CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Atlantic Coast Conference has shaken off a four-year Final Four drought with strong back-to-back postseason runs that have included winning one national title, playing for another and putting three teams in the national semifinals.The trick now is to keep that momentum going for the league that considers itself college basketballs best. The ACC also wants to increase its number of NCAA Tournament bids toward a still-unreached target of 10 invitations.I think with our 15 programs and as good as those programs generally are, I dont think its unrealistic to point to that, Commissioner John Swofford said in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press during the leagues preseason media day. But I also dont think, if youve got seven, eight, nine and everybody talked about 10, thats not failure -- especially when theyre winning in the tournament.The ACCs series of expansions over the past decade were supposed to push the league to juggernaut status by adding programs like Louisville, Syracuse, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh to a lineup that featured tradition-rich charter members Duke and North Carolina.Its taken some time -- maybe a little longer than expected, the way North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried sees it -- but the league is starting to earn that status.I think youre seeing now what we thought was going to happen a couple of years ago, said Gottfried, whose Wolfpack has been to the NCAAs in four of his five previous seasons with two Sweet 16 runs. Couple of years ago, we all said this is the best basketball league in America. It probably wasnt just yet.I think what youre seeing now, its happening. Just took a few years for us to get there. And part of that is because I think everybodys better.Compare that to a year earlier, when Gottfried said the league had work to do to earn its claim as the nations best by regularly earning more than the six bids it got in 2015. The league went on to tie its record of seven and wouldve had a new high mark had a 23-win Louisville team not sat out with a self-imposed postseason ban amid an ongoing NCAA investigation into allegations that a former staffer hired escorts and strippers for sex parties with recruits and players.Once in the tournament, ACC teams kept winning.North Carolina reached the NCAA championship game. Syracuse made a surprise run to the Final Four. Four teams reached the Elite Eight and a record six teams got to the Sweet 16.The league finished with a record 19 NCAA Tournament wins, surpassing the previous mark of 18 set by the Big East in 1985.And that came one year after Mike Krzyzewskis Blue Devils -- this years preseason favorite for the 15th time under the Hall of Famer -- won the NCAA title.The ACCs two-year run of 36 NCAA wins is also a record for all leagues, surpassing the Big East (2008-09) and the Big Ten (1999-2000) by eight.Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, whose Fighting Irish have gone to two straight Elite Eights, believes momentum from a strong finish can carry through the offseason and into the next season. He figures thats a factor in the ACCs broader success from the past two tournaments.Once you get to that second weekend, then youve got a group of guys coming back, Brey said. They talk about stuff like that. Then if you get the bid, theyre more believing they should advance. Theres a confidence instead of maybe a fear or an anxiety. I think thats whats happened with a number of programs.If Brey is right, the league could be in for another big year. Duke is considered a national-title contender, while UNC and Virginia have earned top-10 rankings in several preseason publications.If one of those teams have a deep run, then it will be up to the next tier -- Louisville, Syracuse, North Carolina State, Notre Dame, Florida State and Miami -- to get the league within reach of double-digit NCAA Tournament bids.I think they both matter in their own regard, but everybody wants to say, `Oh the Big 12 put this many teams in or `the Big Ten put this many teams in, Miami senior guard Davon Reed said. And thats good. The ACC not only puts a lot of teams in, but I think our record in the tournament each year ... speaks for itself -- the ACCs quality and the wins that they produce in the tournament.---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap---Online:More AP College Basketball site: http://collegebasketball.ap.org Cheap Wholesale Air Max Shoes . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Cheap Nike Air Max Outlet . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. http://www.cheapairmaxchina.com/ . Aduriz headed home Markel Susaetas cross in the sixth minute to open the scoring at San Mames Stadium. He bettered that with a long-range blast that went in off the goal frame in the 18th, and converted a penalty in the 72nd after Diego Mainz was sent off for fouling Aduriz with only the goalkeeper to beat. Cheap Air Max For Sale .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Cheap Air Max Wholesale . Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human.Sky Sports IPL Zone is full of experts, giving advice on power hitting, bowling yorkers, and how to face left-arm swing. Former England coach Andy Flower looked at why Englands Sam Billings - who scored a neat 54 from 34 balls on his debut for Delhi Daredevils - looks to play a top-spin cover drive.New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, meanwhile, gave us a masterclass on how to accelerate towards the back-end of a limited-overs innings, plus he also had a go at power hitting following advice from coach Julian Wood.Mahela Jayawardene, Chris Jordan, Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate are among other cricketers to have supplied tricks of the trade, so make sure you stick with Sky Sports throughout the IPL for even more...Billings top-spin cover driveAfter England one-day star Billings impressed on his IPL bow, Flower took to the Zone to examine the batsmans innovative cover drive. Flower suggested reasons for why the Kent man plays the shot in such a way, explaining how its low trajectory minimises his chance of getting out, and how his racquetball experience might help him at the crease. Click here to watch the video.Power hittingPower-hitting coach Wood joined Taylor and Mark Ramprakash to explain the best way to go about smashing the ball out of the park. Wood spoke about leading with your hip rather than your head to gain more power and analysed both the classical and modern ways of launching the ball over the boundary rope. Wood also measured Taylors hand-speed and the speed of the ball off the bat - a baseball bat! Click here to watch the video. Mark Ramprakash and Power Hitting coach Julian Wood analyse Power Hitting in the IPL. Taylors batting tipsTaylor is now armed with a few more hitting tips but is a pretty decent striker anyway - his 15 ODI centuries shows you that! How, though, does he look to speed up his scoring rate towards the end of an innings? Taylor explained why opening up both sides of the wicket is key and why he looks to collapse his back leg to give himself more freedom to swing the bat. The New Zealander also discussed his pre-game routines and why facing loads of balls in the nets is not for him. Click here to watch the video.McCullums methodTaylor was also in the studio to talk up the big-hitting ability of his former New Zealand skipper, Brendon McCullum, who has formed a successful opening partnership with Gujarat Lions team-mate Dwayne Smith. Taylor spoke of the keys to his IPL success, including taking guard outside of leg stump, giving himself room to access the boundaries square of the wicket, on either the off-side or swinging to leg. He also mentions McCullums training methods, which sees him often tee off from ball one, backing himself not to be bowled despite showing his stumps. Click here to watch the video. Mark Ramprakash discusses the partnership of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum in the Zone. Death-bowling demoThe batsmen are set and swinging, the game is in the balance and youre coming on to bowl as the game reaches its climax. How do you make sure youre ready to get your yorker right in the blockhole? Jordan - fresh from doing just that in the World T20 and before he was signed by Royal Challengers Bangalore - demonstrated some of the practice routines he uses to perfect his yorker.dddddddddddd The England seamer discussed the need to be able to adjust at the last second and still hit your mark while Owais Shah provides the batsmans perspective. Click here to watch the video.Batting the Buttler wayJos Buttler is enjoying his first IPL campaign and Jayawardene, a man who knows a thing or two when it comes to batting and has worked with the keeper-batsman with England, explains how the Mumbai Indians star goes about his business. The Sri Lankan explains how Buttler uses his wide range of innovative ramp and lap shots to manoeuvre the field before launching into the bigger shots. Click here to watch the video.How does Dhoni do it?MS Dhoni has long been considered one of the very best when it comes to clearing the ropes but just how does he do it? Ten Doeschate looked at how the India captain gives himself a solid base and clears his front leg, allowing him to generate the power he does as he swings through the line of the ball - almost like a golf swing. The Essex captain also discussed the aura of Dhoni and how that can affect bowlers when they see him at the other end of the wicket. Click here to watch the video. Ryan ten Doeschate analyses MS Dhonis batting and likens his swing to a golf swing. Playing spin under pressureBopara and Ten Doeschate give their advice on how to play spin in T20 cricket when the ball is turning square. Bopara warned against planting your front foot and instead going back and trying to drag the bowlers length that bit fuller as well as discussing the importance of rotating the strike. Meanwhile, Ten Doeschate explained the advantages of using your feet and putting the pressure back on the bowler. Click here to watch the video.Facing left-arm swingTen Doeschate and Bopara were back in The Zone to advise on how to deal with left-arm swing bowling. Ten Doeschate talked about opening up your stance and keeping your front foot out of the way. Bopara, on the other hand, argued the case for moving inside the ball and hitting over the legside and using the pace of the ball. Click here to watch the video. Ravi Bopara and Ryan ten Doeschate are in the Zone to discuss left-arm swing. Slower ballsWith the likes of Mustafizur Rahman (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Dwayne Bravo (Gujarat Lions) bamboozling batsmen with their pace-off deliveries, ex-England seamer Dominic Cork assessed how the pair bowl such dangerous slower balls and the tactics and variations they adopt. Ten Doeschate, meanwhile, revealed how he looks to score from such deliveries by generating pace off the bat with a healthy backswing and setting himself without premeditating a shot. Click here to watch the video. Also See: IPL videos IPL table How to watch the IPL @SkyCricket on Twitter Jerseys NFL China Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From China Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys NFL Jerseys China Discount Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Cheap Nike Dolphins Jerseys Cheap Nike Patriots Jerseys Cheap Nike Jets Jerseys Cheap Nike Bengals Jerseys Cheap Nike Browns Jerseys Cheap Nike Steelers Jerseys Cheap Nike Texans Jerseys Cheap Nike Colts Jerseys Cheap Nike Jaguars Jerseys Cheap Nike Titans Jerseys Cheap Nike Broncos Jerseys ' ' '