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Here is how the ACC has fared since the current NCAA Tournament format was
adopted in 1985:
The ACC has received 88 tournament bids in the 17 years of six-round play. This averages to a little over five bids (5.18) per year.
A total of 47 ACC entrants (53.4 percent) have advanced to at least the Sweet 16. In fact, the ACC has garnered almost one-fifth (17.2
percent) of the regional berths from 1985-2001.
The ACC has placed 17 teams in the Final Four since 1985, an average of exactly one per year. The league "double dipped" in 1990 (Duke,
Georgia Tech), 1991 (Duke, North Carolina) and 2001 (Duke, Maryland). Only in 1985, 1987 and 1996 has an ACC team failed to win at least four
NCAA Tournament games.
Duke (three) and North Carolina (one) own four of the 17 national championships contested since 1985.
The ACC has sent at least two teams to the Sweet 16 every year since 1985. It has comprised four of the Sweet 16 slots in 1985, 1986, 1989,
1990, 1992, 1993 and 1995. The 1995 season was especially remarkable in that "only" four ACC teams made the tournament, and all four (Maryland,
North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest) reached the regionals.
The most "overachieving" ACC teams of this era have been Duke in 1990 (No. 3 seed, played UNLV for national championship) and North Carolina
in 2000 (No. 8 seed, reached Final Four). The ACC's biggest "underachiever," at least in terms of seeding, was North Carolina in
1994. Those top-seeded Tar Heels fell three rounds shy of a projected Final Four appearance, courtesy of Boston College.
ACC overall NCAA winning percentage is .674 (174-84). The conference's "Bracketology Score" from 1985-2001 is 1.007. (Translation: NCAA games played divided by number of games conference members were seeded to play; average score equals 1.000).
Joe Lunardi is the resident "bracketologist" for ESPN.com. He may be
reached at jlunardi@home.com.
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