Where’d the Old ACC Go?By William Duncan

As a 21 year old college junior, I joke around with my friends that I’m older than many of the superstar college basketball players in today’s game, even some NBA stars, I’m over a year older than Andrew Wiggins…Yikes. So as I lament over the fact that I’ll never be a high-flying stud, making millions of dollars as a 19 year old, I find solace in an old comfort of mine, college basketball, or to be specific, ACC college basketball.

I grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, where ACC basketball is a religion. Driving through the suburbs, you see houses lined with NC State, UNC, Duke, and Wake Forrest flags. We have hosted more ACC championships than any other city and we feel like Greensboro is the true home to the tournament. I used to go to first round games on field trips in elementary school and teachers would always have the games on the TV during class. It’s just that important. With Washington D.C. hosting the 2016 tournament, we “Old School” ACC fans feel like the city as been robbed. Four of the ACC’s pivotal teams are located in North Carolina -- Duke, UNC, NC State, and Wake Forrest. To put it bluntly, the state of North Carolina dominates the ACC, the Old ACC.

Recently, conference realignment has been plaguing college sports. The ACC brought in Syracuse, Pittsburg, Notre Dame, Louisville while the dollar signs in Maryland’s eyes prompted their move to the Big 10. Even though the additions of Hall of Fame coaches Jim Boehiem and Rick Pitino undeniably improve the level of play in the conference, there still seems to be a different feeling about the “new” ACC.

I remember the name of the conference being the “Atlantic Coast Conference,’ not the “Atlantic Coast and a Mid-West School” Conference. One of my favorite parts of the Old School ACC was the proximity of all the schools in the conference. While Boston College was farthest away school from the base of the conference, they usually played the role of the “easy win,” so I let them slide. But, with the introduction of these new schools, especially Notre Dame, I have found that I have to keep reminding myself that games like this upcoming Duke vs. Syracuse game are conference competitions.

The Old ACC was defined by its rivalries. Duke vs. Carolina is above and beyond any college rivalry in the country, but the other small rivalries are what made the conference so fun to watch. UNC vs. NC State, Virginia vs. Virginia Tech, for example, are all rivalries that supersede money in importance. Duke once had a mini-rival in Maryland, but Maryland proved that money trumps tradition by moving to the Big 10 Conference. As a Duke fan, I used to hate Maryland. They would always give us one hell of a fight, often winning. I always looked forward to that game, but now with the game likely to rarely ever happen, I have trouble looking at Maryland with

the same respect as before. They put money in front of tradition, something the “Old School” ACC rivals would never do.

I don’t know, maybe someday I will get used to that big “ACC” logo on Syracuse’s floor. But for now, call me “Old Fart” or anything you want, but as only Roy Williams can put it, “dadgum,” I miss the old ACC.