Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Wake Forest, Virginia. These schools have been amongst the most consistent, and the best teams in college basketball in the last dozen years or so, and they're all in the same conference.
Yet the ACC has been in a down period the last few years. For a league that is only a half-dozen years removed from sending seven out of nine teams to the big dance, only three ACC teams have made it to the NCAA tournament each of the last two years.
One might wonder why this powerhouse of a league would suffer such a fate. The loss of coaches like Dean Smith and Bobby Cremins (Georgia Tech) certainly doesn't help.
Then look to early declaration for the NBA draft. Duke lost five players to the draft two years ago, the first players it had ever lost under Mike Krzyzewski, and UNC has lost several players of late, including the dynamic Vince Carter.
Yet the big dog of all conferences is back in style this year. Duke, Wake Forest and Virginia are all ranked in the top 10 and have some of the best players in the nation.
Duke sports what might be the most talented bunch in the country, with super sophomores Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jason Williams combine with bruising paint player Carlos Boozer. Add two-time national defensive player of the year Shane Battier and sweet-shooting senior Nate James, and Duke is stocked for the long run.
Wake Forest boasts Darius Songaila, a silky-smooth forward who can nail a jumper from anywhere, and guard Robert O'Kelley who can take over a game much the same way Isaiah Thomas once did for the Pistons. Forward Craig Dawson adds some punch up front, and Coach Dave Odom can motivate a log.
Virginia has its own dynamic point guard, Donald Hand, who is the catalyst of their amazing offense. Slasher Chris Williams is the teams best scorer after Hand, and Coach Pete Gillen has a great success record in the tournament.
Which brings us to North Carolina and Maryland, both of whom are ranked in the top 20 in the country. This would leave the possibility of five teams getting four seeds or better come March.
UNC sports a budding superstar in Joseph Forte, an explosive forward in the Carter mode. Add in big-time big-man Brendan Haywood and clutch shooter Jason Capel, and Matt Doherty's Tarheels can beat just about anyone.
Gary Williams' Terrapins, never to be underestimated as the season wears on, might have the least depth among the frontrunners, yet can run with anyone. Juan Dixon and Terrence Morris are lightning quick, and can score from anywhere, and Lonny Baxter is emerging alongside Boozer and Haywood as the best post players in the league.
Let no one say that the league is top-heavy and lacks depth. Clemson and Georgia Tech are turning heads, and just need to put together solid records in the league to make the dance.
Clemson is 10-6, and has guard Will Solomon, the ACC's leading scorer. Freshman Chris Hobbs has been a very steady inside scorer, and gives the Tigers a nice inside-outside combination.
The Yellow Jackets, behind new coach Paul Hewitt, are 10-5 and have consecutive victories over Virginia and Wake Forest. Forwards Shaun Fein and Alvin Jones can run with anyone, and point guard Tony Akins is one of the best defensive players in the league.
Let us not count out North Carolina State. Herb Sendek's squad with inside threat Kenny Inge and slick point guard Archie Miller can run with anyone, and are one more big threat away from running with the big dogs.
The ACC is back. Five teams will be in the 64-team field and three others could get in.
There are those who will say that these phenomenal teams will beat each other up, much like the Big Ten in football, and that they will get picked apart by the Stanford's, Arizona's and Michigan State's of the basketball world. There are those who will say the whole conference is overrated, and has always been overrated, and that the Big East or SEC is the new "heavyweight" conference.
To these naysayers, I say bring it on. The ACC has had at least one final four team in 12 of the last 13 years, and 10 final four appearances in the last decade, more than any other conference.
Oh yeah, and if you think this is a one-year thing, you've got another thing coming. No team has more than two seniors in the starting lineup, so they will be back on top for years to come.
