The ACC is a proud basketball conference, but it has fallen on incredibly hard times this season and the league only has the Duke basketball team left standing in the NCAA Tournament.
After only landing four teams in the field on Selection Sunday, one coming via a controversial First Four berth for North Carolina, there is only one program left after losses by Louisville, Clemson, and the Tar Heels in the Round of 64.
The Cardinals opened March Madness with a shocking loss against Creighton in a game played just miles away from its campus in Lexington, the Tigers’ 13-point first half embarrassment was too much to overcome in the second half against McNeese, and North Carolina dug a 22-point first half hole before its rally fell shot against Ole Miss.
A nightmare of a season only gets worse for the conference, but the Blue Devils could still give a happy ending to the story being the favorites to win the National Championship.
Duke’s dominance over Mount St. Mary’s booked its ticket to the Round of 32 and it’s the first time the ACC is only getting one team into the Round of 32 in 50 years, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
Jon Scheyer’s team will battle Baylor on Sunday.
There has been an idea floated by many prominent figures in college basketball like Mike Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino that the ACC should try and merge or create an alliance with the Big East going forward but regardless of the solution, the league needs to find answers on how to improve things entering next year.
“The sustainability of getting three teams in and then one -- now four. I'm sorry, four teams in, but three into the main field initially. It's concerning,” Scheyer said on Wednesday prior to his team playing in the Round of 64.
Jim Phillips, the Commissioner of the ACC, can only hope Duke wins the title to save his conference from more embarrassment.