ACC Expansion: 11 Burning Questions Facing the New ACC with Pitt, Syracuse

Syracuse and Pitt. Big East fixtures? Not for long.

It's a little strange to think of these schools playing in any other conference.

Lots of issues hang in the air as these two college hoops powerhouses move on and start playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Here are 11 burning questions facing the new ACC as the Orange and the Panthers get ready to bring it!  

Question 1: When Will Syracuse and Pitt Actually Start Playing in the ACC?

Roy Williams commented that he hopes he's "coaching long enough to see this thing through.’’

For Syracuse and Pitt to leave the conference, the Big East by-laws require a 27-month notice, plus a $5 million buyout.

Meaning: if that was upheld, the soonest the move could take place is the 2014-2015 academic year.

There's no way in the world that this will drag out until then.

Whether there is simply an agreement to allow the schools to leave or a deal that is struck that would require an early-release payment, Syracuse and Pitt will be lacing 'em up in 2012-13 in the ACC.

Question 2: What Other Schools Will Follow Syracuse and Pitt into the ACC?

There's a good chance that the ACC's expansion will not close with Syracuse and Pitt.

Ben Doody of the Stamford Advocate says that UConn should being very assertive in pursuing membership in the ACC.

Rutgers is another Big East school that's name has come up.

Texas was said to have expressed strong interest in ACC membership. However, Pac-12 officials are engaged in "active discussions" with Texas and Oklahoma.

Prediction: UConn and Rutgers will be coming on board at the same time as the 'Cuse and Pitt. 

Question 3: How Would the Conference Be Broken Down into Divisions?

The ACC wouldn't have to be broken down into divisions, but it just seems like it would make sense to do so. By grouping them geographically, you could foster natural rivalries and reduce the amount of overall travel that the teams would be doing.

If only Syracuse and Pitt join the ACC, you could have two seven-school divisions that might look like this: 

North:

• Syracuse
• Pitt
• Boston College
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest

South

• North Carolina
• Duke
• NC State
• Clemson
• Georgia Tech
• Florida State
• Miami

In this arrangement, schools would play an annual home-and-home series in their division and a single game against the schools in the opposite division.

If UConn and Rutgers also join the ACC, you could have four divisions that might look like this:

• Syracuse
• UConn
• Boston College
• Rutgers

• Pitt
• Maryland
• Virginia
• Virginia Tech

• North Carolina
• Duke
• North Carolina State
• Wake Forest

• Georgia Tech
• Clemson
• Florida State
• Miami

Question 4: Will Playing in the ACC Help or Hurt Syracuse and Pitt's Recruiting?

Not that Boeheim or Dixon struggle in the area of recruiting.

Syracuse was No. 10 and Pitt was No. 15 in ESPNU's Class of 2011 rankings

Duke (2) and North Carolina (5) were ranked higher than both, and Virginia Tech (12) beat out the Panthers.

I know that recruiting is a year-by-year proposition, but I actually think that Syracuse and Pitt's move to the ACC will help their recruiting.

There is more national coverage and exposure in the Atlantic Coast Conference than any other in college basketball. 

Question 5: How Will Syracuse and Pitt's Style of Play Impact the Conference?

Syracuse and Pitt play a very physical brand of ball.

While they have no trouble putting points on the board, both play tough, physical, defense-driven basketball.

Syracuse plays a very active, in-your-face 2-3 Zone as well as anyone in the country. The Orange were No. 2 in the nation in blocks.

The Panthers employ a physical brand of grinding man-to-man defense, which tends to wear down most teams by game's end.

Not saying that everyone in the ACC is about finesse.

North Carolina was No. 1 in the country in rebounds.

Florida State was No. 1 in FG percent-defense.

Georgia Tech was No. 4 in the nation in steals. 

It won't happen in the first year or maybe in the first few years, but watch for the style of play in the ACC to become a little more gritty.

