The ACC Tournament is underway, as is championship week across the nation's most prestigious men's college basketball conferences. Long one of the premier powerhouses in the country, the ACC's star has faded just a little in recent years. Sure, Duke and North Carolina remain titans of the sport, especially this year, but the depth that long defined the conference as one of the best has slipped.
ESPN currently predicts just four bids to the NCAA Tournament for the ACC. Thanks to consistent inconsistency across conference play, Virginia, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest all reside on the bubble. This just means the stakes are higher and the basketball is more intense. Here's everything you need to know about the ACC Tournament.
ACC Tournament Format and Schedule
Thanks to Notre Dame's inclusion in the conference for basketball purposes, the ACC features a unique 15-team bracket. The bottom-six seeds played today, meaning three team's seasons are already done. Seeds 5-9 all got the day off to rest and prepare for a pre-quarterfinal matchup. And the top four seeds all got a double bye straight to the quarterfinals. The rest of the games will all be on national TV, either ESPN or ESPN2, throughout the day. Tune in from your TV, computer, or phone and get some practice in for the college basketball you'll be streaming during the work day when the first round of the NCAA tournament rolls around.
First Round Tuesday, March 12
Game 1: No.12 Notre Dame 84, No. 13 Georgia Tech 80
- Georgia Tech eliminated
Game 2: No. 10 NC State 94, No. 15 Louisville 84
- Louisville eliminated
Game 3: No. 11 Boston College 81, No. 14 Miami 65
- Miami eliminated
Second Round Wednesday, March 13
Game 4: No. 8 Virginia Tech vs. No. 9 Florida State | Noon | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 5: No. 5 Wake Forest vs. No. 12 Notre Dame | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN
— midday break —
Game 6: No. 7 Syracuse vs. No. 10 NC State | 7 p.m. | ESPN2
Game 7: No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 Boston College | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2/ESPNU
Quarterfinals Thursday, March 14
Game 8: No. 1 North Carolina vs. Game 4 winner | Noon | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 9: No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. Game 5 winner | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
— midday break —
Game 10: No. 2 Duke vs. Game 6 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 11: No. 3 Virginia vs. Game 7 winner | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals Friday, March 15
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 7 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN/ESPN2
Championship Saturday, March 16
Tournament championship: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN
ACC Tournament storylines
All signs point to a UNC vs. Duke matchup in the final. They are two Final Four caliber teams with hopes and dreams extending into April. They've been dominant all year in the conference and could generate good momentum heading into full-on March Madness. For UNC, they have a chance to sweep the regular season and ACC tournament for the first time since 2016 after winning the regular season title for the first time since 2019. Duke is down 0-2 in the season series and could put some serious questions about their championship pedigree to rest with a tournament victory over their eternal rivals.
But those two teams are safe. Pittsburgh and Wake Forest are one more big upset away from solidifying their status as a tournament team, both having beat Duke earlier in the year. They're also seeded Nos. 4 and 5 in the tournament, meaning they'll have to go through each other to get a shot at North Carolina in the semifinal. Virginia, meanwhile, has put together a good-not-great resumé lacking that signature moment an upset, or even winning the whole tournament, would provide.
There is a distinct lack of excitement or possibilities in the first half of the week. But the intensity and stakes ratchet up exponentially as the ACC Tournament continues. You won't want to miss it.
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