When No. 7 UNC ideas off on Wednesday night time towards NC State at PNC Area in Raleigh, the winner will sit atop the Atlantic Coast Convention whereas the loser will endure their first loss in convention play.
Elsewhere on Tobacco Street, Wake Forest simply noticed their longest win streak since 2008-09 come to an finish in Tallahassee, however are nonetheless tied with Duke at 3-1 within the ACC at fourth (Duke) and fifth (Wake).
That is how issues ought to be.
Within the fashionable world of convention realignment and the Wild West that’s the switch portal at the moment, having 4 founding members of the ACC within the prime 5 of the convention standings is a reminder of the very best points of the game.
“At a time when the ACC continues to morph into one thing fully totally different, this basketball season to date has been a enjoyable little reminder of instances previous,” wrote columnist and former president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Affiliation Luke DeCock of the Information & Observer.
NC State guard and Cary, North Carolina native DJ Horne instructed On3.com that he grew up idolizing gamers within the ACC.
“For me, and my journey to get right here, it’s a full-circle second for me,” Horne mentioned. “I simply can’t wait to get on the market in crimson and white, and hopefully attempt to carry residence a win for NC State.”
That’s what the ACC — and school sports activities as an entire — was once about. Native children who grew up worshipping gamers who impressed them to don the identical uniforms as their heroes and taking part in in entrance of tens of 1000’s of rabid followers packing the health club at 8:00 on a Wednesday night time.
However the world of school sports activities is now risky, and rosters are topic to whole overhaul 12 months after 12 months because of the switch portal. Good or dangerous, that is merely how issues are at the moment and it makes it powerful for followers to develop the identical bond with gamers that come to their colleges.
And with convention realignment bringing colleges like California, Stanford and SMU to the ACC, there can be many ACC matchups subsequent season that followers actually will not care about.
So for sports activities like basketball to retain mainstream curiosity (as soccer continues to be the clear precedence for executives), rivalries with wealthy histories which are essential to “traditionalists” have to matter.
This 12 months, within the ACC no less than, they do.
