In honor of the start of college basketball, here are A&E’s picks for the songs that best represent every ACC team in order of last year’s regular season standings.
University of Virginia
“Welcome 2 Houston” — Slim Thug
With the Final Four to take place in Houston this year, who better than Houston’s best to welcome the Hoos there?
Duke
“All Falls Down” -— Kanye West
Kanye’s album “The College Dropout” is a perfect representation of Duke’s one-and-done factory. And “All Falls Down” is topical as well. When Kanye raps, “We’ll buy a lot of clothes but we don’t really need ‘em / things we buy to cover up what’s inside,” he sounds like a true Blue Devil.
Notre Dame
“Dreams” — The Cranberries
Last year, Notre Dame emerged as one of the Cinderellas of the postseason, beating Duke and UNC en route to an ACC tournament title before nearly toppling Kentucky in the big dance. The Fighting Irish will likely be decent this year but their chances of a repeat performance are slim. This classic by Irish band, The Cranberries, reflects Notre Dame’s title hopes — in their dreams.
Louisville
“Roxanne” — The Police
In what looks to be a down year for Louisville, the school spent the offseason establishing itself as yet another ACC teams plagued by off the court issues. It doesn’t take an expert to see the ethical issues in using prostitutes to attract new recruits. The Police’s classic jam about prostitution seems appropriate.
North Carolina
“Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2” — Pink Floyd
Nothing sums up North Carolina’s academic ethos like this classic Pink Floyd song and its refrain “We don’t need no education.” With a number one preseason ranking, Carolina fans would love to focus on the upcoming season, but the real story is what they’ve done over the last 20. Maybe the NCAA will finally crack down on 20 years of academic fraud, but it remains to be seen.
Miami
“Angel” — The Weeknd
Senior point guard Angel Rodriguez can be a real difference maker for the Hurricanes, as evidenced by his performance last year against UVa when he notched 25 points and 7 assists. This Miami team will go as far as Angel takes them.
North Carolina State
“The Underdog” — Spoon
NC State is always the underdog when compared to their big brothers North Carolina and Duke. But Spoon has a reminder for the big boys of the conference: “You got no fear of the underdog / That’s why you will not survive.” The Wolfpack always pull off one or two big upsets per year.
Syracuse
“Oh Yeah, You’re Gone” — Brad Paisley
This melancholy country number will resonate with Orange fans during head coach Jim Boeheim’s suspension. And Boeheim’s not the only thing that’s gone — so are the 12 scholarships and 108 wins the Orange were forced to vacate as a result of academic violations.
Pittsburgh
“The Middle” — Jimmy Eat World
Pitt has been solidly in the middle of the pack in the ACC for the past few seasons and will likely be so again this year. But Pitt is new to the conference, and as Jimmy Eat World reminds us, “It just takes some time, little girl.”
Florida State
“Eye of the Tiger” — Survivor
With a great coach and recent recruiting success, FSU is a dark horse ACC contender. They also tend to have some bad blood with the University, which culminated a few years ago with Okaro White attacking London Perrantes. What better than the Rocky III hit to represent a team that is equal parts Rocky Balboa and Clubber Lang.
Clemson
“We Tigers” — Animal Collective
Clemson fans had better enjoy the last few months of Football season. This song by Animal Collective embodies a wild, childhood tribal mentality. The chants of “Tiger, Tiger, Tiger, Tiger...” are anything but intimidating. As usual, Clemson will likely remain at the ACC kids table.
Wake Forest
“One Man’s Dream” — Yanni
The only thing Wake Forest has going for them this year is the emergence of the ‘Greek Deac,’ Dinos Mitoglou. Sparsely recruited out of his homeland, Mitoglou is the lone source of intrigue for the dismal Deacons, but maybe he can provide a reason ‘for all the world to see.’
Boston College
“Sorry” — Justin Bieber
Like this new Bieber song, Boston College just isn’t very good. Sorry, BC, but another last place ACC finish seems inevitable.
Georgia Tech
“Ronald Reagan Era” — Kendrick Lamar
The theme of this Kendrick song will be comforting to many Yellow Jacket fans, as the Ronald Reagan era was the last time GT had a relevant basketball team. Georgia Tech hasn’t won the ACC tournament since 1993, and won’t this year, either.
Virginia Tech
“How You Remind Me” — Pickin’ On Series
It’s hard to find a song that truly encapsulates the sorry state of Virginia Tech basketball. This bluegrass cover of Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” comes close. Tech fans can be excited for transfer Seth Allen, but will quickly start looking forward to next year or just return to being Carolina fans.
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