Would we even play NC and Duke?

[Cusee44]

From what I'm reading, ACC would like to get a 16 team conference and have two divisions. Given by our location, wouldn't we be in a separate division from NC and Duke? aka, we'll rarely play them except the ACC tourney?

On a side note, please don't let Rutgers be part of the ACC transfer. Please...I'd be fine with UConn but Rutgers? No thanks.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

We'd most likely play them once a year. I could see UNC and Duke coming to the Dome in opposite years.

They will probably go to an 18 game schedule, but I'd like to see a 19 game schedule. 12 games (home and away) vs your division rivals. 7 games vs the other division. I know it makes for an unbalanced schedule, so they probably won't do it.

Because of the 18 game schedule, we are most likely going to miss out on 1 team from the other division once per year. Who knows who that team would be, but I doubt the ACC will skip out on annual SU/Duke or SU/UNC matchups because ESPN will be pushing for those matchups to be highlighted games of the week on TV.

 

[Cusee44]

Hm..thanks for the insight. So even with the different divisions, it looks like we'll be playing everyone in the conference annually? (minus that one team)

My only concern is that against our northern division "rivals" there won't be much of a competition basketball wise. Pitt will remain a solid match up but BC? Maryland?

 

[OrlandoCuse]

Hm..thanks for the insight. So even with the different divisions, it looks like we'll be playing everyone in the conference annually? (minus that one team)

My only concern is that against our northern division "rivals" there won't be much of a competition basketball wise. Pitt will remain a solid match up but BC? Maryland?

Let's wait for the division lineups to actually come out before we determine who's good or not.

There are always going to be some donkeys in every division, but a conference with SU, UNC and Duke in it will always have appealing match ups. We're always going to get a home/away series each year with Pitt (I'm pretty sure they will be in our division). BC and Maryland have been solid programs in the past. The ACC has some duds in hoops (UVa, VaTech, FSU, Miami), but how are they any different than playing Providence, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Depaul, Marquette and USF??!!??

 

[Madbiker]

From what I'm reading, ACC would like to get a 16 team conference and have two divisions. Given by our location, wouldn't we be in a separate division from NC and Duke? aka, we'll rarely play them except the ACC tourney?

On a side note, please don't let Rutgers be part of the ACC transfer. Please...I'd be fine with UConn but Rutgers? No thanks.

I read some comments from coach K in which he said he would like to see 2 divisions of 8 teams each and go to an 18 game conference schedule. Play the teams idivision home-home for 14 games and then play 4 games vs. opposite division on an alternating year basis. So if SU was in a North Division with Duke?UNC in a South Division... we would only play Duke/UNC every other year and they would only come to the Dome once every four years.

 

[FireballPhil]

From what I'm reading, ACC would like to get a 16 team conference and have two divisions. Given by our location, wouldn't we be in a separate division from NC and Duke? aka, we'll rarely play them except the ACC tourney?

On a side note, please don't let Rutgers be part of the ACC transfer. Please...I'd be fine with UConn but Rutgers? No thanks.

I have a feeling that Duke and North Carolina will be in opposite brackets, the "anchors" of the divisions.

 

[OrlandoCuse]

I have a feeling that Duke and North Carolina will be in opposite brackets, the "anchors" of the divisions.

I highly doubt it. The one thing the ACC will do at all costs is preserve the Duke/UNC home and home series in hoops every year. If they are in opposite divisions they will only play each other 1 time per year. No chance Duke and UNC get split.

 

[FireballPhil]

I highly doubt it. The one thing the ACC will do at all costs is preserve the Duke/UNC home and home series in hoops every year. If they are in opposite divisions they will only play each other 1 time per year. No chance Duke and UNC get split.

Don't bet your house on it. Splitting them creates the best opportunity for one of them to retain conference champs with the original powerhouse teams. I agree the hatred of the two teams within the Raleigh area against each other is as bad as the Syracuse/Georgetown rivalries, but it is not going to go away simply because they don't have a home/home series. Looking at it from a business perspective, it makes more sense to split them. Another slim possible alignment may be along lacrosse lines, put the lacrosse schools in one division.

 

[obliterata]

Yes, we'll be in different divisions than NC and Duke and we'll play them every other year. As madbiker said, they'll be in the dome once every 4 years. It'd be nice if there was only one division and you played everybody once with one rivalry game but I don't think that's going to happen.

 

[SkanSU]

Different division but SUwould play each of the other division every year on a home-and-home rotating basis. The bigger concern is the conference championship. The farthest North the ACC championship has been is in Washington D.C. After 2015 the ACC championship will have to rotate between North and South and finally, hopefully, get off Tobacco Road. MSG or Barclay Center would be a nice venue.

 

[Knicks411]

I would be willing to bet a million dollars that UNC and Duke will continue to play each other twice a year.

 

[IthacaMatt]

From what I'm reading, ACC would like to get a 16 team conference and have two divisions. Given by our location, wouldn't we be in a separate division from NC and Duke? aka, we'll rarely play them except the ACC tourney?

On a side note, please don't let Rutgers be part of the ACC transfer. Please...I'd be fine with UConn but Rutgers? No thanks.

Sorry, but that's kind of a stupid question, when "our" (old) league is expanding to 20 teams for hoops. No matter how you cut it, 14 or 16 is better than 20.

 

[sutomcat]

From what I'm reading, ACC would like to get a 16 team conference and have two divisions. Given by our location, wouldn't we be in a separate division from NC and Duke? aka, we'll rarely play them except the ACC tourney?

On a side note, please don't let Rutgers be part of the ACC transfer. Please...I'd be fine with UConn but Rutgers? No thanks.

Over the past 5 years, Duke and UNC have played each twice in the regular season, home and home. I am sure that has been the case since the ACC was founded in 1953. This tells me that the ACC has not been playing a balanced schedule since moving up to a 12 member lineup...that TV and the desire for big games overroad the desire to have a truly balanced lineup where everyone plays everyone else the same number of times over a fixed period of time.

That makes me think it is extremely unlikely the scenarios being discussed here will happen. I think TV is going to dictate that the name schools play each other more often than the other schools. Pitt, SU, Duke and UNC are going to play each other every year, even though they will be in different divisions. UConn too, if they get an invite.

It is bad for SU in that we are going to play a tougher schedule year in and year out than say, Boston College but good for fans who love to watch these types of big games. Should help balance out the unattractiveness and damage to our RPI playing schools like BC, VT and (probably) RU twice each year...