This year’s opening clashes hardly constitute basketball profiles in courage. Not a single ACC team dares take on a Power Five opponent to open the season. Not a single ACC member raises its head above the power-rating parapet to risk a visit to an opponent’s home court to launch its ’24 efforts.
Just a lot of tune-ups, what Jim Valvano called “bops”. Plenty of guarantees being paid.
This lack of formidable openers is a departure from recent years, as in 2020-21 when BC started out with a Villanova faceoff and Notre Dame tried Michigan State. Both lost.