When Duke won the ACC Tournament in 1978, Sports Illustrated started its story with this: “Duke. Now there’s a proud but forgotten name.”
That was in 1978, so it’s probably hard for some Duke fans to know that South Carolina’s decline started not long after Duke’s did.
Duke’s started in 1969 when Vic Bubas retired after a brilliant decade in Durham.
In 1971, infuriated by a difficult relationship with the rest of the ACC, South Carolina, well, South Carolina seceded more or less.
It didn’t turn out well in 1861 and in basketball terms, it was a complete disaster.