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shoutingncu
02-24-2009, 03:24 PM
Some nice Coach K thoughts... that pained me to say, even on a Duke board.

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/accnow/bring-back-the-round-robin

OldSchool
02-24-2009, 04:11 PM
I seem to recall Jay Bilas advocating for a return to the round robin, even at 22 regular season conference games.

That would make the ACC season more exciting and more fair. The stature of the regular season winner would rise even more over the ACC tournament winner.

On the other hand, that would leave only 8 or 9 out-of-conference games. Those out-of-conference games are important preparation for the NCAA tournament because of the opportunity to play types of teams we may face in the tournament but don't see in ACC play.

Also, we would have to start conference play probably in late November, before the team may have been sufficiently hardened to withstand the intensity of conference games.

Classof06
02-24-2009, 04:50 PM
I agree with Krzyzewski that the round robin in ACC basketball really has no substitute and that has hurt the league's tradition to a certain extent. But upon further review, it's hard to say expansion has hurt the basketball strength of the league. I mean, the ACC is the best conference in college basketball right now.

Since expansion, all three teams (BC, Virginia Tech and Miami) have made the NCAA tournament. Miami has had an All-ACC 1st team player in Jack McClinton (who will probably be a 1st-teamer again this year and is arguably the most exciting player in the league to watch), Virginia Tech has had a first teamer in Zabian Dowdell and BC has had two first-teamers in Jared Dudley and Tyrese Rice (with Dudley being the 06-07 ACC POY). Hell, BC has beaten both Duke and UNC this season!

I understand the effects expansion has had on the ACC because the first half of my Duke career was pre-expansion and the latter half was post expansion. But I think people who were used to the tradition automatically assumed ACC basketball has suffered as a result of because they're averse to change, which is understandable. But the product simply hasn't fallen off.