DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — It wasn't long after sixth-ranked Duke finally fought off a pesky Georgia Tech team that coach Jon Scheyer pointed to the lesson emerging from the Blue Devils' Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
"I think for our guys ... they're learning very quickly that from this point forward, you've got to fight, scrap and claw for every game you play," Scheyer said.
It's a message set to apply across the ACC considering the league is on better
footing compared to this time last year as the conference slate takes hold.
Notably, the ACC had a stronger showing in marquee nonconference matchups and has shown more depth of quality teams compared to last year with Duke operating as a one-team show on the way to the Final Four. And that means more games ahead for teams to help their postseason résumés in league play, something that wasn't happening last year as the ACC faced a dwindling number of March Madness bids before posting its lowest haul in a dozen years.
“I just feel like the league as a whole, it's so much better,” said Terrence Oglesby, a college basketball and NBA TV analyst who played at Clemson. “Maybe not top to bottom, but top to about 13, 14 (teams). It's a league that should stand up pretty well on Selection Sunday just because of how the metrics are going to work.”
The ACC stumbled through a rough 2024-25, a low point amid a multiyear discussion about getting men's basketball back in line with its tradition-rich history as a calling-card sport for the league. By last March, the 18-team ACC had secured just four tickets to March Madness, the lowest since getting four as a 12-team conference in 2013 and part of the larger decline from a record nine bids in both 2017 and 2018.
The four bids in 2025, though, was a reasonably predictable outcome at this time last year based on indicators like the number of AP Top 25 teams, NET rankings and Quadrant 1 wins that top a postseason résumé. That's why the numbers stand out now as the ACC shifts into conference play (all data runs through Dec. 29 for both years):
—The ACC has four ranked teams in No. 6 Duke, No. 12 North Carolina, No. 16 Louisville and No. 21 Virginia, up from one last year.
—The league has eight teams in the top 40 of the NET rankings, the constantly shifting sorting tool used by the NCAA selection committee. That's up from five last year, right behind the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference (each with nine), and ahead of the Big 12 (seven).
—The ACC has 16 Quad 1 wins and 19 in Quad 2, up from 10 and 13, respectively, from last year.
—And the ACC has gone 38-39 against the Big 12, Big East, Big Ten and SEC, a win rate of 49.4%, according to Sportradar. The ACC was just 17-52 (24.6%) in those games last year to rank by far the worst of the top leagues in those matchups.
The impact of the nonconference play lingers in establishing a pecking order when it comes to league strength. And the stronger that league is, the more chances to teams to help their cases for NCAA Tournament bids by winning conference games.
That's why Oglesby pointed to the ACC's showing so far as “night and day,” and why he's feeling confident in his preseason projection of the ACC getting eight bids.
The ACC is now heading into a shorter league schedule after reducing its 20-game slate to 18, which gave teams more room to schedule quality nonconference matchups. It's all up to league teams now to capitalize on the opportunities ahead leading to Selection Sunday (March 15).
Virginia Tech (12-2, 1-0) offers an example. The Hokies haven't been to the NCAAs since winning the ACC Tournament in 2022. But they added key pieces like West Virginia transfer Amani Hansberry and top international prospect Neoklis Avdalas in an offseason retooling. And they opened league play Wednesday by beating the ranked Cavaliers in triple overtime.
The league's overall improvement means the Hokies have nine Quad 1 opportunities ahead, too. There's a visit from Duke (Jan. 31) and a second matchup against the rival Cavs (March 7), but road games with SMU (Jan. 14), N.C. State (Feb. 7), Clemson (Feb. 11) and Miami (Feb. 17) offer valuable opportunities, too.
“Great admiration for them,” Hokies coach Mike Young said of Virginia after the win. “But dammit, I've got a good basketball team, too, all right? And I'm not going to shy away from that.”
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