Question 6: What Will the Carrier Dome Head Count Be When Duke Shows Up?

The Carrier Dome (pictured), where Syracuse plays its home games, has an official seating capacity of 33,000.

For some big games, many more have been shoe-horned into "The Loud House."

On February 27, 2010, Syracuse set the on-campus basketball attendance record, with 34,616 watching the Orange hammer Villanova 95-77.

Prediction: That record is going down the first time that Coach K and Duke comes to town.

How many "obstructed view" seats would have to be sold to get 40,000?

Question 7: What Does Coach K and Roy Think About All of This?

It's possible that the current coaches wouldn't be too happy about all of this.

That doesn't seem how Coach K looks at this.

"It's actually pretty exciting," Krzyzewski said. "I think it's great for our conference football-wise, even better basketball-wise. Wherever this is going to end up, four big-time conferences or five, whatever it is, you want to be perceived as No. 1 in football and basketball.

Both Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and North Carolina coach Roy Williams have told ESPN.com that they would endorse the ACC expanding to 16 teams comprised of two eight-team divisions.

That's pretty good support from two influential individuals on the coaching side of the conference. 

Question 8: How Many Years Will Jim Boeheim Coach in the ACC?

Jim Boeheim has been the head coach of the Syracuse Orange since the 1976-77 season.

That's 35 seasons. He's been prowling the Syracuse sidelines since Jimmy Carter was President.

With 856 career wins, all at Syracuse, he currently stands in fifth place on the all-time wins list of D-1 coaches

Boeheim will turn 67 years old within the first month of the upcoming season.

How many years does he have left coaching? Will this change energize him?

If Syracuse's entry into the ACC is delayed, he may only have a few.

I, for one, want to see a couple seasons of Boeheim vs. Coach K and Roy go head-to-head.

One more reason why I hope Syracuse can start next season.

Question 9: Will Changing to the ACC Slow Down Jamie Dixon's Win Total?

In eight years as the Pitt head coach, Jamie Dixon has already compiled an outstanding mark of 216-60 (78 percent) and 98-38 (72 percent) in Big East play.

Going into last season, he was tied for the most wins in the first seven years (188) of a head coaching career. 

With the current top-to-bottom condition of the ACC, Dixon would have no problem leading the Panthers to a level of success similar to what he was achieving in the Big East...maybe better. 

Question 10: Will Khem Birch Ever Play an ACC Game?

Khem Birch, Pitt's five-star recruit from the Class of 2011, is a phenomenal athlete who plays high above the rim.

At 6'9" 200, Birch is an excellent shot-blocker and uses his length well to get put backs on the offensive end.

Not predicting that Birch will be one-and-done, but he certainly has the potential to enter the NBA draft well ahead of four years from now.

If all this gets settled and Pitt begins conference play in the '12-13 season...no problem.

But if it takes this transition a few years, it is very possible that Birch won't ever play in the ACC. 

Question 11: Where Would Syracuse and Pitt Be Ranked in This Year's ACC?

Adding Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC brings ongoing, legitimate competition for North Carolina and Duke.

In fact, if the Orange and Panthers were joining this year, a conference preseason poll would look like this:

1. UNC

2. Syracuse

3. Duke

4. Pitt

5. Florida State

So, Syracuse ahead of Duke?

The Orange only lose Rick Jackson (13.1 ppg; 10.3 rpg) off of last year's team that went 27-8 overall and 12-6 in the Big East. Syracuse also adds two McDonald's All-Americans (Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams) in the recruiting Class of 2011.

Duke loses Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Kyrie Irving, which means Coach K needs to replace a total of 55 ppg and 15 rpg.

Sure, the Blue Devils have an incredible 2011 recruiting class of their own that features three McDonald's All Americans. But, there are too many question marks for Duke going into this season to know what kind of team they will really be.

Would Duke be in the Top 25? Whatever.

Top 10? Yeah.

But still ahead of Syracuse? Not sure they would be.