Tobacco Road strength brings old school to modern college basketball

"At a time when the ACC continues to morph into something completely different, this basketball season so far has been a fun little reminder of times past," wrote columnist and former president of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Luke DeCock of the News & Observer.

NC State guard and Cary, North Carolina native DJ Horne told On3.com that he grew up idolizing players in the ACC.

“For me, and my journey to get here, it’s a full-circle moment for me,” Horne said. “I just can’t wait to get out there in red and white, and hopefully try to bring home a win for NC State.”

That is what the ACC — and college sports as a whole — used to be about. Local kids who grew up worshipping players who inspired them to don the same uniforms as their heroes and playing in front of tens of thousands of rabid fans packing the gym at 8:00 on a Wednesday night. 

But the world of college sports is now volatile, and rosters are subject to total overhaul year after year thanks to the transfer portal. Good or bad, that's simply how things are today and it makes it tough for fans to develop the same bond with players that come to their schools. 

And with conference realignment bringing schools like California, Stanford and SMU to the ACC, there will be many ACC matchups next season that fans really won't care about. 

So for sports like basketball to retain mainstream interest (as football continues to be the clear priority for executives), rivalries with rich histories that are important to "traditionalists" need to matter. 

This year, in the ACC at least, they do.