Re: Last night just reinforced something that I had already

I am not worried.

First, it isn't uncommon for the ACC (or any conference really) to have a down year. For all of the "Big10" strength this year, they really did not have a deep run unless you consider Mich being knocked out at the Elite 8. The Pac12 did really well this year, but they have only field a final four team twice in the last 10 years.

The ACC "only" fields a final 4 team about 1/2 the time. 2011-2014 did not field an ACC team in the final 4, then the next five years, we field 4 of 5 and won 3 with 3 different teams. It was hit and miss in the 00s but when we did field a final 4 team, we generally won (save GT). The 90s saw similar run of one team (like Duke in the late 90s and early 90s but disappearing in the mid 90s) stringing together a run but the conference struggled otherwise. UNC had similar runs but the rest of the conference was not making it to the final 4 like the 80s which fielded 4/5 different teams - UVA Duke UNC NCState GT

FutureDoc

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Apr 6, 2021, 10:44 AM

The last 10 years have been the most turbulent/non-Duke/UNC of any era of the conference. Still Duke/UNC have notched multiple NCs and 1/2 of the tourney wins.

The conference has always been two schools. With the exception of Duke's decline in the 70s or UNC early 00s, it has been really stable. But not all four schools have been competitive at the same time - normally it is three in some combination. Plus it is easier when the four schools are 1/2 the conference since the 70s. Really, you are bemoaning the loss of NC State as a National power and Wake internally.

Otherwise, UNC and Duke have basically always been the two (if not UNC/NCSU)

60s - Duke/UNC won 7/10 ACC titles (Wake 2 NC State 1)
70s - Duke/UNC won 5/10 ACC titles (Wake 2, NC State 1, Coot, UVA)
80s - Duke/UNC won 6/10 ACC titles (NCSU 2, GT 1, MD 1)
90s - Duke/UNC won 6/10 ACC titles (GT 2 WF 2)
00s - Duke/UNC won 9/10 ACC titles (MD 1)
10s - Duke/UNC won 5/10 ACC titles (Miami, ND, 2 UVA)

I think that Duke/UNC have more titles than everyone else combined. And if I look up the "runner up" the year Duke/UNC did not win it, I bet they were #2.

What you are missing is a period in which a very few years had Duke/UNC being historically strong (but with down years like Duke in '96) and an interloper being a decent challenger. The best case for this was starting in the early 80s (pre/earlyk Coach K) and a declining Smith. This was brought on by changes in the "dance" with the expanded field making talent easier to opt into mid-tier schools and you saw an expansion of a lot of non-traditional powers then. Such as Houston, Georgetown, Villanova, Seton hall, NC State, UofL, Arky, UNLV, UMass. Really, it always is Duke/UNC and THEN someone like Virginia now, or Maryland under Williams, or Odem, Cremmins, Lefty, Valvano. During this period, Duke/UNC "only" won the Tourney about 5 of 10, they were still notching NC by the early 90s but it wasn't like they were not dominating.

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Last night just reinforced something that I had already