ACC Bitch Slapped in the NCAA

After two days of basketball, it’s almost hard to believe that prior to the start of the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we were actually discussing which conference was the best; the ACC conference or the Big East?

That debate is no longer happening. Now I’m not even sure the ACC is as good as the PAC-10 or the Big 10. The breakdown in the first round was:
- Big 12: 6-0
- Big East: 5-1
- PAC 10: 5-1
- Big 10: 4-3
- ACC 3-4
- SEC: 1-2

Well, at least we’re still better than the SEC. The worst part was the 0-2 mark against the Big Ten (Florida State lost to Wisconsin, Clemson lost to Michigan).

What went wrong?

No 4 Wake Forest - There was no excuse for the Demon Deacons to lose to Cleveland State. They have three players who would be drafted in the first round of the NBA draft. In fact, I’m sorry Wake fans, but I hope you enjoyed your first round ride, because the big three will be gone. Do you really think these three are going to pass up million dollar paychecks in two months just to come back and lose to Cleveland State. We should have known this was coming. Despite being number one at mid-season at 16-0, but the Demons finished 8-6.
History should have told us what to expect: Since 1997, Wake Forest has made it to the second weekend in the tournament only once (2004).

No 5 Florida State - The Seminoles were young, but they had Tony Douglas, one of the best players in the NCAA. Who was going to stop him? Um, Wisconsin did. Wow. The Seminoles were so talented, they were even going to give Pittsburgh trouble in the Sweet 16. Luckily for the Seminoles, even though they’re losing Tony Douglas, they have a young group of solid players and have another great recruiting class coming in.
History should have told us what to expect: How could we expect a team who hasn’t sniffed the NCAA Tournament since the 1997-1998 season, the suddenly make a run this season?

No 7 Boston College - We could simply argue that the young Eagles ran into a hot Southern California. The Trojans finished 5th in a weak PAC-10, entered the tournament with a five-game winning streak and a PAC-10 tournament title. Unlike the Seminoles’ Tony Douglas, who had a great game in defeat, Tyrese Rice finished his career with a nine-point game on 4-11 shooting.
History should have told us what to expect: The Eagles have survived the first weekend only once since 1994.

No 7 Clemson - Seriously, was anyone surprised by this. It’s becoming a yearly tradition…Clemson rolls out of the gate in the first half of the season, falls apart in the back end, drops out the ACC tournament quickly and loses in the NCAA tournament even quicker. Too much talent for this team to fall like this.
History should have told us what to expect: The Tigers haven’t won a NCAA Tournament game since 1997.