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The ACC is a few notches below the SEC in college basketball, and several notches below the Big 12 and Big Ten. The league had eight teams in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and only one — Duke — made it through to the Sweet 16. Yet, this was a good year for the conference. How can both things be true? Let’s discuss:
Reality check
The ACC losing seven teams in the first week of the NCAA Tournament is undeniably brutal. There’s no way to get around that. The ACC can’t be seen as a top-three college basketball conference when that happens. We can all admit that and move on. This is where the conversation gets interesting, however.
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Not all ACC losers were failures — consider Miami
Miami won an NCAA Tournament game before getting knocked out by Purdue. The Hurricanes were a clear success story this season despite not making the Sweet 16. Jai Lucas looks like a very good hire, a young coach with a very promising future.
Virginia
Ryan Odom was spectacular in Year 1 at Virginia, but the Cavaliers probably were not as good as their No. 3 seeding in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee sent the Hoos packing in the Round of 32. Virginia didn’t get to the Sweet 16, but the larger story around the program is positive. This is why the ACC had a good year despite a bad NCAA Tournament.
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NC State
Losing to Texas in the First Four was a bitter failure, but one should expect Will Wade to upgrade his roster in Year 2 at NC State. Wade was open about his dissatisfaction with the kind of roster he had this past season. Expect him to make positive changes. State is in a position to be better next season. Now the portal beckons. The Wolfpack need to make a splash. Wade seems capable of doing that.
Louisville
Louisville not getting to the Sweet 16 is a disappointment, but with Mikel Brown being injured, one can’t really say Pat Kelsey underachieved. Louisville has had horrible injury luck under Kelsey. KaSean Pryor getting hurt was brutal for last season’s team, and Brown’s injury had a…
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Publish date : 2026-03-23 20:32:00
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