As the exciting month of March is upon us, the college basketball regular season is winding down. Teams are preparing for their last few games before venturing on the journey in search of their ultimate goal which is the national championship. As a fan of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and living in ACC country, I want to take a look at how the conference has fared this season and each team’s level of success.

Overall

Once again, I believe the ACC is the best conference in college basketball. Although that is my opinion, it is one that is shared by most college basketball analysts. Currently there are five teams ranked in the AP top-25, with Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. Even though the conference gets pretty weak when you get to the last six teams in the standings, it holds the highest chance to produce a national champion of any conference. Virginia, Duke, and North Carolina have as good of a chance to win the national championship in April as anybody in the country. The SEC has three really good teams at the top of its conference as well, but I believe they are a slight notch behind the ACC. The Big Ten also produces some power at the top, but it really only comes down to the two Michigan schools in that conference. The strength of schedule you get week in and week out if you’re an ACC team is unlike any other.

Virginia

Virginia is one of two teams tied atop the ACC with a 13-2 conference record. They are also currently ranked #2 in the country. Their season success should be a surprise to no one, as they have experienced so much regular season success under coach Tony Bennett. He has the ability to get the most out of his teams by playing very smart and winning on defense. His teams are always sound, and so is this one. Their only two losses in the conference came to Duke, which is a little surprising, but also speaks to the talent that Duke has. Virginia is also very hungry to get back to the NCAA tournament as a #1 seed and make some noise after last year’s embarrassing loss to a #16 seed (first time in NCAA tournament history that’s happened). With their fundamental-style of play, they are very capable of winning the entire thing.

North Carolina

Carolina is the other team tied atop the ACC standings with a 13-2 record. Their only two losses came to Louisville and Virginia, both quality opponents. Currently they rank fifth in the AP top-25. Their season has followed the pattern of most Tar Heel seasons, and that is they get much stronger as the season progresses. The first couple of months are treated experimentally by Roy Williams, and once the season really heats up, the lineups get shorter and the team starts playing much better. Carolina is a team led by its seniors Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson, but for them to make a big run in March, they will need freshman point guard Coby White to play like he has played most of the season. The only thing that is a little concerning about this team is they can get pretty reliant on the three-ball, but if they get hot in the tournament, they have a really good chance to cut down the nets. I won’t make a prediction as to how far they might go because I don’t want to jinx them, but it is a very good time to be a Tar Heel fan right now.

Duke

Currently ranked third in the country, Duke is a game behind Virginia and Carolina for the top spot in the ACC standings. They feature the most talent of any team in the country, with three freshmen that will be lottery picks in the upcoming NBA draft. They are led by Zion Williamson, whom I’m sure you’ve never heard of, who will undoubtedly be selected #1 overall. All eyes are on him as of now, as he’s dealing with a recent knee injury. Nobody really knows how much more he will play the rest of the season and how careful he will be with his knee, but in my opinion he will be back soon and will give everything he’s got to help Duke reach their goal of a national championship. If their freshmen can continue to play well throughout the big stage of March, they have just as good of a chance as anyone to win the national title.

Virginia Tech

Sitting at 4th in the conference are the Virginia Tech Hokies. I’ve always been a fan of Buzz Williams and his coaching style, so I’m glad to see him doing big things with that program. They have made big strides over the last two years and are an impressive 22-6 this season. The most impressive thing about this team is how they’ve persevered after losing their best player in Justin Robinson on January 30. You could tell they sorely missed him for a while, but they’ve hung in there and adapted pretty well since. This was proven with their win against Duke the other night. While the Hokies are a very good team, they definitely mark the beginning of the 2nd tier of ACC teams. It really makes me wonder how a team like this would fare in another conference such as the Big 12.

Florida State

Possibly Leonard Hamilton’s best team he’s had at Florida State, this Seminoles team is 22-6 on the year and 5th in the ACC. Though they are 5th, they are only three games back, which speaks to how strong the conference is. It’s pretty crazy to think that out of their six losses all season, four of them came within a five-game stretch. If they hadn’t gotten cold for two weeks, they would be right up there fighting for the top spot in the conference. The last second loss to Duke was pretty detrimental to them, as they went on to lose the next two games to lowly Pittsburgh and Boston College. Not to mention that Duke game would’ve been a big resume booster. Nonetheless, the Seminoles have bounced back and won 9 of their last 10 and are very capable of making a run in the NCAA tournament. For whatever reason though, some of Hamilton’s very good teams at Florida State have come up extremely short in the tournament. As good as they are, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them do that once again.

Syracuse

Four games back of the conference lead is the Syracuse Orange. To me, this is the beginning of the 3rd tier of ACC teams, as the eye test tells me they aren’t on the same level as Virginia Tech or Florida State. Syracuse is a strange team this year. They have lost some really weird games such as Connecticut, Old Dominion, Oregon, and Georgia Tech. But they can also be very dangerous and beat anybody, like they did Duke in Durham. They also looked dangerous when they beat a good Louisville team by 20 points last week. You just don’t know what you’ll get from them, and this is how it’s been for several years now at Syracuse. But one thing is the same, with Jim Boeheim and all his experience, the Orange are a team you never feel good about facing in March. Also, with the terrible tragedy that occurred a little over a week ago, you really just don’t know how that may factor into the rest of the season. It will no doubt be something that will stick with Boeheim for a long time, and may prove to be a distraction for the team going forward into March.

