Amanda Knapp
The ACC men's basketball tournament is the annual conference championship tournament for men's basketball teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The ACC tournament has been held every year since 1954, with the winner being crowned the conference champion and receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA men's tournament. The 2025 tournament, for example, was held in Charlotte, North Carolina, and saw Duke crowned champions after defeating Louisville 73-62.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Form | ACC: Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Tournament Type | Men's basketball conference championship tournament |
| Tournament Format | Single-elimination tournament |
| Seeding | Based on regular-season records |
| Winner | Declared conference champion and receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's tournament |
| Frequency | Annual tournament since 1954 |
| Venues | Charlotte, North Carolina; Greensboro Coliseum; Spectrum Center; Bojangles' Coliseum; Capital One Arena; Amalie Arena |
| Recent Winners | 2025: Duke; 2024: NC State |
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What You'll Learn
History of the ACC men's basketball tournament
The ACC Men's Basketball Tournament, commonly referred to as the ACC Tournament, is the annual championship tournament for men's basketball in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The ACC is a collegiate athletic conference on the East Coast of the United States, with member institutions ranging from Massachusetts to Florida.
The ACC Tournament has been held every year since the conclusion of the ACC's inaugural basketball season in 1954, one year after the conference was founded. The tournament is a single-elimination format, with seeding based on regular-season records. The winner of the ACC Tournament is crowned the conference champion and receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Men's Tournament.
The ACC Tournament has a rich history, with some notable moments including:
- The 1972-73 NC State Wolfpack team was forced to skip the postseason due to an NCAA recruiting infraction. Despite finishing the season undefeated at 27-0, they never had the chance to compete for the national championship.
- The University of South Carolina's departure from the ACC in 1971, and the University of Maryland, College Park's exit in 2014, both resulting in shifts in the conference's dynamics.
- The 2020 ACC Tournament, which was only partially completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the automatic bid going to Florida State as the regular-season winner.
The ACC Tournament has been hosted in various venues across the East Coast, including Charlotte, Greensboro, and Tampa. It has featured prominent college basketball programs such as Duke, Louisville, and North Carolina, with intense competition and exciting gameplay year after year.
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Past winners of the ACC tournament
The ACC men's basketball tournament, often referred to as the ACC tournament, is an annual single-elimination tournament. The winner is declared the conference champion and receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's tournament. The tournament has been held every year since the ACC's inaugural basketball season concluded in 1954, except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duke won the 2025 ACC tournament, defeating Louisville 73-62. NC State won the tournament in 2024.
Prior to 2024, recent winners of the tournament include Duke in 2023, Virginia Tech in 2022, Georgia Tech in 2021, and Florida State in 2020.
Some notable past winners of the ACC tournament include the 1972-73 NC State Wolfpack team, which finished the season undefeated but was forced to skip postseason play due to an NCAA recruiting infraction. The University of Maryland, College Park, won the tournament seven times before leaving the ACC in 2014 to join the Big Ten Conference. Similarly, the University of South Carolina won the tournament in 1971 before leaving the ACC to join the Southeastern Conference.
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Venues and locations
The ACC men's basketball tournament, also known as the ACC tournament, is the conference championship tournament for men's basketball for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The tournament has been held annually since the conclusion of the ACC's inaugural basketball season in 1954, except for 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Charlotte Coliseum on Independence Boulevard was the venue for the ACC tournament from its opening in 1956 until 1988. After its closure, another arena on Tyvola Road took on the same name, hosting the tournament until its demolition in 2007. The original Charlotte Coliseum was then reopened in 1993 as the Independence Arena, hosting the ACC women's tournament from 1997 to 1999. This venue has since been renamed Bojangles' Coliseum.
Other host venues for the ACC tournament include the Greensboro Coliseum (now known as First Horizon Coliseum), which will host future tournaments; the Spectrum Center (formerly known as Charlotte Bobcats Arena); and the Capital One Arena, previously known as the MCI Center in 2005 and the Verizon Center in 2016.
The ACC tournament has predominantly been held in North Carolina, with Charlotte, Greensboro, Cary, Durham, and Raleigh selected as host cities for future tournaments.
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Rules and format
The ACC men's basketball tournament (also known as the ACC tournament) is a single-elimination tournament where seeding is based on regular-season records. The winner is declared the conference champion and receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's tournament. The ACC tournament has been held annually since the ACC's inaugural basketball season concluded in 1954, except for the 2019-2020 season, which was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament typically begins in March, a few days after the end of the regular season, and concludes on a Saturday. All games are played in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Spectrum Center, previously known as the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
In the previous format, the ACC championship used pool play or a round-robin-style tournament. However, in 2025, a new format was introduced, featuring all 16 teams in a single-elimination championship. The top four seeds receive double byes into the quarterfinals, seeds five through eight earn a bye into the second round, and seeds nine through sixteen compete in the first-round games.
The tournament schedule usually spans several days, with the first and second rounds taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. The quarterfinal round is held on Thursday and Friday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, and the championship game on Sunday.
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Impact of COVID-19
The ACC men's basketball tournament, popularly known as the ACC tournament, is an annual conference championship tournament in men's basketball for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the tournament in 2020 and 2021, causing cancellations and withdrawals.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the ACC tournament being only partially completed. The tournament was cancelled before its conclusion, and consequently, there was no ACC Tournament champion that year. The ACC automatic bid was awarded to the regular-season winner, Florida State.
The following year, COVID-19 continued to impact the tournament. Duke University withdrew from the 2021 ACC tournament after a positive COVID-19 case within its men's basketball programme. This resulted in the cancellation of their quarterfinal game against Florida State and prematurely ended their season. Duke's withdrawal highlighted the challenges of safely conducting the tournament during the pandemic, with nine schools withdrawing from their conference tournaments by Friday afternoon.
The pandemic's impact on the ACC tournament extended beyond Duke. Virginia also had to withdraw from their ACC semifinal against Georgia Tech due to a positive COVID-19 test within their programme. This withdrawal disrupted their NCAA Tournament prospects, with coach Tony Bennett expressing disappointment, especially for the senior players.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected the ACC men's basketball tournament in 2020 and 2021, causing cancellations, withdrawals, and disruptions to the season and tournament outcomes. These challenges underscored the difficulties of organising sporting events during a public health crisis.
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Frequently asked questions
ACC stands for Atlantic Coast Conference.
The ACC tournament is held annually. It has taken place every year since 1954, except in 2020 when it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ACC tournament is a single-elimination tournament.
Seeding is based on regular-season records.
The winner of the ACC tournament is declared the conference champion and receives an automatic bid to the NCAA men's tournament.
