I’ll never forget my first and only pilgrimage to the ACC tournament.  It was 1974.  The father of one of my high school friends was an avid UVa fan, and, once the Cavaliers were sent home, had no interest in driving from Roanoke to Greensboro, N.C.

My Dad, who at that time knew as much about college basketball as I know about curling, gladly accepted the complimentary tickets to the championship game, which pitted Maryland against N.C. State.  When we hit U.S. 220 South, none of us had any idea of what was in store for us.  Dad probably remarked on the drive down: “So who’s playing tonight?  What does ‘ACC’ stand for, anyway?”   (He grew up in New York.)

Given that my previous exposure to live sporting events was limited to watching VMI and VPI  (in the pre-VaTech era) play in the Shrine Bowl at Victory Stadium, the Salem Rebels play hockey (in between the fights), and Jimmy Connors participate in some obscure tennis tournament at the Roanoke Civic Center (before stardom and his hook-up with Chris Evert), I was not prepared for the frenzy at the Greensboro Coliseum.  I quickly realized that the many thousands of fans dressed in the colors of their teams took ACC basketball as seriously as people in Texas take high school football. 

 By the end of the evening, I realized something else: I had witnessed perhaps the greatest college basketball game ever played.  N.C. State edged out Maryland 103-100 in overtime.  The talent amassed on the court that evening was staggering.  The Wolfpack was led by the electrifying David Thompson, lanky Tom Burleson, and Monty Towe, the tiny, nimble guard who looked like he could have dribbled through the legs of taller opponents.   The Terrapins were packed with future NBA players, including Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, and John Lucas.  I can still conjure up images of Thompson alternating between smooth shots from the top of the key and overpowering dunks, and McMillen nailing countless jumpers from the baseline.  I was in awe.

 I’m not in Greensboro this weekend.  Far from it.  Even though I am closer to an ACC school (Boston College) than when I lived in Roanoke, being an ACC fan in New England isn’t the same.  Sports fans in this area are plagued by a regional pro sports myopia.  If a game doesn’t involve the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Celtics, or the Bruins, it’s irrelevant.  In fact, I’m convinced some of them don’t even know that college sports are televised. The typical New England sports fan would choose bowling (or replays of Red Sox games) over the ACC tournament.  They have only a dim conception of the locations or identities of southern colleges.  If I wear my UVa sweatshirt into the local pub, someone is likely to ask me how Virginia Tech did last weekend.   

 Separated from Greensboro by perhaps 800 miles and an even greater cultural abyss, I  am left to experience the tournament vicariously through occasional calls to my colleague David Grimes who is camped somewhere near the baseline taking in the action (when not  sampling barbeque or complaining about the internet service in the Coliseum).  Meanwhile, I have converted my living room into a multi-sensory sports center.  Yesterday I had my TV tuned in to the ACC games while I monitored other games on ESPN360.com and periodically scanned the ESPN website for updates and the latest insights of their resident “bracketologist.”  (I wonder when “bracketology” will appear in Webster’s Dictionary.)  

 On the eve of this year’s tournament, many ACC observers were lamenting the lack of excitement in Greensboro.  The general impression is that this is a “down year” for the ACC.  This week, only two ACC teams (Duke and Maryland) were ranked in the AP top 25.  There is no dominant team like last year’s Tar Heels who (although they did not win the ACC tournament) went on to win the national championship.  Moreover, it did not appear that the tournament would have a great impact on NCAA tournament bids.  Going into the tournament, Jay Lunardi, the ESPN bracketologist, had six ACC teams as “locks,” the key “bubble” team being Georgia Tech. 

 I take issue with the proposition that this is a weak year for the ACC.  To some extent, one’s assessment of the strength of a conference depends on one’s focus.  True, only one team, Duke (which is a good bet for a number one seed) has been ranked highly most of the season.  The conference has also taken an image hit from North Carolina’s shocking plummet from national champion to the NIT (maybe).   Yet, the focus on the AP rankings obscures the underlying strength of the conference from top to bottom, which is borne out not only in the RPI (and other) rankings but in the competitive balance in the conference throughout the regular season and the performance of some of the lower seeded teams in the tournament so far. 

 It is quite possible that seven ACC teams will receive tournament bids.  That’s a lot of bids.  Yes, many of the ACC teams likely will be 9-11 seeds, the exceptions being Duke and Maryland.  But the conference will be well represented at the Big Dance.  And, given the parity in college basketball this season, it is conceivable that some of the lower seeded teams could make a run. 

 Focusing on the top 25 is misleading.  Teams’ positions in rankings this season have been about as secure as jobs on late-night talk shows.  How many teams climbed to number one then immediately lost several games?  (Keep in mind that eight ACC teams have been ranked at one time or another this season.) There are 65 teams in the tournament.  A more realistic measure of conference strength are the RPI rankings, which take into account strength of schedule.  As of Thursday, the ACC ranked third behind the Big East and the Big 12.  (The Zargarin rankings had the ACC second behind the Big 12.)  Seven ACC teams were ranked in the RPI top 50.  

 In addition, the conference’s record against other conferences is better than some observers claim.  Overall, ACC teams were 137-31 (.815) against non-conference opponents, and stacked up well against the Big East (7-5), the Big 10 (7-7), and the SEC (7-5).  The ACC is also the only conference without a team with an overall losing record.

 While the ACC this year might lack the glitter its fans are accustomed to, a look beneath the surface reveals a well-balanced conference with many solid teams that have, as usual, beaten one another up during an unpredictable regular season but generally have held their own or better in non-conference competition.  The ACC tournament so far reflects that balance.  Miami and N.C. State, the lowest seeds, have advanced to the semifinals, UNC pushed Georgia Tech to the wire, and Virginia gave Duke a scare.  The tournament might be low on hype, but it’s been packed with exciting games. 

 Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, in an interview with the Washington Post, emphasized the balance in the ACC.  “The Carolina team last year does not happen very often.  Unless something like that happens, I think pretty much everybody is going to have a shot.  The landscape of college basketball has changed during this decade to produce this, and we see it in our league.”  Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton concurred.  “There is not as much of a gap between one and 12 as there has been in the past.  I think it’s kind of like a new day in the ACC, and that’s not negative.”

 Of course, the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and it remains to be seen how well the ACC teams do in the NCAA tournament.  At the same time, the admission of 65 teams to the Big Dance devalues the conference championship.  (The 1974 Maryland team, which contributed six NBA draft picks, did not even make the NCAAs -- at that time the field was limited to 25 teams.)  Whatever the ACC's stature may be in college basketball this season, I’m having fun watching the action in Greensboro, albeit from a distance.  It might not measure up to the legendary 1974 game, but what could?  And, while I’m not at courtside like Grimes, my lodging expenses are minimal and the beer and snacks are a lot cheaper. 
Note: Jack Ross grew up in Roanoke, Virginia.  After attending Yale University, where he was a sports writer for the Yale Daily News, and the University of Virginia School of Law, he practiced law in Washington, D.C.   Jack previously wrote about sports and other topics for NRVToday.  His most notable athletic achievements are leading the North Cross Raiders to the VIC football championship game, completing the Marine Corps marathon, and playing Pebble Beach.   Jack’s favorite sporting events are those involving his sons, who participate in football, squash, track, and baseball at the Potomac School in McClean, Virginia, and Duke University.   He currently resides in Massachusetts

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