Triangle ACC schools' Sweet 16 berths highlight region's basketball history
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A view of Duke Blue Devils and James Madison Dukes during the first half of the game during the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Barclays Center on March 24, 2024 in New York City. Photo: Jamie Schwaberow/NCAA Photos via Getty Images
N.C. State, UNC and Duke men's basketball teams are all in the Sweet 16 — the first time that's happened since 2015.
Why it matters: The Triangle once again feels like the center of the college basketball universe — at least for the next few days.
Driving the news: North Carolina's big basketball weekend kicks off tonight when No. 1 UNC faces No. 4 Alabama. N.C. State and Duke play tomorrow.
The big picture: The three North Carolina schools' success in this year's tournament so far underscores the ACC's college basketball dominance.
- "It speaks really well of the ACC," ESPN's Jay Bilas, a former Duke basketball standout, tells Axios. "Traditionally it's been the best league in the country — as good as any league in the county. Some people don't look at tournament results as being indicative of that but I do."
Flashback: UNC is hoping for a return to March Madness glory after missing the tournament last year. In a storybook matchup in 2022, UNC beat Duke in the Final Four, the first time the two storied programs had ever played each other in the NCAA Tournament.
- It was a magical run for the Tar Heels and coach Hubert Davis, and it capped off Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's final game. Now, many of those same UNC players are back.
- Duke is looking for a comeback after falling to Tennessee in the second round of last year's tournament.
- N.C. State is looking to make the Elite Eight for the first time since 1986.
What they're saying: "I don't think there were many observers thinking N.C. State would rip off five teams in five days. That's only been done once before in college history," Bilas says. "To do that is extraordinary."
