Challenge? What Challenge?
As a longtime fan of ACC basketball, I'm all in favor of these early season conference challenges in which the ACC is able to show of to the rest of the nation.
But surely I'm not the only one who's grown a bit tired of this so-called ACC-Big Ten "Challenge." Can we at least get rid of the word "challenge"? The ACC has never lost this matchup and, with a 4-1 lead heading into tonight's games, it looks like the conference will notch yet another win. Yawn. How about "ACC-Big Ten Annual Drubbing"?
So it's time to look for higher - or at least different - mountains to climb. While an ACC-SEC challenge would be great from a fan's perspective, it's doubtful that two leagues with overlapping recruiting areas would find it fruitful. That's the same story with the ACC-Big East Challenge, which is a shame because that's got some ready-made animosity built in. Call it the ACC-Big East Brawl to Settle it All, and give players six fouls, like they did back in the day in the Big East.
So what's left? Probably the Big 12, maybe even the Pac-10. Clearly, travel is not a problem for teams these days.
And to make it fun, let's put something else on the line. Have the winning league gets an extra bid to the NCAA tournament, while the losing league gets one less. Have the tournament selection committee draw up the field, then take out, say, the bottom Big 12 team in the brackets and replace it with the ACC team that didn't quite make it originally.
What do you think? Has the ACC-Big 10 Challenge gone stale? What would be an adequate replacement?
Comments (3)
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I love the ACC versus all-comers challenge, especially since the ACC has been on the winning side of both the ACC-Big East and ACC-Big 10 Challenges. I find that, as a UNC fan, I'll even pull for Duke in the Challenge. I won't even pull for Duke in the NCAAs. I find myself disappointed that Maryland lost a close on at Wisconsin. I was all set to see the ACC go 8 and 1 against the Big 10.
I think it's the effusive praise poured out on the ACC by the analysts. I think ACC fans at least eat that up. Recruiting can't be hurt by that either. Maybe that explains the seemingly growing gap between the ACC and Big 10.
For my money, I say bring on the SEC and create a few more match ups with other leagues. Big East-Pac 10, Big 12-Conference USA or something like that.
Posted on December 1, 2004 2:48 PM
I had the ACC-SEC conversation with my office manager, a Kentucky grad, this weekend. This guy is a rabid UK hoops fan, but he did not seem that interested in an ACC-SEC series. Seemed strange to me.
Posted on December 1, 2004 6:04 PM
The lesson in that conversation, Patrick, is that Kentucky fans are just strange in general.
Actually, it doesn't really surprise me he would think that way. To me, it's always seemed like Kentucy fans see themselves as a world apart. I don't think they feel the same connection to the SEC as Duke and Carolina fans feel to the ACC. So I don't think the Wildcats would care whether the SEC beat the ACC. All that matters to them is that Kentucky is the be-all, end-all of college hoops.
Posted on December 3, 2004 11:12 AM