According to Forbes, the most valuable college conferences in college sports are: the Big Ten, Pac-12, ACC, SEC, Big 12, Big East, Conference USA, MAC, Mountain West, and WAC. Although in different conferences, these teams all compete for the same thing: the NCAA Championship in March. Each conference usually hosts around 10 teams. If you're looking to play college basketball, the Atlantic Coast Conference is the home to some of the biggest-name schools in the country, so let's talk about why.
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference was founded in 1953 and is currently the home to 15 teams: Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Tech, University of Louisville, University of Miami, NC State University, University of North Carolina, University of Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse University, University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University.
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The Boston College Eagles moved to the ACC in 2005. Since then, they have won one conference championship in 2005. Their mascot is referred to as “Baldwin the Eagle.” This season, they placed 7th in the ACC with a 6-14 conference record. So, they definitely took a hit from COVID cancellations and recruiting obstacles.
The Clemson Tigers basketball program was one of the founding members of the ACC in 1953. Notable players from this program include: Trevor Booker, Horace Grant and Larry Nance. They have a pretty good track record in the NCAA tournament: since 1980, they have made the tournament 12 times, going past the first round six times. This year, however, they ended up 10th in the ACC with a conference record of 8-12.
The Duke Blue Devils have a very rich history in the ACC: 5 NCAA championships, tied for fourth all-time with Indiana. They were this year's ACC champions and have so far made it to the Sweet 16. They have had extremely successful and well-known players throughout the years: Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, JJ Redick, and more recently: Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is also arguably one of the greatest coaches of all time. He has even been with the Team USA program for years as well.
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The Florida State Seminoles are typically viewed as a football school, but the basketball program has a pretty decent track record too. They have one ACC championship title. Their most notable alumni is Sam Cassell. They have made the NCAA tournament every year between 2017 – 2019, so the program has been getting better and better. This season was less impressive but still respectable, landing 8th in the conference with an even 10-10 conference record.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets have a rich history and have been in the process of rebuilding to that standard. They won the 2021 comeback season and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament, but last time they made the NCAA tournament before then was in 2010. And, this season was not the same story: Georgia Tech placed 14th out of 15 in the ACC. In the past, they were more successful with players like Dennis Scott and Jarrett Jack, who both had formidable careers.
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The Louisville Cardinals have had a huge presence in the ACC for years. They have two NCAA tournament championships: 1980 and 1986. This program has had many issues throughout the years: 2013 title being taken away, FBI investigation for benefits that weren't allowed to various people involved in the organization and Kevin Ware's compound fracture scary injury – to name a few.
The Miami Hurricanes have a unique history: the basketball program began in 1926, but the school cut it in 1971. 14 years later, the program was brought back to the Big East Conference. In 2004, every program at Miami moved to the ACC. In 2011, Jim Larranaga took over as head coach. In 2013, the team made it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, losing to 3 seed Marquette. In 2016, the program made its way back into the tournament and made the Sweet 16 once again, losing to 2-seed Villanova this time. The following two years the Hurricanes were knocked out in the first round of the tournament. This season, they placed 4th in the ACC but still earned a bid to the national tournament and are once again in the Sweet 16.
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The NC State Wolfpack have some of the greatest players in the ACC to date: Monte Towe, Tom Burleson, Rodney Monroe and David Thompson. Coach Kevin Keatts has been keeping the Wolfpack very competitive in recent years, making it to the second round of the 2018 NCAA tournament. This season, unfortunately, the Wolfpack placed at the bottom of the conference with a 4-16 record.
The North Carolina Tar Heels have seven NCAA men's basketball college national championships: 1924, 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009, and 2017. This season, they placed 2nd in the conference and are also in the Sweet 16. They are known to be an extremely competitive program with very well-known alumni: Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and more recently, Harrison Barnes, who just signed a big contract with the Sacramento Kings this NBA offseason.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have made the NCAA tournament a total of 37 times. In the 2010s alone, the team made it to the tournament 7 times. This year they again made it to the second round. Some notable players from this program are Adrian Dantley, Jerian Grant, and Pat Connaughton. Grant currently plays for the Orlando Magic and Connaughton plays for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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The Pittsburgh Panthers joined the ACC in 2013 after leaving the Big East Conference. Through the years, the Panthers have managed rivalries between themselves and the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Duquesne Dukes, and the Syracuse Orange. Since 2010, the program has made the NCAA tournament five times: in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016. This year, they placed 11th in the ACC with a 6-14 record.
The Syracuse Orange play in the Carrier Dome, which is home of the largest arena in the NCAA. Last year, Syracuse played Duke with an audience of 35,642 people. In March 2015, Syracuse got a one-year postseason ban because of the program's ongoing scandal. Syracuse has seen many notable players: Carmelo Anthony, Pearl Washington, Dion Waiters and two key players who recently signed professional contracts – Tyus Battle and Oshae Brissett. After graduating those key players, the Syracuse Orange recently placed 9th in the ACC.
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The Virginia Cavaliers won the national championship in 2019 after being bounced out in the first round to a 16 seed – UMBC. This past championship run included victories over Gardner-Webb, Oklahoma, Oregon, Purdue, Auburn and Texas Tech. They appeared in the NCAA tournament again in 2021. Some notable alumni from the basketball program here are: Rick Carlisle, Malcom Brogdon, Ralph Sampson, Kyle Guy, De'Andre Hunter, and Ty Jerome.
The Virginia Tech Hokies joined the ACC in 2003 after being in and out of several different conferences since the program started. It looks as though they are here to stay. Since joining the ACC, they have made the NCAA tournament six times: 2007, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. Dell Curry, father of current NBA all-star Stephen Curry, had his jersey number retired: #30 is in the rafters of the Hokies' gym for life.
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The Wake Forest Demon Deacons have made just two NCAA tournament bids since 2010, one being in 2010 and the other in 2017. However, they never made it far – losing in the second round in 2010 and the first four in 2017. They finished this season with 5th place in the ACC and a 13-7 conference record.
From my perspective as a non-student-athlete who goes to a school in the ACC, it is interesting to see how big of a crowd a game can attract, even though we could be projected to lose it. This is the impact of going to a big-name school in the ACC – people want to watch no matter if the team is good, bad, supposed to win or supposed to lose. The ACC culture makes it fun for not only student-athletes, but fans as well. If a recruit chooses to commit to any of these schools, they will have incredible seasons to look forward to and a fan base that can't be matched.
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* Originally published on March 24, 2022, by Ethan Bradford
