LOS ANGELES — The ACC has had nice success within the males’s NCAA Match. The individuals least shocked by that? The groups.
Solely 5 ACC groups made the match this season, tying final season for the fewest groups despatched previously decade. Virginia was among the many final 4 groups to make the match and needed to play a First 4 recreation, which it misplaced in resounding trend to Colorado State. So the convention solely had 4 groups within the first spherical for the primary time since 2013.
However it’s been perfection for the ACC since.
North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and No. 11 seed NC State have survived and superior to the Candy 16. The ACC has gone from a mediocre convention to at least one that’s flexing its muscular tissues when it issues most — no convention has extra groups remaining in March Insanity.
Two of these groups are within the West Regional in Los Angeles, with No. 1 seed North Carolina stomping its technique to a Candy 16 matchup with No. 4 seed Alabama. On the opposite aspect, No. 6 seed Clemson had some of the stunning wins within the second spherical over No. 3 Baylor and can play No. 2 seed Arizona to kick off the second weekend of the match.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, groups and extra.
Clemson head coach Brad Brownell believes the totally different playstyles within the convention ready his group, and certain others, for the NCAA Match.
“I have been in our league 14 years. I knew the standard of play that we had this 12 months. I assumed we have been extraordinarily deep,” Brownell mentioned. “I simply suppose that there is nice parity in our league.”
The gamers hear the noise as properly.
“Yearly we get not sufficient respect and disrespected all 12 months – ‘the convention is down’ – after which we come right here and begin waxing individuals,” mentioned Clemson senior heart PJ Corridor.
“That is what I like in non-conference. You come again in-conference and all people is like, ‘oh, it is imploding on itself.’ No, it is as a result of we now have numerous good groups from 16 to 1,” Corridor added. “There’s positively not a dip in expertise.”
North Carolina ahead Armando Bacot has related emotions concerning the notion of the convention. He mentioned the respect “type of went down.” One factor he did word is there have been groups like Pittsburgh who beat three of the convention’s match groups however didn’t make it to the massive dance.
“This 12 months there have been numerous ACC groups that have been deserving that did not get an opportunity to make it in,” Bacot mentioned. “Hopefully everybody sees after this 12 months how aggressive ACC basketball is and the way good the groups are.”
North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis believes the convention did not need to show something — in his thoughts the ACC has at all times maintained its place atop the school basketball world. The ACC claims probably the most males’s faculty basketball nationwide championships and has been represented in 13 of the previous 22 Remaining Fours.