NC State made history as the first team with a double-digit seed to clinch the ACC tournament title on Saturday, securing their spot in the NCAA tournament by defeating the top-seeded North Carolina.
The team’s journey as 10-point underdogs was nothing short of remarkable, achieving five victories in as many days. This impressive run included triumphs over the second-seeded Duke in the quarterfinals and the third-seeded Virginia in the semifinals, earning them an unexpected automatic entry into the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. Their success story is the kind of Cinderella tale that captivates fans every March, highlighting the unpredictability and excitement of the 2024 season, where even the top college basketball teams showed unprecedented vulnerability.
This season witnessed AP-ranked top-25 teams suffering their lowest win rate against unranked teams since 1963, as reported by Stathead. This trend was even more pronounced among the top-10 teams. A notable week in February saw eight of the nation’s top-10 teams fall to unranked opponents, and a historic 48-hour period where four top-five teams were defeated for the first time ever.
NC State’s victory was celebrated widely, marking them as the first double-digit seed to win an ACC Tournament title, a moment of triumph shared enthusiastically across social media.
Ken Pomeroy, the mind behind the respected advanced stats website KenPom.com, shared with The Athletic in February that this season appeared more unpredictable than usual. According to him, compared to the past 25 years, the season seemed to be more open. The outcomes throughout the season have confirmed this observation.
The 2023-24 season set a record for the most losses by top-25 teams, surpassing all previous seasons. This shift led to a unique outcome, with three teams making their first-ever appearance in the Final Four.
This ongoing trend of parity suggests that bettors might want to consider backing lower-seeded teams in the tournament. The current defending champions, UConn, lead the odds as favorites to win the title at BetMGM, followed by Houston and Purdue. However, with every other team facing odds longer than 10-1, the unfolding of the bracket on Selection Sunday could reveal some potential dark horses worth betting on.
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