Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) basketball has a long and rich history. Many years, the media have anointed the conference as the best in the land. Because of the conference’s academic reputation, the league’s fans have been dubbed the “Wine and Cheese” set.
However, some of college basketball’s most storied programs reside in the ACC. Below is a breakdown of the current conference teams in terms of overall win-loss records (through the 2014-15 season) and place within the Top 50 nationally; the number of national championships as determined by winning the NCAA Tournament, which began in 1939; the number of Final Four appearances and the number of ACC titles as determined by the winners of the ACC Tournament.
- Overall Won-Loss Record and National Ranking (vacated and/or forfeited games do not count):
- North Carolina 2140-767 (3)
- Duke 2062-853 (4)
- Syracuse 1920-851 (5)
- Notre Dame 1795-972 (9)
- Louisville 1755-884 (11)
- C. State 1661-1008 (25)
- Pittsburgh 1556-1099 (45)
No other ACC school placed in the Top 50 nationally.
- National Championships:
- North Carolina and Duke 5
- Louisville 3
- N.C. State 2
- Syracuse 1
- Final Four Appearances:
- North Carolina 18
- Duke 16
- Louisville 10
- Syracuse 5
- N.C. State 3
- Virginia 2
- Georgia Tech 2
- Notre Dame 1
- Florida State 1
- Wake Forest 1
- Pittsburgh 1
- ACC Titles:
- Duke 19
- North Carolina 17
- N.C. State 10
- Wake Forest 4
- Georgia Tech 3
- Virginia 2
- Florida State 1
- Miami 1
- Notre Dame 1
The ACC is replete with powerful basketball programs and the statistics above support this claim. Five out of the top 11 all-time win leaders reside in the ACC. A Final Four is rare without either Duke or North Carolina and both schools are among the national leaders in NCAA championships. With the recent additions of Louisville, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Syracuse, the conference may be the most competitive it has ever been. So come tournament time, remember to have a nice bottle of chardonnay and some brie while watching the games!
