Setting the ACC Scene In Charlotte

By Chris Littmann
As some of you might know, Sporting News online makes its home in Charlotte, home of this year’s ACC Tournament. We’ll have trio of writers – myself, Vinnie Iyer and Erin Farrell – covering all the goings on this week.
Today is Day 1 for the tourney. None of the marquee teams are really in action today, but that hasn’t stopped the fans from rolling into town. I hardly had to go 100 yards from my apartment in Uptown Charlotte before I saw a blue Nissan Pathfinder with a huge Duke decal on the driver’s side door and a flag fluttering in the hotel parking lot.
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There’s a slightly less glamorous game going on at Charlotte Bobcats Arena to start the day: Florida State vs. Wake Forest. Still, the crowd isn’t any sparser than your average Bobcats game upon first glance. (I’m not sure if that’s more of a statement about the lack of Bobcats fandom or enthusiasm for even mediocre ACC ball.)
The crowd outside the arena is equal parts scalpers and mid-day drinkers. It’s probably the only time all week these fans will mingle this congenially. For my part, it was just a day to pick up my credential -- Iyer and Farrell are holding it down Thursday, Friday and Saturday; my day is Sunday for the title game. Along with my credential, I picked up my lovely ACC swag bag.
Keep it tuned to TSB for more on the ACC Tourney this week all the way through Sunday’s title game.↵