Most of us can remember a time when the ACC was the nation's best basketball conference. This week, though, we got a reminder that those days are long gone as the conference was dominated in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
In fact, by beating No. 4 Kentucky 70-66 on Tuesday night, Clemson managed to secure one of only two wins for the ACC in the challenge. The other was an impressive 84-78 win over No. 2 Auburn by No. 9 Duke.
In the other 14 games of the challenge, the ACC was winless. That's a bad look for the conference and it could have ramifications come Selection Sunday in March because teams from the ACC won't get the same consideration that teams from stronger leagues might.
There is no denying that the ACC just isn't up to par with the SEC. Eleven of the conference's losses to the SEC this week were by double digits. What's more, the SEC went 6-2 in games played in ACC arenas.
It appears that the ACC is going to have a down season by the league's lofty standards. So far, only five ACC teams are in the top 50 in the NCAA NET Rankings. What's more, only Duke, Pitt, and Clemson are in the top 15.
One for the ages.
— Clemson Basketball (@ClemsonMBB) December 6, 2024
📽️ Cinematic recap of our win over #4 Kentucky pic.twitter.com/TPuQuiZGjU
By contrast, six SEC teams are in the top 10 of the NET as of today. Therefore, it was especially important that Clemson managed to secure the victory over Kentucky.
That's because there may not be many chances for Quad-1 wins in conference play this season. Thus, picking up a Quad-1 win over the Wildcats will pay dividends when bids to the NCAA Tournament are handed out.
Fortunately, Clemson will have another chance for a Quad-1 win when No. 16 Memphis comes to Littlejohn Coliseum on December 12. However, after that, there are few opportunities for impressive wins.
Following the game with Memphis, Clemson will face six consecutive teams that are unranked. Then, after facing No. 18 Pitt on the road on January 18, the Tigers will face only two more teams that are currently ranked, Duke and North Carolina which come to Littlejohn on February 8 and February 10 respectively.
It seems unlikely that other teams in the conference are going to play their way into the top 25 this season or have a lofty NET ranking when they play the Tigers. So Clemson's path to a strong tournament resume must include important non-conference wins.
Knocking off Kentucky was critically important not only for the ACC but also for the Tigers. That's because this conference is not up to its normal standards and that was evident when it went head-to-head with the SEC.