Men: The ACC used to see No. 1 next to school names

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Sport

Sport Men’s Bracketology: 2024 NCAA Tournament

By Joe Lunardi Updated: 2/13/2024 at 9 a.m. ET

Bracketology is in its 30th season on ESPN.com. From now until Selection Sunday on March 17, we’ll keep you up to date on the postseason chances and projection of your favorite teams. Our brackets will update Tuesday and Friday during conference play. We will culminate with daily updates throughout Championship Week in March, all with an eye toward the 2024 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Bracket Watch

North Carolina’s chase for a No. 1 seed has even more implications than usual this season. For the first two decades of this century, the ACC averaged at least one top seed per year. The conference peaked in 2019, landing three of four No. 1 seeds, including national champion Virginia. Since then, there’s not been a single top-line selection from the ACC, its longest drought since seeding began in 1979. In addition, the league has landed only one No. 2 seed since the pandemic. In two of the past three tournaments, its highest-rated entry has been a 4-seed. It’s hard to end a decline in the number of overall bids without the usual anchors at the top of the conference. And this update includes only four ACC teams, which would be its lowest total since expanding in 2014. It’s fair to say what was once thought to be a blip has instead become a concerning trend.

On the Bubble

68-Team Bracket

MIDWEST (DETROIT)

Indianapolis
Spokane
Omaha
Charlotte

WEST (LOS ANGELES)

Salt Lake
Salt Lake
Memphis
Omaha

EAST (BOSTON)

Brooklyn
Spokane
Pittsburgh
Charlotte

SOUTH (DALLAS)

Memphis
Brooklyn
Pittsburgh
Indianapolis

Conference Breakdown

Photo illo by ESPN Illustration, additional photos courtesy of Getty Images, Associated Press, Imagn, USA TODAY Sports, Icon Sportswire, EPA/Shutterstock

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