I just returned from Atlanta, and I already can't wait to go back there in March. Georgia fans are great. The women? Even better. And best of all (arguably): a dark horse for the tourney in Georgia Tech.

Under first-year coach Paul Hewitt, the Yellow Jackets are coming off back-to-back Ws over UVA and Wake Forest. Led by gunner Shaun Fein (nearly 45 percent from three) and shotblocker Alvin Jones, the Jackets have beaten UCLA and Kentucky, in addition to the Hoos and Deacs.

While the Jackets could plummet back to earth without warning, their surprising ascendancy is one more reason why the ACC is this year's top conference. Yes, the dirty South has some of the filthiest ballers in the land. What other conference is as competitive as the Atlantic Coast? The Big Ten is a close second. But Iowa? The Hawkeyes have a top backcourt with Dean Oliver and Luke Recker.They beat Drake by 2. Name me one guy on Drake. Lewis Lloyd doesn't count. The Pac-10 already appears to be Stanford's to lose, although USC might make a run. The SEC has twelve teams. Only three of them (Tennessee, Florida, Mississippi) are good, and three-for-12 sounds like Tony Harris' last performance in The Big Dance. The Big 12's not bad, but only Kansas has truly impressed me and Wake Forest waxed 'em by 31. Texas' Darren Kelly is all that, but the 'Horns are too methodical. And I'm still wondering how good the Big East is. This past Saturday saw UConn, Seton Hall, Notre Dame, and Villanova all fall quicker than Ty Shine after an Eddie Griffin right.

So what's so great about the ACC? Eight strong teams, to start with. Safe to say, no one will beat the Blue Devils at home this year, though I think they'll drop a conference game away from Durham. NC State, which has lost three heartbreakers, nearly pulled that upset last week. Meanwhile, I'm still not that taken with UNC. They have one superstar in Joe Forte, although Matt Doherty is proving to be one of the game's best young coaching talents. Almost everyone has counted out Maryland, and rightfully so after some alarmingly listless early-season performances. This team seems to trip over its own talent.

The wildcard teams are GaTech, Wake and Virginia. How good are they? Four Deacons average between 13-15 points a piece. Darius Songaila is their go-to-guy, but he's in endless foul trouble. UVa absolutely ran Tennessee off the court, so you know they have athletes. Problem is, they need to take care of the rock more. And then there's Tech. They may not wow the pollsters just yet, but a balanced, competitive ACC tourney is almost sure to produce three, four, or maybe five Sweet 16 teams. Look for Georgia Tech to be one of them.

John Gustafson writes college hoop for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at john.gustafson@espnmag.com.