CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Jaden Gardner heard criticism over last year’s Atlantic Coast Conference strength, but as his Virginia team joined leaguemates Wake Forest on the other side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, the I felt its impact.
He believes this year will not be the same. That’s not to say the team made it into the league, but March assured him that in Madness he performed better than his ACC powers he’s conference peers.
“It showed itself in the tournament,” the forward said Wednesday of the strength of the league, adding, “Most of the guys are back, so they’ll expect a lot.”
The ACC preseason Men’s Basketball Media Day saw three teams advance to the Elite Eight, with rivals Duke and North Carolina advancing to the Final Four, and the Tar Heels claiming a national title within minutes, before becoming the only league team to do so. There was a common atmosphere.
“We were better than we got credit for,” said Duke University coach John Scheer.
But there is also the reality that the league is off the lowest tournament bid since it expanded to a 15-team league in the 2013-14 season. And it’s up to the rest of the teams to restore the league’s strong middle tier, which has usually eaten up bids every Selection Sunday.
“I believe the league is at its best when it has more depth,” Commissioner Jim Phillips said in an interview with The Associated Press. , the strength of this league works at its highest level when, from 1 to 15, the gaps we might have seen last year are few and far between.”
At least, it’s been an unusual year for the league.
The ACC had enjoyed five strong seasons before the COVID-19 pandemic, with Duke (2015), North Carolina (2017) and Virginia (2019) all winning national titles, while the Tar Heels won the 2016 Won another title. The league also set a high of 9 bids in 2017 and 2018, which he twice set, and a longstanding goal of becoming a regular 10-bid league, still unachieved. We are getting closer to our expansion goal.
But last year’s ACC did nothing to match its rich history.
The roster was reorganized by the transfer portal, and players who were only competing during the pandemic’s less crowded days took time to develop. League teams did not perform particularly well in the marquee’s non-conference games.
There was only one team in the league — Duke in the final season of retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzewski — ranked in the AP Top 25 for much of the season and last season’s KenPom’s lowest-ever conference rankings. It finished fifth in the efficiency rating. 15 team league.
“You have to perform,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Bray. “The one thing we didn’t do is he did in November and he did in December. We made the bed.”
And that set the stage for what took place on Selection Sunday. This included Wake Forest, who missed the NCAA despite winning 13 ACCs, followed by Virginia with 12.
“They say stories don’t matter, but we’re all human,” said Demon Deacons coach Steve Forbes. “So when you hear it over and over again, you can’t help it. You heard it in November. And you know what? Probably November didn’t win the right game.”
“The hardest thing for me was not moving up in the league,” he continued. …and you’re like, “What are you going to say now?” ”
Those 14 wins (nearly every conference) largely saw UNC and Duke push all the way to New Orleans for the first ever matchup in the epic NCAA Tournament history of their rivalry before Miami fell to eventual champion Kansas. Brought to you by reaching the regional finals.
Now, in coach Hubert Davis’ first season as successor to Hall of Famer Roy Williams, the Tar Heels are returning four starters from a team that reached the final Monday night of the season. The Blue Devils are piling up in the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class as Shire replaces Coach K.
Also, looking at ESPN’s “Bracketology” preseason mock NCAA bracket, the league is expected to have five other tournament teams. Miami, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Notre Dame, and Florida State, his first ever ACC tournament champions.
“I always felt that ACC was the best college basketball conference in the country,” said Davis. “I felt that way last year and I feel that way this year too. I feel like this year we’re in a really good time with our strength and we’re going to prove how strong we are on the floor.” meeting. ”
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