Social media reacts to lack of respect for ACC teams in Bracketology
These days the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has been in a whirlwind of different conversations as they look to establish what once was.
Truthfully the ACC never got its respect in collegiate sports like football but has always been a frontrunner in basketball. Well, that’s slowly changing and ESPN’s Joe Lunardi is exposing that, calling out the lack of ACC teams and their ranking in recent March Madnesses.
Lunardi’s recent men’s basketball bracketology that predicts teams’ placement for the NCAA tournament features four ACC schools, the lowest it would be since 2014. Those four teams are UNC, Duke, Virginia, and Clemson. Among the first four out is Wake Forest, who has been a team to be wrecking with yet has failed to pick up a Quad 1 win (0-4).
The ACC attack wasn’t taken kindly by social media. Instead, it flipped to those like Lunardi who create such a list and the impact it serves. The firey responses were quite a treat, echoing the disrespect ACC teams have faced.
Let’s take a look at how social media reacted to the ACC being on the verge of a low of teams in March Madness.
What Joe Lunardi won’t tell you in this snippet is that over the past three tournaments, where the ACC had no one-seeds, the conference has:
– 6 Sweet 16 appearances (T-2nd)
– 4 Elite 8 appearances (T-1st)
– 3 Final Four appearances (1st)
– 6.2 wins over KenPom expectation (1st)… https://t.co/gTjcf1EH1I pic.twitter.com/F03YjzeZ4J— Andrew Weatherman (@andreweatherman) February 13, 2024
Just admit you haven’t been watching ACC basketball this season and hang ‘em up Joe.
This conference is littered with great teams and it’s proven year in and year out in the tournament no matter how many teams you think we deserve in.
Shame on ESPN for pushing this narrative https://t.co/hZFvTUI9eW
— Oakland Zoo (@OaklandZoo) February 13, 2024
This is going to sound crazy and conspiratorial but all the talk about the ACC being a dead conference, first in football with undefeated FSU, and now in basketball, is being pushed by ESPN. Who would stand to gain from the ACC falling apart.
Makes ya think https://t.co/z5MNt5OqAu
— Semple Fi Podcast (@semplefipod) February 13, 2024
Starting to think his wife cheated on him w/the ACC…because in his article the time frame that he lists in here for the “decline” of the ACC, the ACC has done the following.
– 6 Sweet 16 appearances (T-2nd)
– 4 Elite 8 appearances (T-1st)
– 3 Final Four appearances (1st) https://t.co/tH0BVAbuIR— KC (@KlarkCent24) February 13, 2024
Wake Forest would beat 80% of these teams by 20 on a neutral court https://t.co/k3HI1i5Bqz
— Glock Rivers (@One1Man1Army) February 13, 2024
The ACC isn’t dying. You just refuse to pay attention. Year after year the ACC sends teams deep into the tournament. Maybe the fraudulent Big 12 and Big East are the ones that are truly overrated https://t.co/h8msygAOtG
— Marcus (@_LyonKing) February 13, 2024
Lunardi doubling down on the plight of the ACC yet they continue to produce Final Four teams at a more regular pace than other perceived Power 5 conferences. https://t.co/Skjm11W1aq pic.twitter.com/IRMx75dkDJ
— Jason Wippich (@Wipps) February 13, 2024
Wake, UNC, Duke, UVA, and Clemson should all be in https://t.co/qNErUPq1T1
— Harshil J (@hrshljni) February 13, 2024
The ACC, for some reason, has lost the respect it deserves for reasons that look more and more like bias.
Among the Power 6 teams (incl. Big East) the ACC is:
– T2nd, # of teams with 15+ wins (9)
– 1st, # of teams with 19+ wins (3)How do they only have 4 tourney bids? https://t.co/QhIVKJK05t
— tom (@tomkarins) February 13, 2024
@giglio_OG @joeovies At this point, is this a directive from ESPN to kill the ACC because of manipulating the TV contract by adding terrible schools to the league? https://t.co/ZZGc8wMI5Z
— Sean (@SeanPetrizzi) February 13, 2024
Wake Forest is Joe Lunardi's first team out. https://t.co/ChGpuiL4qg
— Essex Thayer (@essexthayer7) February 13, 2024
Over this same time period, the ACC has had more schools make the final four than any other conference. So is this a performance issue or a seeding issue? https://t.co/L5iL0R9hYv
— Scott Wilson (@Scott_R_Wilson) February 13, 2024
At this point it feels like @theACC has to sue @espn for its crazy anti-ACC takes. Your media partner is falsely dragging the conference through the mud in multiple major sports and costing the ACC more than just money. https://t.co/Xygd4m3Sdw
— architelligent (@architelligent) February 13, 2024
The hate is real with this one. https://t.co/jHn8aORkWa
— Sharon Hart (@Sharon_Hart1) February 13, 2024
The time honored tradition of ACC slander continues – guess this bozo doesn’t remember UNC/Duke in the final four 2 years ago. https://t.co/rMQKnYw6p6
— Dane Simon (@danesimonsays) February 13, 2024
The ACC hate is at an all time high https://t.co/wZ4mJm9ylM
— Austin Bechtold (@AustinRBechtold) February 13, 2024
I might be going on a limb here (I am not) but maybe this has to do with the people selection the seeds? ACC has the most Elite 8 appearances in this span, the most final 4 appearances and the most wins in the tourney. Keep putting teams in from Big 10… 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/TyGNdciW6S
— Kostas Pelechrinis (@kpelechrinis) February 13, 2024
Joe wants to talk about decline of the conference without any reflection on what the conference has achieved *IN* the tournament.
Since 2019, the ACC has represented 25% of all Final Four teams. Tied with Big 12 for the most. https://t.co/AAWWM6SxPq
— UNC Humor (@UNC_Humor) February 13, 2024
When the ACC is seeded low in the NCAA Tournament: "Concerning trend."
When the ACC somehow makes the Final Four anyway: "Deceptive boost."
— Michael Koh (@michaelkohwchl) February 13, 2024