Shut Up and Dance (With the ACC)
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
We heard all season about how historically bad the ACC was this season. At some points, there were even calls (mostly jokes, but with a hint of seriousness) for it to be a one-bid league.
Yet here we are, as the dust settles from the first weekend of the men’s tournament, with three ACC teams headed to the Sweet 16 and four from the conference that won two games in the Big Dance. That’s more Sweet 16 teams than the Big Ten (2) or the SEC (1) and the same number as the Big 12. And while NCAA tournament success can’t be the only factor in evaluating conference strength, it’s clear the ACC criticism that was a common refrain among national talking heads (myself included) was too harsh.
It’s certainly true that the ACC’s non-conference schedule, outside of Duke, left a lot to be desired. Miami, one of the three teams from the conference still dancing, lost to UCF at home and got blown out by Dayton and Alabama on neutral courts in November. Conference narratives got shaped during early-season tournaments in late November, and the ACC didn’t show up.
But perhaps there’s something to be said for not counting out conferences based on what happens in the season’s first few weeks, particularly in the age of the transfer portal and increased roster turnover. The Hurricanes, for instance, were integrating a pair of key transfers in Charlie Moore and Jordan Miller when the team was having its struggles in November. North Carolina, another ACC representative in the Sweet 16, spent much of the season finding a rhythm with a new coach in Hubert Davis, who was eager to put his own mark on the Carolina program. And Notre Dame? The Irish were still figuring out how to unlock the unlimited potential of freshman PG Blake Wesley, who helped ND to a pair of tournament wins this past week before eventually bowing out against Texas Tech.
And again, there are absolutely limitations to using March Madness success to fully shape narratives about which leagues are good. It’s a single-elimination tournament driven heavily by matchups. Miami drew a No. 2 seed in Auburn, who hadn’t played well down the stretch, and North Carolina drew the most vulnerable No. 1 seed in Baylor. But considering where prevailing opinion was on this conference a couple of months ago and the questions about the league’s future with Mike Krzyzewski retiring, the statement the ACC is making with its success in this event can’t be overlooked.
So while the brief “ACC!” chant that broke out in Greenville as Miami polished off its upset win over Auburn on Sunday night may seem a little corny, fans of the league were certainly tired of the hate. The last four days prove that reports of the ACC’s demise as a basketball power were premature.
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Bracket Busters: Nobody’s Perfect
• Coming into Sunday, there were just three perfect brackets left among all the major providers, two on ESPN and one on CBS. All three were for the women’s tournament, and only one had No. 10 Creighton beating No. 2 Iowa to send the Blue Jays to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
The ESPN bracket held on with 35 correct picks before No. 2 Texas’s win over No. 7 Utah gave it its first blemish. And with that, there are no more perfect brackets, men’s or women’s, left on the internet.
Elsewhere in the women’s tourney, No. 10 South Dakota stunned No. 2 Baylor as another fresh face makes its first-ever appearance in the Sweet 16, showing that there’s plenty of room for madness in women’s hoops.
• Even though the last perfect men’s bracket was busted Friday night, the madness continued Sunday for those keeping track for their office pools.
No. 10 Miami kicked No. 2 Auburn to the curb, while No. 11 Iowa State knocked out No. 3 Wisconsin. The night ended with No. 9 TCU taking No. 1 Arizona to overtime, but the Wildcats survived and three No. 1 seeds are off to the Sweet 16.
ICYMI
• Emma Baccellieri digs deeper into Creighton’s upset over Iowa and how it came in “storybook” fashion.
• Coach K got career win No. 1,200, against Tom Izzo no less. Jason Jordan on how Duke’s championship approached paid off big against Michigan State on Sunday.
• Houston took down Illinois with its toughness, grit and defense. Ross Dellenger explains why that’s exactly how Kelvin Sampson likes it.
• Saint Peter’s is still alive while Kentucky, Baylor and Tennessee have been eliminated. It doesn’t feel possible, and yet somehow here we are, writes Kevin Sweeney.
• Drew Timme came up big for Gonzaga with a halftime locker room speech and a bust-out second-half performance. Greg Bishop on how the ‘Drew Timme effect’ kicked in just in time.
What to watch
Women’s tournament:
• No. 1 NC State vs. No. 9 Kansas State: Two of the country’s top centers will face off in this matchup as the Wildcats, led by first-team All-American Ayoka Lee, will look to pull off a major upset over the Wolfpack and second-team All-American Elissa Cunane. A win would send Kansas State to its fifth-ever Sweet 16 and its first appearance in a regional semifinal since 2002. 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
