The Barclays Center sits 450 miles north of Greensboro, N.C., location of the ACC’s headquarters and the traditional home of its storied basketball tournament. Beginning Tuesday in Brooklyn, N.Y., the tournament will be staged north of Washington, D.C. for the first time in its history.

Despite the distance from its home, the league’s illustrious basketball history has deep ties to New York, and that includes Georgia Tech and the great Bobby Cremins.

“There’s so much New York connection with the ACC, and it all started with Frank McGuire,” Cremins said.

In part because of the legendary McGuire, Cremins raised Tech to the heights of college basketball with the play of New Yorkers John Salley, Kenny Anderson and Stephon Marbury.

“It’s all because of Frank McGuire coming from New York,” Cremins said.