The ACC is having a nightmare NCAA Tournament so far. Despite having numerous quality programs, the only one standing is Cooper Flagg’s Duke. Clemson, Louisville, and even North Carolina basketball have all been knocked out in the first round of March Madness. That’s set an ugly Round of 32 record not seen since 1975.
Via Jeff Borzello:
Duke is officially the only ACC team in the Round of 32.
Via @ESPNStatsInfo, it’s the first time since the NCAA started allowing multiple teams from the same conference into the NCAA tournament in 1975 that the ACC will have one or fewer teams in the Round of 32.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 21, 2025
Duke put an absolute beatdown on Mount St Mary’s, winning 93-49. Meanwhile, Clemson was upset by McNeese State, who won their first game in the NCAA Tournament in program history. Louisville fell to Creighton and UNC was beaten by Ole Miss, who were ranked slightly above them in March Madness.
The ACC is typically one of the strongest power conferences in the country. And while three of these standout teams won’t be in the next round, the Blue Devils are no surprise. They’re the No. 1 team in the nation and Flagg is a legitimate superstar. Duke has every chance at winning a National Championship.
While the Blue Devils are still alive, UNC being out this early is rare. They’ve been a regular in the latter stages of March Madness for a handful of years. But, The Tar Heels struggled in 2024-25, going just 23-14. They went into the tournament ranked No. 11. Not exactly great. Nonetheless, a first-round departure isn’t what anyone would’ve expected from North Carolina.
The Round of 64 was certainly entertaining and the best basketball is surely yet to come. Many consider the SEC and ACC two of the best conferences in college basketball and the SEC still has numerous teams left standing. The ACC isn’t as fortunate.
We’ll see if Duke can live up to the hype. They will have a tough task in the Round of 32 as they face the Baylor Bears, who are never a pushover in March Madness. That game is scheduled for Sunday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The post ACC misery continues in March Madness with insane stat after North Carolina loss appeared first on ClutchPoints.
