Your first thought upon seeing a post about the 2009 ACC Tournament on Midwest Sports Fans might be: isn’t the ACC outside of your jurisdiction? And my response to that question would be to invoke the spirit of the famous Michael Jordan quote (“Republicans buy shoes too.”), said in response to why he did not take public stands on political issues.
My version of the response would be, “ACC/East Coast fans visit sports blog too.” Hence, we like to throw them a bone every now and again. Plus, I’m a born Hoosier whose favorite time of year is March. First the big games at the end of the regular season, then Conference Championship Week, and then March Madness.
And there is no conference tournament that has provided more long-term excitement or featured more stars than the ACC Tournament. So I have always been a big fan, even with the beginning of the Big Ten Tournament about a decade ago.
Anyway, here is the quick preview of the 2009 ACC Tournament:
2009 ACC Tournament Preview
- What: 56th ACC Mens Basketball Tournament
- Dates: March 12-15, 2009
- Location: Georgia Dome — Atlanta, GA
- Official Site: 2009 ACC Tournament
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 ACC Basketball Tournament Tickets
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets
According to the current mens basketball AP Top 25, North Carolina is #4, Duke is #7, Clemson is #12, Wake Forest is #13, Florida State is #23. Obviously the smart money would be one of these teams taking home the crown; and the even smarter money would be on North Carolina or Duke. While both have seemed to struggle at times, at least based on expectations, they are still top-10 teams and it always seems to be one of the two that is taking home the ACC Tournament crown.
Here is the schedule, with North Carolina, Duke, Wake Forest, and Florida State in line for the four byes right now, based on the current ACC mens basketball standings.
ACC Mens Basketball Tournament Schedule: Bracket, Times, TV
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, March 12 | #8 Virginia Tech def. #9 Miami 47 | 12:00 ET | RAYCOM |
| 2 | Thu, March 12 | #12 Georgia Tech v #5 Clemson 86-81 | 2:00 ET | RAYCOM |
| 3 | Thu, March 12 | #7 Maryland def. #10 NC State 74-69 | 7:00 ET | ESPN2 |
| 4 | Thu, March 12 | #6 Boston College def. #11 Virginia 76-63 | 9:00 ET | RAYCOM |
| 5 | Fri, March 13 | #1 North Carolina def. #8 Virginia Tech 79-76 | 12:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 6 | Fri, March 13 | #4 Florida State def. #12 Georgia Tech 64-62 | 2:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 7 | Fri, March 13 | #7 Maryland def. #2 Wake Forest 75-64 | 7:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 8 | Fri, March 13 | #3 Duke def. #6 Boston College 66-65 | 9:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 9 | Sat, March 14 | #4 Florida State def. #1 North Carolina 73-70 | 1:30 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN |
| 10 | Sat, March 14 | #3 Duke def. #7 Maryland 67-61 | 3:30 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN |
| 11 | Sun, March 15 | #3 Duke def. #4 Florida State 79-69 | 1:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN |
Now, what makes the ACC Tournament so special is the history. Whereas the Big Ten Tournament only has about a decade of history, the ACC Tournament has been going on since the 1950s. And as you can see, all-time greats like Tim Duncan, Phil Ford, and James Worthy, among many others, have been named MVP of the ACC Tournament. Here is a look at the storied history of the ACC Tournament, the greatest of the college basketball conference tournaments.
