1. 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

2. 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.