The Atlantic Coast Conference expanded this year, but the ACC tournament did not follow suit. The tournament field remained at 15 teams, leaving the bottom three finishers in the now 18-team league out of the trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. Despite this, all three of the conference’s new members are included in the tournament, while the defending champion, North Carolina State, will not be participating this year. Another notable absence is Miami (Fla.), which made a Final Four appearance just two years ago.
The ACC conference is facing challenges as several traditionally successful programs are struggling. The upcoming tournament may not have the same level of competitiveness as in previous years, with mostly NIT berths at stake for teams outside the top three.
Below is the schedule for the ACC conference tournament:
– First round on Tuesday, March 11, featuring matches between Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech and California, as well as Florida State and Syracuse.
– Second round on Wednesday, March 12, with matchups such as Georgia Tech vs. Virginia, North Carolina vs. the winner of Notre Dame-Pittsburgh, and more.
– Quarterfinals on Thursday, March 13, including games like Duke vs. Georgia Tech-Virginia winner, and Louisville vs. Stanford-Virginia Tech-California winner.
– Semifinals on Friday, March 14, leading to the Championship on Saturday, March 15.
Duke is considered the favorite for the tournament, with standout players like Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel leading the charge. Other top players to watch include Chase Hunter from Clemson and Chucky Hepburn from Louisville.
The previous season’s ACC player of the year has faced challenges but has successfully raised his scoring average to 17.3. He is currently playing some of his best basketball towards the end of the season. In terms of the ACC tournament bubble storylines, the league has three teams guaranteed spots in the NCAA tournament with no clear bubble contenders. The upcoming quarterfinal match between Wake Forest and most likely North Carolina is not a must-win game as the victor would still have more to prove. North Carolina may have a chance for an at-large bid if they reach the final. SMU, currently at the sixth position, could potentially gain two significant wins, but will need to perform well in the tournament as they have no previous Quad 1 victories. This information was first published on USA TODAY covering the ACC tournament 2025 schedule, bracket, and scores.
