All that’s left is for Hamilton to turn out the lights, as he is the last generation of great ACC coaches out the door.
Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Tony Bennett, Jim Boeheim, Jim Larranaga, and finally, Hamilton, all current and future Hall of Fame coaches, will be gone within a few years.
Don’t you think the ACC has an identity crisis?
Without help from the Google machine, name five remaining coaches in the league.
No one is saying the next group of coaches won’t make a name for themselves, but excluding Duke’s Jon Scheyer, it hasn’t happened yet.
The ACC is left with Clemson’s Brad Brownell as the dean of coaches; he and the other remaining coaches have a combined two Final Four appearances: North Carolina’s Hubert Davis in 2022 and NC State’s Kevin Keatts in 2024.
In comparison, Krzyzewski, Willaims, Boeheim and Bennett had won 10 national titles and competed in 30 Final Fours.
Indeed, it’s difficult times for the ACC.
The good news
If name recognition in sports is essential, and it certainly is, then the individual schools can change the narrative.
Let’s start with UNC and Virginia, both flagship basketball programs that will likely need new coaches after this season.
Neither school can afford a miss; both must get the next hires right.
Instead of taking the up-and-coming approach, there are big names in the college coaching landscape that would give both schools instant footing and enhance the conference as well.
How about Scott Drew of Baylor or Mark Few from Gonzaga?
Virginia takes one, Carolina grabs the other.
That might reenergize both schools’ fan bases and place the conference back on the marquee.
Sure, the big-name guy will require a bigger check, but UVA and UNC should view it as an investment in their schools and the league.
20-0, is it possible?
In 71 seasons of ACC Basketball, only eight teams have been unbeaten in league play.
Duke was the last team to finish ACC play unblemished, going 16-0 in 1999.
With the Blue Devils crushing North Carolina on Saturday, Duke is now 11-0 on the season and dominating games, which reminds me of the 1999 team.
Except that the 2025 ACC is far less intimidating than the 1999 conference.
Is a 20-0 season possible?
It appears so, with each passing game.
With Cooper Flagg, who is a generational talent, the rest of the league has no answers.
As imposing as Flagg is on offense, Duke’s real story is on defense.
In its 11 league games, no team has shot better than 39 percent from the floor, and the Blue Devils usually allow opponents only one shot at the basket, as Duke is the best defensive rebounding team in the conference.
Is the ACC down to three teams in March Madness?
So far, the week has not been kind enough to the ACC’s at-large possibilities in the NCAA Tournament.
Virginia’s win at Pitt Monday night may have taken the Panthers off the NCAA Tourney bubble.
The Panthers (14-8, 5-6 ACC) will likely fall outside most bracketologists’ NCAA Tourney field, for now.
It was as if Virginia was fighting for a tourney bid, and Pitt was the team whose coach resigned before the season started.
Clemson’s postseason hopes suffered a hit Tuesday night, as the Tigers were beaten 89-86 in three overtimes by Georgia Tech in Littlejohn Coliseum.
The Tigers came into the week as one of the hottest teams in the country, having won six straight games before the 3OT loss to GT.
The schedule gets more challenging for the Tigers (18-5, 10-2 ACC) from here, with Duke visiting Littlejohn Coliseum Saturday night.
Unless Clemson stumbles down the stretch, they should still make it into the tournament.