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by Wade Perry
drop me a line at wadepeery@yahoo.com
When the ACC decided to bolster its stance in the college football landscape by expanding to 11 and eventually 12 teams, many people on Tobacco Road were up in arms. Historically the most storied conference in college basketball, basketball fans and members of the media kept saying that the ACC was making a huge mistake in diluting its product of college basketball by bringing in Miami and Virginia Tech. Many fans were also upset that the ACC would no longer be able to have two games against every team in the conference, or a "home-and-home" series.
With March Madness only a few weeks away, the ACC has proven once again that it is indeed the best conference in college basketball. ACC basketball has always been the conference's biggest asset and this season has been no different. The Duke-North Carolina rivalry once again showed why it is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. The sun is still coming up, the earth still rotates on its axis, and the Duke-UNC game still manages to keep fans on the edge of their seats until the last second. The tremendous amount of passion, fervor, and excitement in the Duke-UNC rivalry continually reminds me why so many people in America love sports.
There is one conference in college basketball that can even try to contend with the ACC in terms of competitiveness and that is the Big East. The ACC and the Big East both have three legitimate national title contenders. The ACC has North Carolina, Duke, and Wake Forest, whereas the Big East has Boston College, Syracuse, and Connecticut. Both conferences are eyeing the possibility of landing six teams in the ACC tournament. The ACC has Duke, Wake Forest, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Maryland, and Miami, whereas the Big East has Boston College, Syracuse, Connecticut, Georgetown, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame. Villanova could possibly make it seven teams for the Big East, but they are teetering on the bubble very much like Miami and Maryland for the ACC.
If people really wanted to make a contest, they should replace the laugher of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge with the ACC/Big East Challenge. The Big East would provide many more entertaining games and would actually provide a test for the ACC, something the Big Ten fails at miserably. Honestly, who actually thinks that the ACC/Big Ten Challenge is ever going to be close? This contest has annually been one of the biggest jokes in all of sports. How can you call something a challenge when one conference dominates the contest annually?
Since 1999, the ACC has dominated the Big Ten and this year was no different. The Big Ten has tremendous talent at the top but just can't compete with the ACC's depth. The laugher that is the ACC/Big Ten joke of a challenge has proven that over the years. Somebody needs to do all college basketball fans a favor and pull the plug on it immediately.
Even if Miami does not make it to the NCAA Tournament, the Hurricanes still deserve a great deal of respect for the way they have handled their first year in the conference. The 'Canes have taken the conference by storm thanks to the late-game heroics of sizzling sophomore Guillermo Diaz. Many people, including myself, expected the 'Canes to be the doormat of the ACC, but they've proven everybody wrong. Another surprise this season has been the play of Virginia Tech. The Hokies have managed to sneak up on some teams as well, knocking off Virginia and Miami. The Hokies may have lost to lowly VMI, but they have still had a solid season.
People were worrying about Miami and Virginia Tech diluting the ACC's product of college basketball, when they have done nothing but add depth to the conference when other teams are having subpar seasons(please see: Virginia, N.C. State).
With Boston College officially making the move to the conference this summer to expand the ACC to 12 teams, its product of basketball will only be stronger. Boston College may be one of the middle-of-the-road teams in football, but they bring another top-notch basketball program into the conference.
There are many die-hard traditionalists that will forever hate ACC expansion because of the loss of the "home-and-home", but I say that is a minor thing to give up in order to add more balance to the conference in football and basketball.
The bottom line is if you're a die-hard ACC basketball fan, the product you're going to get over the years will be better than ever. ACC basketball is still where it has always been, sitting on the throne of college basketball and looking down on every other major conference. ACC basketball has always been and will continue to be like Budweiser—the king.
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