We knew the ACC sucked this year, but

[djorange1989]

Watching both games, you would never know both teams went 18-2 in the ACC this year. I wonder if Duke is going to lay an egg. I know a lot of people picked them to win everything.

They have OOC wins against Auburn, Arizona and Illinois. They aren’t some paper tiger, unfortunately.

 

[syrBossHogg]

Sort of feel this next post might be worthy of a new thread, but I'll post it here.

Its very important to Syracuse (or any other ACC member) that the ACC gets fairly good again as a conference and at least does adequate in out of conference play. But the ACC has been far from that for 3 years running, with 2024 being the clear low point. It's hard for your program to take the next step in relevancy if only 3-5 teams in an 18 team league are going to make the tournament.

The Final Four Runs by Miami and NC St were fool's gold with respect to the ACC's standing.... were they entertaining and good for momentary chest thumping. Sure, but they hid the reality of how bad the ACC was becoming, and some people chose to ignore the fact that the ACC absolutely sucked in 2022, 2023 and 2024 OOC, and the real implications it had on those years and more importantly potentially moving forward. Thinking things were still good in the ACC because of a few runs in the tournament, and claiming that the system was the issue and not the ACC. And here we are in 2024.

Sort of reminds of the chatter at the time that all was good at Syracuse because of our 2016 FF run and 2018 Elite 8. All the signs were there of a significant program decline as we were fighting just to be a bubble team. Ultimately we saw the reality of the situation and our continual decline.

And we're part of the reason the ACC is so down. Need to get better ASAP

 

[Willy75]

The Big East is a much better basketball conference than the ACC. It's not close.

 

[Fly Rodder]

Watching both games, you would never know both teams went 18-2 in the ACC this year. I wonder if Duke is going to lay an egg. I know a lot of people picked them to win everything.

Anything can happen in a single elimination tourney. And maybe more for a Duke team who, without Maliq and with a hobbled Flagg, isn’t the same Duke team as earlier in the season.

 

[TinyManInside]

did we know it sucked this bad. And, it will probably suck as much next year. Louisville was bad playing basically a home game, and Clemson is historically bad. They look like the coach is not invested in the team. Total embarrassment.

I knew the ACC sucked this bad. It’s how I won a beat that this terrible SU team would win 7 regular season games.

 

[Scooch]

The FTC should ban the ACC from running those ads about being the “nation’s premiere basketball conference” or some such lies.

It’s a putrid league.

 

[Sbucketball]

He's still doing an amazing job there despite this dud of a game.

Brownell might be the best coach in the ACC. Maybe Kelsey will be better. Scheyer's getting elite talent but it's duke so i'm not that impressed.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

And we couldn’t compete in a conference loaded with bad teams.

Actually had our worst season in 6 decades in an awful conference. Amazing how bad we truly were.

 

[Newhouser]

I didn't see one team yesterday that I was 100% confident that we would beat including the 16 seeds.

I do know the legit double digit seeds (McNeese, Drake, UCSD, Yale, Arkansas, etc) would have been a handful for us.

 

[Niastri]

Actually had our worst season in 6 decades in an awful conference. Amazing how bad we truly were.

A lot had to go right for us to be good.

Every one of those things went wrong.

Bad roster and bad coaching plus amazingly bad luck = bad record.

 

[djorange1989]

I didn't see one team yesterday that I was 100% confident that we would beat including the 16 seeds.

I do know the legit double digit seeds (McNeese, Drake, UCSD, Yale, Arkansas, etc) would have been a handful for us.

We were lucky to beat LeMoyne, all those teams you mentioned would have smoked us. The best win we had all year was against a barely above .500 FSU. We were terrible

 

[crv1728]

I need a slap upside my head for having any faith in the ACC. I was 14/16 yesterday. I got the Louisville and Clemson games wrong.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Somewhat related, as the rise of SEC hoops and decline of ACC hoops certainly correlate...

When you look at the education numbers for the SEC states, they're some of the worst in the country. Absolutely terrible at delivering learning outcomes. They fail their citizens.

And the NIL landscape has shown that the poor performance of their education system wasn't due to lack of potential resources. It was a choice. And now the choice of their powerful, wealthy citizens is... sports. Not a public good like education. They fight policies to improve education.

