As a busy year in sports winds to a close, The Blue Zone will count down the top 10 Duke stories of 2013. Check back throughout the week as we review the most memorable moments of the year.
5. The Expansion
As the dust finally settled on a flurry of conference realignment, many believed the ACC came out on top.
added Pittsburgh and Syracuse as full members and Notre Dame in all sports except footballAlthough the biggest changes were felt in 2013, the ACC remains in flux for one more year. Maryland is slated to depart for the Big Ten July 1, 2014, and Louisville will take its place to keep the conference at 15 teams.
Even before the official expansion took place, the Blue Devils got a taste of their newest foes, as the men's lacrosse squad faced off against powerhouse Syracuse in the national championship game. Duke won 16-10 and took home its second national title.
One of the country’s strongest basketball conferences got a boost when three top programs became full members of the conference, as Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Syracuse have made appearances in the top 25 this season. The Orange are currently the No. 2 team in the country and Louisville, which is playing one season in the newly-formed American Athletic Conference, is current ranked No. 4 in the nation.
Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski welcomed the competition.
“I love what’s happening with our conference,” Krzyzewski said. "We’re going to be a 10-bid conference. We’re going to be the best conference in the history of the game. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”
In early November, it was announced that in part to reflect the expansion, the 2016 ACC tournament would be held at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The move marked a shifting of the ACC's epicenter away from North Carolina. As the conference's footprint continues to grow, many speculate that ACC Commissioner John Swofford is targeting a potential ACC tournament at Madison Square Garden in the future.
Conference expansion has changed the face of the ACC as we know it, but with ACC play on the hardwood taking full swing to start the year 2014, it appears the best in marquee matchups are still yet to come.
Check out the rest of The Blue Zone's top 10 stories of 2013:
3. The Comeback—Duke lacrosse rallies from 2-4 start, five-goal deficit to win national championship
4. The Commitments—Building Duke's monster 2014 recruiting class on the hardwood
5. The Expansion—ACC grows to 15 teams
6. The Return, part III—Andre Dawkins makes his long-awaited return to the Blue Devils
7. The Return, part II—Coach K commits to Team USA and Duke through 2016
8. The Return, part I—Ryan Kelly goes for 36 against Miami in his first game back from injury
9. The Leg—Kevin Ware sparks Louisville to Elite Eight victory against Blue Devils
10. The Pick—Sean Renfree becomes Duke's first NFL draft selection since 2004
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