACC observers like we at AllSportsDiscussion.com didn’t see this coming. I don’t think anyone did, but should we have? Were the signs there that this could happen?
I think they were, and here are five signs that basketball folks missed or didn’t put enough value on.
Winning at Duke meant something
When Miami won at Duke in January, and North Carolina won at Duke to the end the regular too many critics looked at those results as what’s wrong with Duke rather than what’s right North Carolina and Miami. Duke had proven their worth OOC beating Gonzaga and Kentucky. The Blue Devils were a top 10 team and remain so. They may not be an elite defensive team, but they are arguably the most purely talented roster in college basketball.
North Carolina showed flashes all and was a top 20 team by the end the of year
When UNC ran pre-season top 10 Michigan out of the gym by 21. That was the Wolverine’s worst loss of the year. That was the first sign was UNC was capable of, but it wasn’t until February that the Tar Heels started to play with consistency. The Tar Heels won 11 of their next 13 regular-season games, on the road, at home, and in OT. When they stared down Duke in Durham in Coach K’s final game, we should have known this was a team capable of a deep run.
Upperclassmen Guards make a difference in March
The Miami Hurricanes start 3 upperclassmen guards. Notre Dame has upperclassmen in their backcourt too. Miami and Notre Dame went 4-1 this weekend. Miami’s guards still have Auburn’s Bruce Pearl wondering what went wrong. Give me a quality backcourt, and you’ve got a shot against anyone in March.
Duke has the best player in College Basketball
With apologies to Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Duke’s Paulo Banchero is college basketball’s best most talented player. When you have a player that good on your team you can play with anyone. Too much emphasis was placed on Duke’s issues on defense because the Blue Devils offensively are as good as anyone this side of Gonzaga – who they beat.
Some close losses changed the perception and metrics of the league
The ACC had 5 teams with NET Rankings higher than 135 – Louisville, Georgia Tech, Boston College, NC State, and Pittsburgh. That hurts teams near the top, but even these teams had their moments. Georgia Tech took Wisconsin to the final minute. NC State had Purdue beat.
Remember the ACC/BIG 10 challenge? The BIG 10 only won that 8-6. Virginia lost to Iowa by 1 point, and Pittsburgh lost to Minnesota by 1 point. Flip those games and the ACC wins that challenge. Notre Dame had a 3 point loss to St. Mary’s.
If a handful of games close result flip the other way, the ACC perception coming into the NCAA is completely different.
