Full Breakdown
2026 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: Bracket and Schedule Overview
3/8/2026, 6:13:32 AM
Tournament Structure and Key Dates
The 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Men's Basketball Tournament is set to take place from March 10 to March 14 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. This marks the 73rd edition of the tournament, which will feature 15 teams competing for the championship and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The tournament will commence with three first-round games on Tuesday, followed by second-round matchups on Wednesday, quarterfinals on Thursday, semifinals on Friday, and the championship game on Saturday.
Tournament Bracket and Seedings
Duke University, having secured the regular-season championship with a record of 29-2 (17-1 ACC), is the No. 1 seed and will receive a double bye into the quarterfinals. The full seeding for the tournament is as follows:
1. Duke Blue Devils (29-2, 17-1)
2. Virginia Cavaliers (27-4, 15-3)
3. Miami Hurricanes (24-7, 13-5)
4. North Carolina Tar Heels (24-7, 12-6)
5. Clemson Tigers (22-9, 12-6)
6. Louisville Cardinals (22-9, 11-7)
7. NC State Wolfpack (19-12, 10-8)
8. Florida State Seminoles (17-14, 10-8)
9. California Golden Bears (21-10, 9-9)
10. Stanford Cardinal (20-11, 9-9)
11. SMU Mustangs (19-12, 8-10)
12. Virginia Tech Hokies (19-12, 8-10)
13. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (16-15, 7-11)
14. Syracuse Orange (15-16, 6-12)
15. Pittsburgh Panthers (12-19, 5-13)
Notably, the bottom three teams—Boston College, Notre Dame, and Georgia Tech—did not qualify for the tournament.
Game Schedule
The tournament will feature a series of games, with the first round kicking off on March 10. The schedule is as follows:
First Round (Tuesday, March 10)
- Game 1: No. 10 Stanford vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. (ACC Network)
- Game 2: No. 11 SMU vs. No. 14 Syracuse at 4:30 p.m. (ACC Network)
- Game 3: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Wake Forest at 7 p.m. (ACC Network)
Second Round (Wednesday, March 11)
- Game 4: No. 7 NC State vs. Game 1 winner at Noon (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Game 5: No. 6 Louisville vs. Game 2 winner at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPNU)
- Game 6: No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 9 California at 7 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU)
- Game 7: No. 5 Clemson vs. Game 3 winner at 9:30 p.m. (ESPN2/ESPNU)
Quarterfinals (Thursday, March 12)
- Game 8: No. 2 Virginia vs. Game 4 winner at Noon (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Game 9: No. 3 Miami vs. Game 5 winner at 2:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Game 10: No. 1 Duke vs. Game 6 winner at 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Game 11: No. 4 North Carolina vs. Game 7 winner at 9:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Semifinals (Friday, March 13)
- Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner at 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner at 9:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Championship (Saturday, March 14)
- Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner at 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Conclusion
The 2026 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament promises to be a competitive showcase of talent, with Duke aiming for its second consecutive title. The tournament will be broadcast across various ESPN networks, allowing fans to follow the action closely as teams vie for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
