Brad Brownell not surprised by ACC's strong showing in NCAA Tournament

Clemson Tigers head coach Brad Brownell made headlines when he argued the ACC is better than it was credited for being this season. Now, he’s seemingly been vindicated with four ACC teams making it to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament, including Clemson.

Ahead of the Sweet 16, Brownell shared that he wasn’t surprised to see the ACC have such a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament.

“I’m not surprised. I think we have a terrific league. I’ve been outspoken about disagreeing with some of the metrics and how the way teams are judged. I don’t know the best way to do it. I don’t have the answers.”

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“But I know this — I just know from, I’ve been in the ACC for 14 years. I’ve been here a long time. I’m probably outspoken now because Coach K [Mike Krzyzewski] and Roy Williams and Rick Pitino and Jim Boeheim and Mike Brey, I’ve coached against hall of famers, and we’re, like, there’s a lot of new guys now. You’ve got to hold up the banner of your league a little bit,” Brownell said.

“And I know the quality of play. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve been a head coach for 22 years. I know when I’m playing against good teams, well-coached teams. And so I’m not surprised in the least that our teams are doing so well.”

North Carolina, Duke, NC State, and Clemson are the four teams to make the Sweet 16 this season. That’s more than any other conference got to that point in the NCAA Tournament. It’s also something that Brad Brownell is happy to see.

“I’m happy for our league. I’ve talked about we need to figure out better ways to do it. I don’t think it’s easy to do. I respect the committee and know how hard it is. But I’ve said that Pitt and Wake Forest are both unbelievably talented teams, well-coached teams. They could easily be Sweet 16 teams as well,” Brownell said.

“And I’m really happy for the league. And I hope we can move forward and be successful.”

Why the ACC must change its formula despite four teams in Sweet 16

Despite the success that the ACC has found in the NCAA Tournament this season, On3’s James Fletcher explained that he feels the conference still needs to change its formula for long-term success when he made an appearance on Andy Staples On3.

“There were some people projecting maybe only three bids to the ACC at one point during the season. They end up with four teams in the Sweet 16, and this is kind of the ACC’s formula but I think it’s something that needs to change for the ACC if they’re going to continue in the way that they want to. Because, yes, they got four teams into the Sweet 16. It’s a great story, but if you look at it, NC State really had no business being there in the first place. If they don’t go on a magical run through March, they never even get an opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament,” Fletcher said.

“So, this conference, don’t let four teams in the Sweet 16 overshadow an entire season of work. They’ve got things that they’ve got to get figured out from a depth standpoint in that league. They’ve got programs that have been down for a couple of years now. You’ve got to get those teams back into the pinnacle of college basketball if you want to be what you were. But, in terms of March Madness success, Duke and North Carolina are always going to help you. Then getting some help from Clemson and NC State is great for that league.”