THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030566
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Kentucky proved on the court it is the No. 1 team, but the debate over which was the best conference this season still simmers.
Was it the Southeastern, which sent both Kentucky and Mississippi State to the Final Four?
Was it the Big East, which flexed its muscles in the regular-season and finally got a team to the Final Four for the first time this decade?
Or was it the ACC, despite failing for the first time since 1987 to be represented in the Final Four?
While such an argument may seem childish to those who clicked away from March Madness to watch ice skating, it is serious business for grass-roots fans - and apparently the national media.
In addition to taking more than the usual lumps on the court, the grand ol' ACC throughout the tournament was an easy target for those critics who had grown old waiting for such an opportunity.
Time and again, the ACC was ripped because the RPI, a rating index, dared to feed unbiased statistics into its computers and ask the question: Which is the best conference of all?
``The ACC,'' said the computer.
Critics roared.
The ACC?
``What a joke,'' said Dick Vitale, who was hawking cars on television when not cheerleading for the Big East through most of the tournament.
Even the most devoted ACC fans would not deny that there were stronger teams this season in the Big East, SEC and Atlantic 10 than in their league.
This was not supposed to be a great year for the ACC, which lost most of its stars, including three sophomores that went 1-3-4 in the NBA draft.
No ACC team was considered a national contender when the season began last November, and none was there in the Meadowlands to prove otherwise.
North Carolina might have made it if Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace had stayed in school. Maryland might have made it, too, if Joe Smith had stuck around.
What divides the computer and its critics is how do you determine the strength of a conference. Do you judge a conference over the entire season or by how its teams perform in a sudden-death playoff? Is it based on two or three powerful teams, or is it measured from top to bottom?
Vitale and his crowd want to judge strength on a few good teams. The computer bases its calculations on the overall strength of members and the toughness of their schedules.
Thus, while the ACC did not have one or two great teams this year that could reach the Final Four, it played the toughest schedule, and, yes, it was the strongest from top to bottom.
North Carolina State, which finished last, beat Missouri and routed Arizona State in non-conference games. The Wolfpack took Massachusetts to the wire, too.
``There were no easy wins in our league, and that was not true in the Big East,'' says Florida State coach Pat Kennedy.
Six of the 13 Big East teams had losing records. Rutgers, Notre Dame and West Virginia were the softest touches while St. John's, Seton Hall and Pitt struggled throughout the year.
``From top to bottom, the ACC was the strongest, as the computer says,'' declares Wake Forest coach Dave Odom.
Perhaps the best indication of the conference's strength was how well it recovered from losing so many stars the previous year.
Included on this season's All-ACC team were two freshmen and a sophomore. That had never happened before.
Still, all six ACC teams that had winning records were invited to the NCAA tournament. For the 17th straight year, the league had at least two teams advance to the Sweet 16.
The league should remain as competitive from top to bottom next year, but it also could have a half-dozen teams capable of reaching the Final Four.
Georgia Tech will be a national contender if freshman Stephon Marbury stays in school, as will Wake Forest if Tim Duncan stays for his senior season.
North Carolina, which won't have to depend on Serge Zwikker in the middle, and Duke both will be improved.
Florida State will have as much talent as anyone. Clemson, which beat everyone in the league with freshmen this year, will continue to improve under Rick Barnes.
It should be a great season. But this one wasn't as bad as critics suggest, either.
Who you going to believe - the computer or that guy trying to sell you a car? by CNB