How many ACC teams made the NCAA tournament this year?

One of the most successful conferences in college basketball when it comes to the NCAA Tournament is the ACC, which is off to a fast start with historic blue bloods like Duke and North Carolina among its members. The league has hit a bit of a down turn over the past few years, although it hasn't stopped the conference from having at least one Final Four representative in the past three NCAA Tournaments.

Last year's big ACC surprise was NC State, which was nowhere near the field before winning the conference tournament and riding the wave of momentum all the way to the Final Four. That run couldn't even save Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts for long as he was let go following a disappointing finish this season that saw his team fail to even reach the ACC Tournament.

The good news for the league is that the teams it did get in have a chance to make some noise, including a legitimate national title contender in Duke. While the bubble was littered with ACC teams throughout the season, how many teams did the conference send dancing?

How many ACC teams made the NCAA Tournament?

Despite having a robust 18-team membership, just four ACC teams will be going dancing this March. The first three entrants are no surprise as Duke, Clemson and Louisville had strong seasons worthy of being included in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth bid went to North Carolina, which received a controversial entry to the First Four despite going just 1-12 against Quad 1 competition.

The four bids is the lowest the ACC has received since the turn of the century, speaking to the downturn in quality from a proud basketball conference. With Duke winning the ACC Tournament, it boxed out potential bid stealers like Wake Forest and SMU from giving the conference a fourth team.

The ACC teams that didn't make the field all had inherent flaws. Wake Forest stacked up numerous losses to teams in the bottom of the league while SMU beat no one of substance, making it impossible to justify their inclusion in the field.

NCAA Tournament breakdown for ACC teams

A dominant regular season that saw the Blue Devils end up atop the final AP Top 25 poll made Duke a slam dunk to land on the top line. Dominating a down ACC (the Blue Devils' only regular season loss in conference play came at Clemson) and scoring non-conference wins over Arizona and Auburn highlight how dangers Duke can be in this tournament.

Few expected much out of Clemson or Louisville during the regular season but they took care of business to earn their way into the field. The Tigers first popped up on the national radar by ending Kentucky's unbeaten run in the SEC/ACC challenge and followed it up with a strong effort to hand the Blue Devils their lone ACC loss of the year.

The fact that Louisville is back in the NCAA Tournament is a tremendous credit to new head coach Pat Kelsey, who quickly turned around a program that was left in shambles by former coach Kenny Payne. The Cardinals started to turn heads in the Battle 4 Atlantis, when they upset Indiana and West Virginia before playing Oklahoma hard in the title game, and rode that momentum to an 18-2 record in ACC play that included a split of the season series with Clemson.

Duke has a reasonable draw out of the East, with a manageable 8/9 game and a No. 2 seed in Alabama that may not be able to slow down the Blue Devils' firepower. Clemson ended up in a dangerous 5-12 matchup against McNeese and could have a Round of 32 matchup against Purdue in the Midwest, which makes it seem unlikely there's a high ceiling for them with Houston looming.

Louisville had a rough draw falling to an 8-9 game against a dangerous Creighton team with Auburn looming in the Round of 32, so they appear likely to have an early exit. As controversial as North Carolina's inclusion was, the Tar Heels have a winnable game in the First Four against San Diego State and a beatable 6-seed in Ole Miss, setting themselves up for a potential trip to the Round of 32 against vulnerable 3-seed Iowa State.

Star players to watch from the ACC in March Madness

The headliner for the ACC has to be Duke's Cooper Flagg, who is a lock to be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft when he declares. Flagg can do it all on the floor and is going to be the most intriguing freshman to crash the March Madness stage since Zion Williamson six years ago, although he has a few other stars helping him in sharpshooting freshman Kon Kneuppel and veteran guard Tyrese Proctor.

While Clemson and Louisville may not have a Cooper Flagg on their side, they do have some big names of their own. Tigers' guard Chase Hunter (16.0 points per game) is elite from beyond the arc while Louisville did good work in the transfer portal to land its two lead guards in Chucky Hepburn (from Wisconsin) and Terrence Edwards Jr, who followed Kelsey over from James Madison. Guard play is also the name of the game for North Carolina, which features a dynamic duo of R.J. Davis and Elliot Cadeau.

How has the ACC performed in recent NCAA Tournaments

Despite relatively frequent criticism of how many bids they get, the ACC has done very well in March Madness of late. Four ACC teams have made the Final Four in the past three years, with Duke and North Carolina squaring off for the first time in the NCAA Tournament in 2022 while Miami got taken out by UCONN in 2023.

The ACC has also produced a few national champions over the past 15 years, with Virginia being the most recent title winner in 2019. North Carolina and Duke have also carried their weight, racking up a combined three championships since 2010.

Can an ACC team cut down the nets?

The top team in terms of title potential is clearly Duke, which earned a No. 1 seed with ease and showcased impressive depth by winning the ACC Tournament with minimal contributions from Flagg, who sprained his ankle in their quarterfinal win over Georgia Tech and was held out of the next two games as a precaution. While it is certainly possible for Duke to win with limited contributions from Flagg, their best path to a title is with him leading the way.

Clemson and Louisville have a good shot to reach the second weekend but it would be a surprise to see either as a serious title threat. A Final Four run is certainly possible if they have some luck in their portion of the bracket, but their talent level is a cut below the top title contenders in the field.