ACC Mens Basketball Tournament History: Past Champions, Runners-Up, and MVPs
| Year | ACC Tournament Champion | Score | ACC Tournament Runner-Up | ACC Tournament MVP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | NC State Wolfpack | 82-80 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Dickie Hemric |
| 1955 | NC State Wolfpack | 87-77 | Duke Blue Devils | Ron Shavlik |
| 1956 | NC State Wolfpack | 76-54 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Vic Molodet |
| 1957 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 95-75 | South Carolina Gamecocks | Lennie Rosenbluth |
| 1958 | Maryland Terrapins | 86-75 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Nick Davis |
| 1959 | NC State Wolfpack | 80-56 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Lou Pucillo |
| 1960 | Duke Blue Devils | 64-59 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Doug Kistler |
| 1961 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 96-81 | Duke Blue Devils | Len Chappelle |
| 1962 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 77-68 | Clemson Tigers | Len Chappelle |
| 1963 | Duke Blue Devils | 71-66 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Art Heyman |
| 1964 | Duke Blue Devils | 80-59 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Jeff Mullins |
| 1965 | NC State Wolfpack | 91-85 | Duke Blue Devils | Larry Worsley |
| 1966 | Duke Blue Devils | 71-66 | NC State Wolfpack | Steve Vacendak |
| 1967 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 82-73 | Duke Blue Devils | Larry Miller |
| 1968 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 87-50 | NC State Wolfpack | Larry Miller |
| 1969 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 85-74 | Duke Blue Devils | Charlie Scott |
| 1970 | NC State Wolfpack | 42-39 | South Carolina Gamecocks | Vann Williford |
| 1971 | South Carolina Gamecocks | 52-51 | North Carolina Tar Heels | John Roche/Lee Dedmon |
| 1972 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 73-64 | Maryland Terrapins | Bob McAdoo |
| 1973 | NC State Wolfpack | 76-74 | Maryland Terrapins | Tommy Burleson |
| 1974 | NC State Wolfpack | 103-100 | Maryland Terrapins | Tommy Burleson |
| 1975 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 70-68 | NC State Wolfpack | Phil Ford |
| 1976 | Virginia Cavaliers | 67-62 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Wally Walker |
| 1977 | North Carolina Tar heels | 75-69 | Virginia Cavaliers | John Kuester |
| 1978 | Duke Blue Devils | 85-77 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | Jim Spanarkel |
| 1979 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 71-63 | Duke Blue Devils | Dudley Bradley |
| 1980 | Duke Blue Devils | 73-72 | Maryland Terrapins | Albert King |
| 1981 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 61-60 | Maryland Terrapins | Sam Perkins |
| 1982 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 47-45 | Virginia Cavaliers | James Worthy |
| 1983 | NC State Wolfpack | 81-78 | Virginia Cavaliers | Sidney Lowe |
| 1984 | Maryland Terrapins | 74-62 | Duke Blue Devils | Len Bias |
| 1985 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 57-54 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Mark Price |
| 1986 | Duke Blue Devils | 68-67 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Johnny Dawkins |
| 1987 | NC State Wolfpack | 68-67 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Vinny Del Negro |
| 1988 | Duke Blue Devils | 65-61 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Danny Ferry |
| 1989 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 77-74 | Duke Blue Devils | J.R. Reid |
| 1990 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 70-61 | Virginia Cavaliers | Brian Oliver |
| 1991 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 96-74 | Duke Blue Devils | Rick Fox |
| 1992 | Duke Blue Devils | 94-74 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Christian Laettner |
| 1993 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | 77-75 | North Carolina Tar Heels | James Forest |
| 1994 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 73-66 | Virginia Cavaliers | Jerry Stackhouse |
| 1995 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 82-80 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Randolph Childress |
| 1996 | Wake Forest Demon Deacons | 75-74 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Tim Duncan |
| 1997 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 64-54 | NC State Wolfpack | Shammond Williams |
| 1998 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 83-68 | Duke Blue Devils | Antawn Jamison |
| 1999 | Duke Blue Devils | 96-73 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Elton Brand |
| 2000 | Duke Blue Devils | 81-68 | Maryland Terrapins | Jason Williams |
| 2001 | Duke Blue Devils | 79-53 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Shane Battier |
| 2002 | Duke Blue Devils | 91-61 | NC State Wolfpack | Carlos Boozer |
| 2003 | Duke Blue Devils | 84-77 | NC State Wolfpack | Daniel Ewing |
| 2004 | Maryland Terrapins | 95-87 | Duke Blue Devils | John Gilchrist |
| 2005 | Duke Blue Devils | 69-64 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | J.J. Redick |
| 2006 | Duke Blue Devils | 78-76 | Boston College Eagles | J.J. Redick |
| 2007 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 89-80 | NC State Wolfpack | Brandan Wright |
| 2008 | North Carolina Tar Heels | 86-81 | Clemson Tigers | Tyler Hansbrough |
| 2009 | Duke Blue Devils | 79-69 | Florida State Seminoles | Jon Scheyer |
| 2010 | Duke Blue Devils | 65-61 | Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Kyle Singler |
| 2011 | Duke Blue Devils | 75-58 | North Carolina Tar Heels | Nolan Smith |
| 2012 |
Wow…and I just realized that it is March 1st as I type this. February is always so damn short that March just sneaks up on you. But that just means that the greatest sports month of the year is beginning, which is awesome. Get ready for March Madness…it’s here!
