"By its own lofty standards, the ACC has muddled through a string of mediocre seasons. The 18-team league received its lowest number of NCAA bids in more than a decade (four) last season, and it hasn't been a top-three conference since before 2020. Unexpected Final Four appearances by North Carolina (2022) and NC State (2024) have cushioned the fall, but the decline was always there."
"The mediocrity has been mostly in the middle of the standings, but it might finally be ending. With Duke doing Duke things at the top, the likes of Virginia, NC State, Miami and SMU have emerged as solid bubble teams. A half dozen others, even Cal, are in position to add to the ACC's bid count. For the first time in a good while, Selection Sunday should bring very good news to Tobacco Road."
The Atlantic Coast Conference has experienced several mediocre seasons, with the 18-team league receiving only four NCAA bids last season and no longer ranking as a top-three conference since before 2020. Occasional deep runs by North Carolina and NC State masked underlying decline, including a drop from eight top-40 teams in 2019 to four last season. Recent performance shows improvement: Duke is leading the conference, while Virginia, NC State, Miami and SMU have become solid bubble teams. Several other programs, including Cal, are positioned to compete for bids, potentially increasing the ACC's NCAA representation on Selection Sunday.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]