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This is the second straight year no ACC team compiled double-digit victories to start the season. The best of the bunch was Notre Dame, which won its first nine games and led No.1-ranked Villanova until midway in the second half before falling 74-66 on Dec. 10.
The nine wins by the Fighting Irish, as well as seven each by North Carolina and Virginia, were better than any run achieved by an ACC squad to start the 2015-16 season. Last year’s best was a measly 6-0 start by Syracuse. In fact only four squads won as many as four games to start the ’16 season.
The starts by the ’15 leaders were impressive: 19 straight by UVa to open the season’s festivities, and 11 by Louisville in its opening run as an ACC member.
And of course the best ACC debut by an expansion member was turned in by Syracuse in 2014, when the Orange won their first 25 games of the season before losing in overtime at home against Boston College.
At the other end of the spectrum, both BC and Virginia Tech began two of the last four seasons with a loss. Miami in 2014 and NC State in 2015 also fell flat at the starting line.
Wins to Start Season Since Last 4 Expansion Members Added | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | Avg. |
| Boston College | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.0 |
| Clemson | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Duke | 2 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
| Florida State | 4 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Georgia Tech | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Louisville | 5 | 5 | 11 | X | 7 |
| Miami | 4 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| North Carolina | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| NC State | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
| Notre Dame | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Pittsburgh | 2 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 5 |
| Syracuse | 4 | 6 | 2 | 25 | 9 |
| Virginia | 7 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 7 |
| Virginia Tech | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Wake Forest | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
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