About Jerod Morris
what about the women…..or don’t they exist??
@jaye, thanks for your visit and comment. Of course they do, I just have not yet had a chance to post a preview of the women’s ACC tournament. And if I have the time, it will probably come after a preview of the Big Ten women’s tourney.
Just so you know, however, we did post a preview of the women’s NCAA tournament:
2009 NCAA Women’s Tournament Preview
So while we are 99.9% focused on men’s sports…we do try to give the women a little love every now and then. Truth be told, I just don’t follow or know that much about women’s basketball.
Hi
Thanks for your info. Nice layout. Thought you might like to know that you have a typo in the score of 2006 Championship Game. You have it listed as 76-76.
Thanks Ms. B. You are correct — the score was 78-76 and it has been corrected.
Wow…what a finish in the UNC-FSU game. Think the Tar Heels miss Ty Lawson?
What is the latest on his prognosis for the tournament?
Hi JRod
Boy we sure did miss Lawson, a few of his points and definetly a little of his court savy could have helped out. Green couldn’t hit the ocean. Hansbrough tried to dribble with three defenders around him, Davis gets caught out of position trying to guard Douglas,3′s raining from all over the court and we can’t seem to defend them, on and on…Down the stretch we had opportunities and didn’t make it happen. 15 sec. is more than ample time to get off a good 3 pt. shot and attempt to tie the game. You could see the boys in panic mode, CALL A DANG TIME OUT!
I really hate it for Green, he had a dismal tournament but, he made a good play for the ball, was fouled and tied it up for us.
Lawson’s status is promising. The decision was made immediately after the last reg. sea. gm. to hold him out until the NCAA. They shot that big toe up for that Duke game. Lawson said,”Felt as if he was playing on just 4 toes”.
I believe if Carolina had beat Miami and was playing Duke for the Tournament Championship, Lawson would have been dressed out with both shoes on.
To all of you Midwest Sports Fans, thanks for being interested in the happenings of The ACC. It’s a tough league!
Tarheel Lover Since 1968
GO CANES, BEAT DUKE!
Ms.B.
Ms. B,
You may have been a Tarheel lover since the year I was born, but I question your college basketball savvy. Duke didn’t even play the ‘Canes’ in the ACC tournament. That mascot belongs to Miami! We played Florida State for the championship and their mascot is the Seminole.
As for your comment about Ty Lawson playing on his bad toe if it was against Duke in the finals, that would the same terrible decision making that may have your point guard in bad form for the NCAA tourney. Roy William’s decision to play Ty Lawson, with a pain killer injection, in the final game of the regular season was based on emotion and not intelligence. It probably cost UNC the ACC tourney, and may likely cost them their much publicized quest for this year’s national championship. But I guess it’s not a surprise that Roy made the decision based more on emotion. He does cry a lot during press conferences.
To Roy and Ty for their decision making, though, the ACC Champion Duke Blue Devils would like to say Thank You!
Oh, and thanks to JRod’s nice website above, I guess that makes 8 championships in 11 years for the good guys…
Cheers,
sja