Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball


The Atlantic Coast Conference is one of the premier college basketball conferences in NCAA Division I. The current ACC champions are the Duke men's basketball.

Members

InstitutionNicknameLocationFoundedYears in the ACCSchool TypeEnrollment
Boston CollegeEaglesChestnut Hill, Massachusetts18632005-presentPrivate/Catholic 15,106
CaliforniaGolden BearsBerkeley, California18682024-presentPublic45,307
ClemsonTigersSouth Carolina18891953-presentPublic29,077
DukeBlue DevilsDurham, North Carolina18381953-presentPrivate/Nonsectarian16,780
Florida StateSeminolesTallahassee, Florida18511991-presentPublic 44,308
Georgia TechYellow JacketsAtlanta, Georgia18851978-presentPublic 47,961
LouisvilleCardinalsLouisville, Kentucky17982014-presentPublic24,123
MiamiHurricanesCoral Gables, Florida19252004-presentPrivate/Nonsectarian19,852
[University of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill|North Carolina at Chapel Hill|North Carolina]Tar HeelsChapel Hill, North Carolina17891953-presentPublic 32,234
NC StateWolfpackRaleigh, North Carolina18871953-presentPublic 37,873
Notre DameFighting IrishSouth Bend, Indiana18422013–presentPrivate/Catholic 13,174
PittsburghPanthersPittsburgh, Pennsylvania17872013–presentState-related/Nonsectarian31,237
SMUMustangsHighland Park, Texas19112024–presentPrivate/Nonsectarian12,544
StanfordCardinalStanford, California18852024–presentPrivate/Non-denominational17,529
SyracuseOrangeSyracuse, New York18702013–presentPrivate/Nonsectarian22,589
VirginiaCavaliersCharlottesville, Virginia18191953-presentPublic25,944
Virginia TechHokiesBlacksburg, Virginia18722004-presentPublic38,294
Wake ForestDemon DeaconsWinston-Salem, North Carolina18341953-presentPrivate/Nonsectarian9,121

History

The early roots of ACC basketball began primarily thanks to two men: Everett Case and Frank McGuire. Case had been a successful high school coach in Indiana who accepted the head coaching job at North Carolina State at a time that the school's athletic department had decided to focus on competing in football on a level with Duke, then a national power in college football. Case's North Carolina State teams dominated the early years of the ACC with a modern, fast-paced style of play. He became the fastest college basketball coach to reach many "games won" milestones.
Case eventually became known as The Father of ACC Basketball. Despite his success on the court, he may have been even a better promoter off-the-court. Case realized the need to sell his program and university. State had originally started construction on Reynolds Coliseum in 1941, but stopped construction during the war. It was originally slated to seat 10,000 people, but Case persuaded school officials to expand the arena to 12,400 people. It opened as the new home court for his team in 1949; at the time, it was the largest on-campus arena in the South. As such, it was used as the host site for many Southern Conference tournaments, ACC tournaments, and the Dixie Classic, an annual event involving the four ACC teams from North Carolina as well as four other prominent programs from across the nation. The Dixie Classic brought in large revenues for all schools involved and soon became one of the premier sporting events in the South.
Partly to counter Case's personality, as well as the dominant success of his program, North Carolina convinced St. John's head coach Frank McGuire to come to Chapel Hill in 1952. McGuire knew that largely due to Case's influence, basketball was now the major high school athletic event of the region, unlike football in the South. He not only tapped the growing market of high school talent in North Carolina, but also brought several recruits from his home territory in New York City as well. Case and McGuire literally invented a rivalry. Both men realized the benefits created through a rivalry between them. It brought more national attention to both of their programs and increased fan support on both sides. For this reason, they often exchanged verbal jabs at each other in public, while maintaining a secret working relationship in private.
After State was slapped with crippling NCAA sanctions before the 1956–57 season, McGuire's North Carolina team stepped into the breach and delivered the ACC its first national championship. During the Tar Heels' championship run, Greensboro entrepreneur Castleman D. Chesley noticed the popularity that it generated. He hastily cobbled together a five-station television network to broadcast the Final Four. That network began broadcasting regular season ACC games the following season. From that point on, ACC basketball gained large popularity. Chesley's network continued until Metrosports took it over in 1981, handing it to Raycom Sports took it over in 1982; it was the direct ancestor of today's ACC Network.

Scheduling partners

The table below lists each school's permanent men's basketball only scheduling partners after expansion in 2024.
SchoolPartner 1Partner 2
Boston CollegeNotre DameSyracuse
CaliforniaSMUStanford
ClemsonFlorida StateGeorgia Tech
DukeNorth CarolinaWake Forest
Florida StateClemsonMiami
Georgia TechClemsonNotre Dame
LouisvillePittsburghVirginia
MiamiFlorida StateVirginia Tech
North CarolinaDukeNC State
NC StateNorth CarolinaWake Forest
Notre DameBoston CollegeGeorgia Tech
PittsburghLouisvilleSyracuse
SMUCaliforniaStanford
StanfordCaliforniaSMU
SyracuseBoston CollegePittsburgh
VirginiaLouisvilleVirginia Tech
Virginia TechMiamiVirginia
Wake ForestDukeNC State

Men's basketball titles by school

As explained in the main article about the league, the ACC does not recognize any team other than the conference tournament winner as the champion for a given season. Accordingly, this table sorts the schools primarily by number of tournament wins, using first-place regular season finishes and NCAA championships as tiebreakers where needed.
TeamRegular season first-place finishesACC tournament championshipsNCAA Championships
Duke20225
North Carolina32186
NC State7112
Wake Forest440
Georgia Tech240
Virginia1131
Maryland531
Miami210
Florida State110
South Carolina110
Notre Dame010
Virginia Tech010
Clemson100
Louisville003
California001
Stanford001
Syracuse001
Boston College000
Pittsburgh000
SMU000