Louisville

Right behind Syracuse is Louisville, at 4.5 games back. The Cardinals have been a surprise team in the ACC. They were picked to finish 11th in the conference and made some major noise for the first half of the season. The problem with Louisville is they seemed to peak too early. They were playing their best ball of the season for a stretch that included beating North Carolina by 21 points in Chapel Hill. Starting with the revenge game from Carolina in Louisville, the Cardinals have lost six of their last eight games, including a bad loss to Boston College. While they have some pretty good talent and are capable of big games, I don’t see them making it too far in March because they are simply trending in the wrong direction at the wrong time.

NC State

This begins the 4th tier of ACC teams which only include NC State and Clemson. I feel like NC State underperformed this year. They have some pretty good players, but just couldn’t close out a lot of games, which to be honest, is in typical NC State fashion. They are five games back from the conference lead and currently sit on the bubble. The Wolfpack are very capable of beating above-average teams, but aren’t ready to do any damage in the NCAA tournament. If they get in, I don’t see them making it past the first weekend. However, since I believe the ACC is the best conference, sometimes teams like NC State can surprise you because they are battle-tested. In order for them to win though, they will need to score more than 24 points.

Photo: Charles LeClaire/USA Today Sports

Clemson

Clemson is the other team in the 4th tier of the ACC. They sit six games back in the conference and are pretty similar to NC State. They are a solid team, but other than beating Virginia Tech, doesn’t have any big wins on the year. They can take care of average teams with no problem, but when the competition gets a little tougher, they haven’t proved they can knock them off. They will have a chance this weekend against a very hot Carolina team. Currently, they are on the bubble and considered one of the last four in the tournament. A win against Carolina would almost seal the deal in getting them into the tournament, as it would be that big win they’re lacking. If they make it into the field of 68 teams, I don’t see them making it past the first weekend.

Boston College

To me, this is the beginning of the 5th, and final, tier of the ACC. Boston College, along with the final five teams, will not make the NCAA tournament in a few weeks. The Eagles have improved over the last several seasons though, from the bottom of the last tier, to the top of the last tier. Maybe they will continue that trend and break into the 4th tier next year. Currently, they are one game above .500 on the season at 14-13. I believe that’s another indicator of how good the ACC is…being above .500, but 10th in the conference standings. They did have a big win over Florida State earlier in the season, so there is some talent there. The biggest thing their fans should take away from this season is they aren’t as bad as they have been in recent years.

Miami

Miami is the first team on this list that has a losing record on the season, at 12-15. Coach Jim Larranaga is having one of his worst seasons in recent memory with this struggling Hurricanes team. While they have a few talented players, they just aren’t deep at all. I watched when they played Carolina extremely tough, before losing in overtime, and it was evident they have some playmakers. Guard Chris Lykes is one of them and can really shoot it. The Hurricanes have also spent a lot of the season losing in bunches. They’ve had a four game losing streak, a three game losing streak, and a five game losing streak. It’s pretty unusual to see this from Miami because they had really worked their way up to respectability under Larranaga in recent years. Because of his coaching success, and the ability to recruit based off the location of the school, I expect the Hurricanes to bounce back pretty quickly within a year or two.

Wake Forest

There’s not much to say, except it has just been another dismal season for Wake Forest. It’s been a while since they have had a good team, and as a resident of North Carolina, I wish they would turn it around. It makes for more fun when they are good, along with NC State, Duke, and Carolina. The Demon Deacons are 11-16 overall and 4-11 in the ACC. Honestly, I believe it is time for the program to go in a different direction than from Coach Manning. I thought he was a good hire at the time, but it’s been four or five years now and Wake Forest has done nothing. Statistically, they have the worst defense in the conference this season. I watched their game against Carolina and it looked like the Tar Heels were playing a division 3 school. It was 18-0 before Wake scored a point. Things need to change in Winston-Salem and they need to change quick.

Georgia Tech

Like Wake Forest, Georgia Tech is another team that hasn’t been good in a long time. I would love to see them turn things around too because I remember the days when they were really good and competed with the ACC’s top teams. I would like to see some new teams compete at the top of the conference, along with Carolina and Duke who will always be there. The Yellow Jackets are 12-17 overall and 9.5 games back in the conference. They have lost nine of their last ten games and have rarely competed with a quality opponent all season long. All in all, it’s just been another season to forget for Georgia Tech fans.

Notre Dame

Wow, how the Irish have fallen off! Everyone has grown pretty used to seeing them around the top of the conference with some really good teams in recent years. This year has been a struggle unlike any I can remember in Notre Dame history. Although they are only two games below .500 overall, they are a disappointing 3-12 in the ACC. Those three wins came against Boston College twice and Georgia Tech. They’ve had plenty of games where they haven’t lost by very much, but misfortunes and the overall lack of talent has continued to be their downfall. I don’t know much about their recruiting or their outlook for next season, but you have to think with a program like that, they won’t be down for long. If not next season, I look for them to be back in the top five or six in the conference the following season.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh currently sits at the very bottom of the ACC. If there’s any silver lining to that, it’s at least they sit at the bottom of the best conference and not the Pac 12 (that team should get relegated to division II). The Panthers are 11 games back, at just 2-13 in the ACC. Surprisingly, their two wins came against Florida State and Louisville, two quality opponents. Things took a turn for the worst after their win over the Seminoles, and now Pittsburgh has lost 11 games in a row. They play Virginia next, so go ahead and make that 12. It’s really been a rough patch for that program in recent years, with the Coach Stallings saga and nobody wanting to play for him. It will take several years for them to get back on track, so coach Jeff Capel will have his work cut out.

Garett

ACC Basketball Season Reactions