The ACC basketball Tournament is officially just days away, as most teams have just one game remaining and are entering their final stretch.
The ACC added three teams this year: Cal, Stanford, and SMU. This means not every team in the conference has an automatic bid. Miami has already been eliminated, and Duke, Louisville, and Clemson have all secured a double-bye.
So many National Champions come out of the ACC, and some huge upsets as well in this ACC Tournament. So, that got many thinking, what has been the best Cinderella story in the ACC Tournament, and what is the lowest seed to ever win the ACC basketball Tournament?
What is the lowest seed to ever win the ACC basketball Tournament?
Well, ACC fans, don't think too hard, as it was just last year. The North Carolina State Wolfpack went on an absolute tear in March and not only became the lowest seed ever to win the ACC Tournament, but also would go on to be the March Cinderella story and make a Final Four run.
They claimed the ACC Tournament title as the 10-seed, which broke Virginia Tech's record two years prior. The Hokies won the title as the 7-seed when they upset Duke and Coach K for the ACC title in 2022. Last year, North Carolina State defeated Louisville basketball in the first-round, then upset No. 7 seed Syracuse Orange in the second-round. Then, they continued this run, passing the No. 2 seed in Duke Blue Devils in the quarterfinals. They would go on to beat the No. 3 seed in Virginia and would round this run off beating the No. 1 seed and their in-state rival, North Carolina, for the title.
The Wolfpack defeated the top three-seeds in the conference, the No. 7, and the No. 15 in their amazing ACC Tournament run. But, like stated above, it didn't end there. They secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and were an 11-seed.
Well, NC State would go on and be just the sixth 11-seed ever make it to the Final Four, joining LSU, (1986), George Mason, (2006), VCU, (2011), Loyola Chicago, (2018), and UCLA (2021).
The Wolfpack took down six-seed Texas Tech, 14-seed Oakland, 2-seed Marquette, and then once again the Duke Blue Devils, who were a 4-seed. That's March.
So, anything is possible. Just because your team doesn't have a double-bye, or a bye at all, does't mean their season is over.
All ACC Tournament information can be found here.