Throughout the 2023-24 college basketball season, the Atlantic Coast Conference was considered to be having a down year. At one point, some experts believed it was just a two-bid league: North Carolina and Duke.
But here in March, the ACC is putting it together.
The conference went 8-0 in the first two rounds of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, sending four teams to the Sweet 16. With the conference making up 25% of the Sweet 16, it proves once again just how strong it really is despite others trying to convince you otherwise.
The 8-0 record matches the best record by any conference in the history of the NCAA Tournament.
The ACC goes 8-0 in the Round of 64 and 32.
That is tied for the best record by any conference in the history of the NCAA Tournament, most recently by the Big East in 2003.
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— Bryan Ives (@awaytoworthy) March 25, 2024
And if it wasn’t for Virginia’s blunder in the First Four, this would be receiving even more attention.
Next week will give the conference another chance to prove itself as well.
No. 1 North Carolina is the top seed in the West Region, taking care of Wagner and Michigan State in the first two rounds. Also in the West Region is Clemson, which beat New Mexico and Baylor to reach the Sweet 16.
Over in the South Region, Duke punched its ticket with a big win over James Madison on Sunday. The night before, NC State continued its miracle run with a win over upset-minded Oakland.
There’s a chance UNC and Clemson could meet for a trip to the Final Four and Duke and N.C. State doing the same in the South Region. No matter what happens, it’s another impressive tournament so far for the conference.
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