One Ugly Stat Perfectly Sums Up ACC's Historically Bad NCAA Tournament Showing

And then there was one.

Tom Dierberger | Mar 21, 2025

RJ Davis scored 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting in North Carolina's 71–64 loss to Ole Miss on Friday. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

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The 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament has not been one to remember for the ACC.

Only four of 18 ACC teams were selected to the 68-team field—the conference's lowest percentage of bids in its lengthy history. And as of Friday evening, three of those four teams have been bounced from March Madness.

North Carolina beat San Diego State in the First Four for a chance at No. 6 Ole Miss on Friday, but the Tar Heels fell behind the Rebels 44–26 at halftime, and a furious second-half comeback fell just short in a 71–64 loss. Joining UNC on a quick flight back home is No. 5 seed Clemson, which was upset by No. 12 seed McNeese State, as well as No. 8 seed Louisville, which lost 89–75 to No. 9 seed Creighton.

The No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils remain the only ACC team still alive in the tournament.

According to ESPN, this year marks the first time since the NCAA started allowing multiple teams from each conference into the big dance in 1975 that the ACC has one or fewer teams alive in the round of 32.

Duke is officially the only ACC team in the Round of 32.

Via @ESPNStatsInfo, it's the first time since the NCAA started allowing multiple teams from the same conference into the NCAA tournament in 1975 that the ACC will have one or fewer teams in the Round of 32.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 21, 2025

The ACC's worst tournament outing in 50 years. Whew.

Duke looks strong as ever, however, handily defeating the No. 16 seed Mount St. Mary's 93–49 on Friday behind 19 points from Tyrese Proctor. The Blue Devils advance to take on the No. 9 seed Baylor Bears in the second round on Sunday.

As for the rest of the ACC? They'll be watching on their couches, perhaps rooting for their arch rival Duke to make a deep run for the sake of the conference.

More March Madness on Sports Illustrated

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Published Mar 21, 2025

TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.