The ACC has received 27 bids to the NCAA Tournament since expanding in 2005. The three expansion teams — Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech — have accounted for five of the bids.
Considering the league expanded for football purposes, the league is ecstatic at the quality of basketball play from the three new teams.
The post-expansion ACC has sent a conference-record seven teams to the Dance, twice. A record in total, but the ACC sent a higher percentage (6 of 8) of its membership four times — 1986, '87, '89, and '91.
The post-expansion ACC has bas been a disappointment, though, in terms of tournament stamina. UNC was the only team to make it to the second weekend in 2007 and 2008. The Tar Heels have been the only team since expansion to make the Final Four, going in 2005 (winning it all) and 2008.
In the first half of this decade (2000 to 2004), UNC ('00), Duke ('01, '04), Maryland ('01, '02) and Georgia Tech ('04) made the Final Four.
The ACC went two years without making the Final Four, '06 and '07, the first such stretch for the conference since 1979 and '80.
There's no shame in missing the Final Four but the Sweet 16? The ACC had high-water marks of four teams to at least the third round in 1985, '86, '89, '92, '93 and '95.
The best the post-expansion ACC has done is three teams in the Sweet 16. Ironically, those three teams were the conference's founders (UNC, Duke and N.C. State in 2005).
The conference is positioned to match the '05 Sweet 16 total this tournament with UNC, the No. 1 seed in the South, Duke, the No. 2 in the East, and Florida State, the No. 5 East, with clear paths to the second weekend.
A look at the post-expansion ACC in the NCAA Tournament:
2005
Teams: 5 (UNC, Duke, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech)
Record: 12-4
Round of 16: 3 (UNC, Duke, N.C. State)
Final Four: 1 (UNC)
Heckuva start with three teams in the 16 and UNC winning it all.
2006
Teams: 4 (Duke, BC, UNC, N.C. State)
Record: 6-4
Round of 16: 2 (Duke, BC)
Final Four: none
Blame this one on Duke, No. 1 for basically the entire season, the Devils got bounced by LSU in the Sweet 16. Al Skinner's best BC team got squeaked by Villanova in OT in the Sweet 16. George Mason upset the Heels and State lost to Texas in Herb Sendek's swan song in the second round.
2007
Teams: 7 (UNC, Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech, BC, Duke, Georgia Tech)
Record: 7-7
Round of 16: 1 (UNC)
Final Four: none
The nadir for ACC basketball.
Duke and Georgia Tech lost in the first round. Maryland, Virginia, Boston College and Virginia Tech (which swept UNC during the season) lost in the second round. UNC choked against Georgetown in the fourth round.
2008
Teams: 4 (Duke, UNC, Miami, Clemson)
Record: 6-4
Round of 16: 1 (UNC)
Final Four: 1 (UNC)
Clemson gagged, another early exit for Duke and Miami surprised with one win. UNC returned to the Final Four but exited with an 18-point loss to Kansas.
