Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfpack
Given that this has been true since the Big 10 expanded with Penn State, why is this really news anymore? Round robin died in all the major conferences aside from the Pac 12 long ago. Duke and State, for example, have mostly played once yearly since the ACC expanded 10 years ago, so the fact that there's only one game this year isn't news at all. Yeah, it stinks to high heavens for basketball, but what can you do? I know a lot of old guard ACC fans hate this whole expansion thing to death, but the alternative is to basically become what the AAC is now.
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I am with you on all of this. I have missed the home and homes with the original Big East teams for years. As great as the BE conference had been in hoops over the past 5-10 years, it just wasn't quite the same. We can't go back to the old way of doing things, so all things considered, I couldn't ask for a better landing spots for Syracuse than the ACC. Trading games with Uconn, Georgetown, Nova and St Johns for UNC, Duke, NC State et al is a step down, but exciting in its own way because those are some premiere programs that we never really play. In football, getting back games with Miami, VTech and BC is great as well as adding FSU and Clemson.
I'm sure the ACC fans hate the addition of Cuse, Pitt and Louisville while losing Maryland. I'm not sure how they feel about ND in basketball and partial football, but I think all 4 teams benefit greatly, but also really add a lot to the ACC in the 2 major sports overall. It is a bit of a strange marriage, but I think it is going to work out pretty well. And the southerners will have to get over being butt-hurt when us northerners whip their asses (at least in hoops). I wonder how Duke and UNC are going to feel when Syracuse starts taking the ACC titles that they alone seemed to battle for every year.
By the way, Duke at Syracuse is going to be insane on February 1, 2014. Record breaking crowd, easily over 35K in the Dome. I can't wait!
Also, sorry to any Maryland fans, but the on-field product only gets better adding Cuse, Pitt and Louisville, minus Maryland when looking at overall athletics, not to mention the Notre Dame deal.