It's a grotesque example of prioritization.

 

[tbonezone]

double jeopardy. historically bad in a historically bad conference.

 

[DomeHolmes]

Louisville was not surprising. Creighton is underseeded just like Louisville was. Clemson though this is shocking to see them miss this many wide open shots.

I agree with this post 100%. Creighton looked very good lately, and probably should’ve been a five or 6 seed. And Louisville I thought deserved better. Both could’ve easily advanced had they not had to play each other.

Clemson was not prepared for the energy that McNeese brought. In the second half they figured it out but the 22 point deficit was just a little too much to overcome. They probably beat McNeese eight out of 10 times though.

Bad draws and tough luck.

So far the bottom of the barrel, SEC teams look like they do not belong in the tournament either.

 

[phil77]

Everyone is increasing their NIL not just us.

 

[RF2044]

We barely made the ACCT in an historically bad ACC.

We’re far, far away from where we need to be.

Perspective.

 

[RF2044]

We were lucky to beat LeMoyne, all those teams you mentioned would have smoked us. The best win we had all year was against a barely above .500 FSU. We were terrible

Let's run it back!!!

 

[DomeHolmes]

Somewhat related, as the rise of SEC hoops and decline of ACC hoops certainly correlate...

When you look at the education numbers for the SEC states, they're some of the worst in the country. Absolutely terrible at delivering learning outcomes. They fail their citizens.

And the NIL landscape has shown that the poor performance of their education system wasn't due to lack of potential resources. It was a choice. And now the choice of their powerful, wealthy citizens is... sports. Not a public good like education. They fight policies to improve education.

It's a grotesque example of prioritization.

Are you saying that the few millions of dollars that go to NIL in southern states could somehow correct their entire school systems if that relatively small amount money was spent on the schools not NIL? The Alabama school budget for K through 12 is over $9 billion. That is 1000 times what the NIL for U of Alabama likely is. it’s a drop in the bucket and would not make a dent in improving education.

since when is it the obligation of successful people to pay for school systems for other people, other than through the taxes that they already pay?

there are plenty of good schools in the south, Tulane, rice, Vanderbilt, even university of Florida, or Georgia are next to impossible to get into if you are not from those states. One of the best ways to improve the desirability of a school, get more applicants and increase the average SAT score and universities prestige, is to have outstanding athletic programs that people want to be part of.

just like poor urban areas that have poor outcomes, the number one driver for poor outcomes in some southern states is the parents. If kids do not have parents that value education, they don’t have role models that show them the benefits of that education. whether they’re from the south or from cities in the north, they tend to have the same problems and challenges.

and that’s not necessarily to blame the parents from either group. For years if most of the jobs in those areas did not require a college education, there might not have been the incentive to focus on academics. These are cultural things. They haven’t improved much for much of the south for the same reasons they haven’t improved much, or have gone dramatically backwards, in places like Chicago or Baltimore. For sure it’s not for lack of money.

I am not a fan of NIL in any way, but blaming the education system on NIL is a bit of a reach, don’t you think?

 

[kingtidge]

football money has seismically shifted the ncaabb landscape

perhaps Syracuse is not a basketball school any longer

Perhaps?? I don't even think it's a debatable question at this point. A lost decade doesn't just materialize overnight.

I think that a lot of us that witnessed the good years still want us to be that basketball school, but in reality that ship left port years ago.

And we couldn’t compete in a conference loaded with bad teams.

It's sobering.

 

[orangecuse]

He's still doing an amazing job there despite this dud of a game.

Not to mention, we are 4-7, or he is 7-4 against us since entering the ACC.

 

[Eric15]

Not to mention, we are 4-7, or he is 7-4 against us since entering the ACC.

That’s actually better than I would have guessed.

 

[cliftonparksufan]

I need a slap upside my head for having any faith in the ACC. I was 14/16 yesterday. I got the Louisville and Clemson games wrong.

Hope you didn't pick UNC today. Tar Heels down 18 at the half. Embarrassing. How were they favored?

 

[crv1728]

Hope you didn't pick UNC today. Tar Heels down 18 at the half. Embarrassing. How were they favored?

I wish I could say I am smarter than that.

 

[syrBossHogg]