The ACC's first raid of the Big East did little to enhance the league's proud basketball heritage. Its second effort will correct that.
Tobacco Road just got a lot bigger, broader and better with Wednesday's news that Notre Dame hoops is headed to the ACC.
It isn't so much that Notre Dame is a juggernaut. The Fighting Irish have had some really good teams in recent years, though they've fallen short of expectations in NCAA tournament play. But they matter and have registered on the national radar in recent years. Outside of North Carolina, Duke and at times Florida State, no other ACC team can really say that.
The Irish have a decent tradition, too. Going back to Digger Phelps' squad ending UCLA's 88-game winning streak in 1974, the Kelly Tripucka and Bruce Flowers-led Final Four team of 1978, David Rivers in the '80s and Mike Brey's teams most recently, looking at Notre Dame's basketball history requires more than just a cursory glance.
It's stronger than either Boston College, Virginia Tech or Miami's was when those schools moved from the Big East to the ACC nearly a decade ago. And add to it that Syracuse and Pittsburgh are also headed to the ACC, and this trio by far trumps the first group.
While this day is about Notre Dame, the impact of Syracuse and Pitt leaving for the ACC shouldn't be overlooked. Without those two schools, Notre Dame likely would have remained in the Big East. The Orange, who won the national title in 2003, and the Panthers have been more successful on the hardwood than the Irish this past decade, but as a package deal it's hard to imagine the ACC getting stronger by adding any other possible trio.
And the move comes at a needed time for the ACC.
The league has made football relevance such a priority that its basketball fortunes have fallen. Whether or not they are related isn't the point. But the ACC's basketball struggles have been real.
Consider that BC, Virginia Tech and Miami have combined for six NCAA tournament appearances and six tourney wins since coming over in 2004. Notre Dame alone has been to five NCAA tournaments in that span. Syracuse has been to six and Pitt to seven. Combined, the three pending ACC programs have gone 19-15 in NCAA play since 2004.
But it goes deeper.
The total number of NCAA tournament victories by BC, Miami, Virginia Tech, Clemson, Virginia, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Florida State and N.C. State since 2004 is 20. Thus, Pitt, Syracuse and Notre Dame have been as successful as the entire ACC other than North Carolina and Duke.
In addition, since 2004 only BC, Florida State and N.C. State (once each) have advanced to the Sweet 16 aside from UNC's and Duke's trips. And even the Blue Devils have been to only one Elite 8 in that span, and that came during its 2010 NCAA title run. UNC has been to six Elite 8s, three Final Fours and won two national championships.
Also, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame have kept the same head coaches since 2004 while only Duke, UNC and FSU have the same men leading their programs in the ACC. Some schools, such as Virginia and Wake Forest, are on their third coaches in that period.
So the ACC hasn't lived up to its reputation over the last decade. It really hasn't come close, and the additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh were going to help remedy that. Add Notre Dame, and the ACC will go to another level.
In addition, the fit goes beyond the athletic surfaces. The ACC now has seven private schools, so Notre Dame fits in more there than any other conference. Walk the halls at an ACC football or basketball media days and it's easy to understand how the Fighting Irish fit right in.
It's a matter of time before the ACC reels in its 16th school to become a mega-conference. With the addition of Notre Dame and a new $50 million buyout clause, the FSUs and Clemsons aren't going anywhere.
The addition of Notre Dame was an excellent move for ACC basketball and an excellent fit for the Irish, and should propel both back to the national spotlight they have been missing over the past few years.
