With over a month and a half of (essentially) non-conference ACC men’s basketball under our belts who would have thought things would be looking up as much as they are? Special guest, Jason Carmello, the wizard behind Big-Underdog bracketology says there’s much to be happy with when it comes to the conference this season.

ACC men’s basketball over the past few years has been less than stellar and pundits have been declaring an early death for the conference. Well, it appears that the slumber is over. Duke, Louisville, North Carolina and Virginia all hold spots in the latest Top 25’s. What might be even more telling is the teams that are getting attention and it’s a long list. Clemson, Cal, Notre Dame, Miami, SMU, Virginia Tech, NC State and if consistency jump into the mix then Wake Forest and Syracuse will be there, too.

In Carmello’s first bracket of the season 8 ACC teams find a spot with four more just on the cusp. That’s simply the Phoenix rising. Yes, it’s an early projection but there’s far more stats to work with this season than in years past. All good signs.

With a quick listen or watching ACC Nation on YouTube you’ll find out why we spend less time talking when Carmello joins us to talk basketball.

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