Syracuse, N.Y. ― The ACC has performed at a level higher level against non-conference competition than it has in several years so far this season.
The impact the ACC’s resurgence could have on teams like Syracuse became an intriguing topic of discussion on the latest edition of the “Inside Syracuse Basketball” podcast with my Syracuse.com colleague Donna Ditota.
The numbers tell most of the story:
The ACC has a 31-33 record against Power Five conference teams this season. Compare that to last season when the ACC went 19-54 against P5 teams.
This remarkable turnaround – from winning just 26% of their Power Five non-conference matchups last year to nearly 50% this season – has transformed the ACC from a conference fighting for respect to one that’s outperforming the SEC and keeping pace with the Big Ten.
Why should this matter for Syracuse?
It’s all about having more opportunities to boost the NCAA Tournament resume.
Last year, Syracuse had only five ACC games that were considered Quad 1 games, according to the NCAA’s NET rankings system.
As of Tuesday morning, Syracuse would have 10 Quad 1 opportunities in its ACC schedule this year.
“I think the ACC finally said to all their athletic directors, ‘You need to pour some money into these basketball programs. You need to get better players. You need to get better at basketball so we can reclaim our status as being an elite basketball conference,’ ” Ditota said.
Some of the ACC teams experiencing the biggest improvements are ones that made new coaching hires after last season.
“Miami is playing well,” Ditota said. ”Virginia’s playing really well.”
The NET rankings fluctuate throughout the season, but for now, four of Syracuse’s 10 Quad 1 opportunities are home games – against North Carolina, SMU, Miami and Clemson. This represents a marked difference from last year when the ACC had very few teams rated high enough to qualify as Quad 1 foes when they were on the road.
That required teams like Syracuse to win Quad 1 games on the road, a notoriously difficult task in college basketball.
There’s another key to puzzle. The possibility of Quad 2 games in the upper portion of the quadrant.
While Quad 1 games garner much of the spotlight, winning Quad 2 games matter, too.
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