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I know what I'm about to say is basketball blasphemy but I'm going to say it anyway. Many of us are sentimental about the ACC Tournament. I was there in Greensboro for the greatest game of all time between NCSU and Maryland in 1974 when Tommy Burleson willed the Wolfpack to victory.
I was there in '82 and '83 and '92 and '93 and on and on and on. It was great when it meant something - when you had to win it to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Some would argue that it is the greatest sporting event in America. I would argue that it used to be. Today the ACC Tournament is a curse for many of the better teams that play in it. With the expanded league the regular season is brutal enough. Add on a tournament today which requires many fine teams to play four games in four days to be successful and you have an energy depleting dinosaur.
Teams at this point in the season are already bloodied, beaten down and worn out from the rigors of America's toughest conference schedule. Plus, it is a sin for Duke and State to play only one game during the regular season. What happened to the great rivalry of Vic Bubas and Everett Case?
The ACC Tournament has served its purpose. It is time to wake up and call it quits. What does a team like Carolina really have to gain this weekend?
With that said if someone called me today and offered me tickets to go to the tournament in Tampa I would be there in a heartbeat. I love it. So do the tournament leaders. The ACC is a cash cow. It is also a sacred cow and it's not going anywhere anytime soon despite complaints about its true value.
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I think the circus NCAA college basketball has become is missing the point of college athletics.
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