ACC Basketball: Why adding West Virginia Mountaineers would be a good idea

1. West Virginia fits right in with the ACC

From a geographical standpoint, the Mountaineers never truly fit in the Big 12. They were 1000’s of miles from the rest of the teams in the conference, forcing their own fans to travel much more than the average fanbase.

That wouldn’t be the case in the ACC, as they would fit right in with the other programs located in the Appalachian/Atlantic Coast/northeast range. The state of West Virginia borders other states with ACC programs such as Kentucky (Louisville), Virginia (UVA and Virginia Tech), and Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh). The Mountaineers also wouldn’t be that far from the four programs based in the state of North Carolina either.

There’s also a history that West Virginia has with several programs currently in the ACC. Over a decade ago, teams such as Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Louisville, and Notre Dame were conference “rivals” with them. And the Mountaineers have the “Backyard Brawl” with the Panthers, which has been relegated to a non-conference series when there has been room for them to schedule one another.

If West Virginia were to join the ACC, they would have natural rivalries with both Pittsburgh and Syracuse, along with Virginia and Virginia Tech next door. They wouldn’t be anywhere near the outcast that they’ve been in the Big 12 for the past decade and would have a true travel partner (Pittsburgh) to work with as well.