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The ACC Tournament ended on Saturday, March 16. This is an empirical fact.
We saw it with our own eyes: Duke defeated Florida State in the ACC final. There was a celebration. There was a trophy ceremony. Players were happy. No games were played in the ACC the next day, on Sunday, March 17.
The ACC Tournament is over… or is it?
In a week and a half, on Friday, March 29, the ACC Tournament could continue. No, really.
In the first ACC semifinal, No. 7 Louisville could face No. 6 Maryland. Technically, the Terrapins are part of the Big Ten, but their history in college basketball and their importance to the sport come from the ACC. The 1974 Maryland-North Carolina State ACC Tournament championship game permanently changed college basketball. It was perceived as so unfair that Maryland couldn’t play in the NCAA Tournament that the field expanded in size over the next several years. At-large bids to teams in conferences (not just independents) fattened the tournament’s numbers. The tournament began to be seeded in 1979. Little by little, expansion continued until 64 teams arrived in 1985. Perfection.
That 11-year process of change began with Maryland losing one of the greatest college basketball games ever played… and not being allowed to compete in the 1974 NCAA Tournament, which North Carolina State won. Moreover, N.C. State won that national title in Greensboro Coliseum… where the Maryland-State game had also been played. Maryland lost on a Greensboro Coliseum court it was essentially barred from over the next few weeks.
Maryland wears Big Ten clothes but has an ACC soul. Louisville fans might not feel animosity toward Maryland… but Duke fans certainly would.
That’s why the second ACC semifinal between Duke and Virginia Tech would be such a madhouse. The Maryland fans would be rooting hard against Duke. Louisville fans would be doing the same. Fans would be treated to a battle between Zion Williamson and Justin Robinson. BOTH players, not merely one, were unavailable for the regular-season meeting between both teams.
Washington, D.C., has hosted the ACC Tournament earlier this decade, as recently as 2016. Having three actual ACC teams and Maryland as the fourth would snap, crackle and pop. The fact that two teams from the Beltway — one from Maryland, one from Virginia — could share Washington, D.C. for a Sweet 16 night would be mind-blowing. Having them both coexist with Duke would add another layer of amazement to the proceedings.
Really: Who said the ACC Tournament was over? It might continue… and Duke could win its second ACC Tournament championship in a span of 15 days — March 16 to 31.
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