2004 Tournament Marks End Of An Era
3/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 25, 2004
If you are nostalgic, the 2004 ACC Tournament could be considered a landmark on the landscape of the ACC's legacy. The 51st edition of the arguably top event in college basketball is the last time the tournament was played in the format in which most of us have grown accustomed - nine teams, a Thursday night play-in game, a marathon quarterfinal round, drama-filled semifinal round, and nail-biting finals. It's also marks the end of the round-robin format in which each team plays every other home and away.
Wake Forest's role in this year's tournament was short-lived; yet it was a dramatic chapter in a tournament that provides one more piece of evidence that supports the claim the ACC is the nation's best basketball conference. The Deacons, having twice beaten Maryland in the regular season, fell 87-86 to the eventual champion Terrapins in the quarterfinal round, capping a day of incredible basketball. It was the fifth time in history that Wake Forest defeated a team twice during the regular season only to lose to that team in the ACC Tournament. The Deacons twice defeated N.C. State last season only to be ousted by the Wolfpack in the tournament.
Wake Forest provided one of two quarterfinal games decided by a single point, and when the quarterfinal round was over, the average margin of victory for the four games was a mere 4.75 points. It was the third lowest scoring differential in the quarterfinals in the 51-year history of the tournament.
Freshman Chris Paul performed brilliantly on the conference's biggest stage. The point guard scored 30 points, which marked the second highest total ever scored in a single game by a freshman in the ACC Tournament. Georgia Tech's Mark Price scored 33 points in a semifinal game against Virginia in 1983 to set the freshman scoring record.
Paul also handed out nine assists and had no turnovers. He was a perfect 9 of 9 from the foul line. Having said that, he had waited his whole life to play in the ACC Tournament, Paul made the most of his ACC Tournament debut. Growing up in the heart of the ACC, he played with a sense of urgency and sense of history.
"This (his 30 points) actually doesn't mean anything if we don't get a win," Paul told the media in the post-midnight press conference. "Defense has plagued our season so far. We came up short tonight, and we're just going to have to go back to the drawing board and try to get ready for the NCAA Tournament."
Paul's performance was appreciated by Coach Skip Prosser but not unexpected. "He has been impressive throughout the season," Prosser said. "This was obviously an excellent performance, but I don't think it was a surprise."
Prosser, his team and a throng of Wake Forest fans had hoped for a victory but fell just short in what Prosser calls the third of four seasons. One season remains for the Deacons.
"Give credit to Maryland," Prosser said. "In the second half they shot the ball great - from the three, from the line, from the field. They deserve the right to move on. We earned the right to go home."
The tournament has long been recognized as a second chance for teams trying to prove they belong in the NCAA Tournament, and that was exactly what this tournament was for Maryland. Analysts differed on whether or not Maryland was "on the bubble," so the Terps took matters into their own hands. The sixth-seeded Terps proceeded to defeat the tournament's top three seeds in reverse order and capture the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA's big dance. Maryland, not ranked nationally in the top 25, defeated three of the country's top 16 teams en route to the title - once again proof-positive that anything can happen in the ACC Tournament.
Next year, the ACC Tournament will vastly change. With the addition of Virginia Tech and Miami, the league expands to 11 teams, and the tournament slate expands to a total of 10 games. What was once the Thursday play-in game day will now feature three games. The eighth seed will play the ninth, the seventh seed will play the 10th, and the sixth seed will play the 11th. Finishing the regular season any lower than fifth will require four victories on four consecutive days to capture the ACC crown. In 2006, Boston College will join the conference to create a 12-team affiliation. Thursday's tournament schedule will grow to four games.
These changes will surely change the regular season and tournament strategies for coaches and the feel of the ACC Tournament for fans. One can only guess what the impact of expansion will have on ACC Tournament. But in this day and age, expansion is a means of survival. If you're nostalgic, you realize the 2004 ACC Tournament is the last of a breed. And while Wake Forest won't be remembered as champion, it certainly played its part, just as it has since the founding of league just over half a century ago.