Brad Brownell never pulls punches when criticizing the state of college basketball. With the state of the ACC and the narrative around it, Brownell took to this week’s teleconference to address his concern.

At this time, the ACC plays 20 conference games and it leaves less opportunity for a non-conference schedule. The Clemson coach is one of the few that takes on a challenging slate in Nov.-Dec. so it’s interesting how he’d take advantage of more chances. Here’s his statement as reported by The Post and Courier’s Jon Blau.

“”I just think we’ve tried this and it’s not working,” Brownell said. “I think (18) allows us to play other teams, which can help change the narrative, which I think is completely wrong”

Still, this statement is focused on the ACC’s perception. Back in January, Brownell talked about how the Tigers and other teams in the conference “cannibalize” each other while the likes of the Big 12 play softer schedules in the early month to maintain their reputation.

As of now, it appears the ACC will pull in just four NCAA Tournament bids and that’s a result of teams like Wake Forest being cannibalized. Brownell never hesitates with these discussions, especially since its hurt Clemson’s impressive start this season, and it’ll be key to watch if the conference has the same concern with its national reputation.