The Big Bad ACC

[Phantom Warrior]

Over the past eight days, ACC teams have lost 14 games, 10 of them to teams in "mid-major" conferences.

Florida State lost three games, BC lost three games, Wake Forest lost two games, Clemson lost two games, Syracuse, Pitt, Va. Tech, and Notre Dame all lost one each.

UMass over FSU,
Providence over FSU
Northeastern over FSU

Dayton over BC
WVU over BC
UMass over BC

Gardner Webb over Clemson
Winthrop over Clemson

Iona over Wake Forest
Arkansas over Wake Forest

Providence over Notre Dumb
Appalachia State over Va. Tech
Hawaii over Pitt
Cal over Syracuse

Best basketball league in history - doesn't look that way. Breaks my heart.

[Markedman]

You left out Providence over ND

[Phantom Warrior]

Meant Providence over ND, not Dayton. I'll change it.

[TedBaxter]

Marquette could make it 3 losses the way they look right now.

[mufan2003]

Over the past eight days, ACC teams have lost 14 games, 10 of them to teams in "mid-major" conferences.

Florida State lost three games, BC lost three games, Wake Forest lost two games, Clemson lost two games, Syracuse, Pitt, Va. Tech, and Notre Dame all lost one each.

UMass over FSU,
Providence over FSU
Northeastern over FSU

Dayton over BC
WVU over BC
UMass over BC

Gardner Webb over Clemson
Winthrop over Clemson

Iona over Wake Forest
Arkansas over Wake Forest

Providence over Notre Dumb
Appalachia State over Va. Tech
Hawaii over Pitt
Cal over Syracuse

Best basketball league in history - doesn't look that way. Breaks my heart.

I may be biased, but I don't think any conference will ever top the Big East from 2006 to 2013. 2011, Big East getting 11 teams in tourney and MU getting with a 9-9 record in conference play.

[MarmooskaJig]

are there any of those statistics up yet where they rank the conferences strengths or is it too early in the season?

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Pomeroy has the ACC third behind the Big 12 and Big 10. The ACC will suffer from the same thing the old Big East suffered from -- too many teams. Yes, they will have 4-6 really good teams, like we usually did, but when you have 4-5 really bad teams, you'll never be rated as favorably as a smaller conference that is solid top-to-bottom.

I still think the best year for the Big East was 1991. 7 out of 9 teams went to the tournament, 6 of those teams won at least one game, 2 teams in the Final Four. And of the 9 teams, Providence had a very good case that it should have been 8 -- The Friars were 19-13 with a 7-9 league record ('Nova got in with a 17-15 record, also 7-9 in league). Providence, however, only played one high-major non-conference game and lost, whereas 'Nova went 3-2 against other non-con high-majors.

[CaribouJim]

Pomeroy has the ACC third behind the Big 12 and Big 10. The ACC will suffer from the same thing the old Big East suffered from -- too many teams. Yes, they will have 4-6 really good teams, like we usually did, but when you have 4-5 really bad teams, you'll never be rated as favorably as a smaller conference that is solid top-to-bottom.

I still think the best year for the Big East was 1991. 7 out of 9 teams went to the tournament, 6 of those teams won at least one game, 2 teams in the Final Four. And of the 9 teams, Providence had a very good case that it should have been 8 -- The Friars were 19-13 with a 7-9 league record ('Nova got in with a 17-15 record, also 7-9 in league). Providence, however, only played one high-major non-conference game and lost, whereas 'Nova went 3-2 against other non-con high-majors.

Better than the '85 B.E. w/ 3 of 4 in the FF and 'Nova beats G-Town in the final?

[WindyCityGoldenEagle]

where does Pomeroy have the Big East?

[warriorfan4life]

where does Pomeroy have the Big East?

4th right now.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

Better than the '85 B.E. w/ 3 of 4 in the FF and 'Nova beats G-Town in the final?

Those are definitely the two that stick out for me. 1985 was the best tournament any conference ever had. Three teams in the Final 4 and both finalists is ridiculous. But while it's just one team difference, I can't look past that 1991 season, not just because they placed 78% of the league in the tournament, but because Providence had a really good case to make it 8 of 9 teams, which seems unfathomable. They had 8 wins over NCAA Tournament teams. What killed them was 3 points in 2 road games. They lost by 2 at Boston College (BC's only Big East win that season) and lost by 1 at Holy Cross. Win those two games and the Friars would have made it 8/9.

But yeah...the 1985 Big East was also ridiculous. Getting 3 teams to one Final Four is amazing, something I always hoped the Big East would do when it was the super-league we came into last decade. Unfortunately, we never had a tournament run that was on par with the league in its early heyday.