The ACC is arguably the best basketball conference in the country with 15 storied programs, all of whom have had numerous great teams over the course of the last 15 years. In honor of the Final Four, here are the four best teams the conference has produced since the turn of the century:
4) 2005 North Carolina Tar Heels
UNC head coach Roy Williams' first national championship team stormed through the ACC during the 2004-2005 season before dominating the NCAA Tournament and knocking off a one-loss Illinois team in the title game. The Tar Heels set a record by having six players drafted in the ensuing NBA draft, showing how immensely talented they were.
3) 2002 Maryland Terrapins
Maryland was coming off of a devastating Final Four loss to rival Duke, and the Terps were determined to win it all in 2002. They posted a remarkable 15-1 record in the ACC to win the only national championship in school history, and four players in their starting lineup were drafted.
2) 2009 North Carolina Tar Heels
Roy Williams' second national championship team was even more dominant then his first, winning every game in the NCAA Tournament by at least 12 points. UNC had made the Final Four the year before, and the sustained success puts them this high on our list. Six players from this roster were also drafted by the NBA (four in 2009, one in 2010, one in 2012).
1) 2001 Duke Blue Devils
Duke had five future NBA players in their starting lineup (Jay Williams, Chris Duhon, Mike Dunleavy, Shane Battier, and Carlos Boozer) and finished with a dominant 35-4 record. All four losses came against teams ranked in the top 16 in the country, and they cruised through the NCAA Tournament before trouncing the Arizona Wildcats in the national championship game.
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