Brett Friedlander has an article up saying that the conference will
be helped by going back to the old format, and he's right, it will.
First of all, the current format is unnatural and breaks up the continuity of
the tournament.
Second, the play-in wasn't that bad. People did go watch, and it got the
first game out of the way and allowed plenty of time for socializing, which is a
key part of the tournament, and something, if the conference were really smart,
that they'd promote the hell out of, in the parking lot, through the schools,
through the media, and online. It's a priceless asset, and one no other
conference can even come close to touching.
One other piece of advice, and maybe they already do this for all we know -
sit the UNC fans between either the Duke and State fans or the Duke and UVa
fans. Or sit Duke and UVa side by side every year. Pump up that
atmosphere!
Anyway, it's an asset, it should be treated as such, and again, with
the exception of the CIAA, no one can come close. Actually, that's a
great example: the ACC should look very closely at why what is supposed to be a
minor league event is such a smashing good time year in and year out. The ACC
could learn a lot from the CIAA, because in many ways the sense of family is
very close.