The first round of the NCAA Tournament did not go as planned for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Duke had no trouble annihilating Mount Saint Mary’s, but the good news ends there.
The other ACC representatives, Louisville, Clemson and North Carolina, all entered their games as favorites. Louisville and Clemson were the higher seeds in their first round matchups. All lost in embarrassing fashion. In doing so, they accomplished an unflattering first-ever feat in ACC tournament history.
Louisville, UNC Let Down ACC
In the regular season, Louisville went 18-2 in ACC play, finished third in the conference, and lost to Duke in the ACC tournament final. They finished #10 in the AP Poll.
Closing as 3.5- point favorites over the 9-seeded Blue Jays, the Cardinals kicked off March Madness by getting shellacked in a game that started close and got ugly before halftime. The 89-75 final score does little justice to how completely overmatched the Cards looked in this battle of the birds.
As for the Tar Heels, fans and pundits alike were outraged by their inclusion in the field of 68 over West Virginia. It doesn’t help that North Carolina’s athletic director is part of the selection committee.
While the Heels dominated their play-in matchup versus San Diego State, their performance Saturday vindicated the belief that they belonged nowhere near the tournament. Flopping to a 44-26 first-half deficit that peaked at 22 points against Ole Miss, North Carolina battled back within two with a minute to go but failed to complete the comeback.
Albeit a valiant effort, it simply wasn’t good enough. It is not as if the Rebels are world beaters. They finished the SEC season 3-5 and 10-8 overall against conference foes. Surging to 16th in the poll after a win over Alabama, they fell a far cry from the top 25 by the final edition of the rankings.
Despite being an 11-seed, the Tar Heels entered the game as small favorites. Only a win, or perhaps a full 40 minutes of competitive basketball, would have alleviated controversy over their tournament berth.
And then there was Clemson, the surest bet to give Duke some ACC company in the round of 32.
Paper Tigers
North Carolina’s loss secured the record, but the Tigers, the biggest favorites facing the lowest seed, should take the lion’s share of blame: for the first time since 1975, when the NCAA began permitting conferences more than one tournament team apiece, the ACC sent a single bid to the second round.
#12 in the nation, 2nd place in the ACC (18-2), Clemson took on McNeese State in the 5 vs 12-seed game as 7.5-point favorites. They scored 13 first-half points.
They narrowed the margin in desperation mode late, sinking a slew of late threes, but don’t be fooled by the final score. It was never close. Down 12 in the final minute, Clemson ended the game with a meaningless “buzzer beater” layup to lose by two. Even after hitting a triple to make it 68-65 with 12 seconds left, the Tigers owned a 6.7% chance of victory, per ESPN analytics.
Now, ACC fans have an interesting decision on their hands: root against the Blue Devils, conference bullies, or support them in the interests of maintaining a regional representative? As second round play tips off, Duke remains the title favorite. If Cooper Flagg stays healthy, the ACC’s sole surviving bid should keep the conference involved well into April–if not until the end.
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