The 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament schedule returns to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, from March 10–14, 2026. While the conference has expanded to 18 teams, only the top 15 programs in the final standings will qualify for the postseason tournament. The championship game is set for Saturday, March 14, at 8:30 PM ET, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Updated: March 3, 2026
2026 ACC Tournament Dates, Times, and TV Schedule
Charlotte has long been the spiritual home of the ACC, and the 2026 event marks the 15th time the city has hosted the tournament. The five-day single-elimination “gauntlet” will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2, and the ACC Network.
ACC Tournament Session Schedule:
- First Round (Seeds 10-15): Tuesday, March 10 (ACC Network)
- Second Round (Seeds 5-9 join): Wednesday, March 11 (ACC Network/ESPN2)
- Quarterfinals (Seeds 1-4 join): Thursday, March 12 (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Semifinals: Friday, March 13 (ESPN/ESPN2)
- Championship Game: Saturday, March 14 (8:30 PM ET on ESPN)
Expert Note from the Sports Brackets Analyst: The move to an 18-team conference but a 15-team tournament creates a brutal ‘cut line’ in 2026. Teams like Cal and Stanford – making their second-ever cross-country trip for conference play – will be fighting just to earn a trip to Charlotte. Historically, the double-bye (Top 4 seeds) is the only reliable path to the title; no team in ACC history has ever won five games in five days to take the trophy and earn the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Selection Sunday Preview: Is the ACC a 6-bid or 7-bid league this year? Track the latest projections in our 2026 Selection Sunday Guide.
On the Bubble? See if your team is currently projected for the field in our Live 2026 March Madness Bubble Watch.
2026 ACC Basketball Tournament Schedule and TV Broadcasts
The 2026 ACC basketball tournament schedule takes place from March 10-14, 2026. As we get closer to the tournament, we’ll update you with the team seeds, matchups, and TV broadcast plans for the tournament. We have ACC regular season basketball schedules and more posted up for you to enjoy too. *Times are now confirmed.
| Session | Game | Time | Matchup | Score | Television |
| First round – Tuesday, March 10 | |||||
| Opening Day | 1 | 2:00 p.m. | No. 12 vs. No. 13 | ACCN | |
| 2 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 10 vs. No. 15 | |||
| 3 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 11 vs. No. 14 | |||
| Second round – Wednesday, March 11 | |||||
| 1 | 4 | Noon | No. 8 vs. No. 9 | ESPN | |
| 5 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 5 vs. No. 12 / No. 13 | |||
| 2 | 6 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 7 vs. No. 10 / No. 15 | ESPN2 | |
| 7 | 9:30 p.m. | No. 6 vs. No. 11 / No. 14 | ESPNU | ||
| Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 12 | |||||
| 3 | 8 | noon | No. 1 vs. No. 8 / No. 9 | ESPN | |
| 9 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 4 vs No. 5 / No. 12 / No. 13 | ESPN2 | ||
| 4 | 10 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 2 vs. No. 7 / No. 10 / No. 15 | ESPN | |
| 11 | 9:30 p.m. | No. 3 vs. No. 6 / No. 11 / No. 14 | ESPN/ESPN2 | ||
| Semifinals – Friday, March 13 | |||||
| 5 | 12 | 7:00 p.m. | Game 8 Winner vs Game 9 Winner | ESPN/ESPN2 | |
| 13 | 9:30 p.m. | Game 10 Winner vs Game 11 Winner | |||
| Championship – Saturday, March 14 | |||||
| 6 | 14 | 8:30 p.m. | Game 12 Winner vs Game 13 Winner | ESPN | |
| Game times in ET. Rankings denote tournament seed. | |||||
2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament Schedule
Key ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament Details
- Dates: March 10-14, 2026
- First Round: Tuesday, March 10 (seeds 10-15 play; 3 games)
- Second Round: Wednesday, March 11
- Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 12
- Semifinals: Friday, March 13
- Championship: Saturday, March 14 (~8:30 PM ET on ESPN)
- Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC (capacity ~20,200; home of NBA Hornets)
- TV/Streaming: ESPN family of networks (ACC Network for early rounds, ESPN for finals); full coverage on WatchESPN/app.
- Format: 15-team bracket (top seed bye to quarters; bottom 6 play first round). Tiebreakers: head-to-head, then common opponents, etc.
Auto Bid: Winner
Past ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament Champions
The following are the past ACC men’s basketball tournament champions since 2015.
| 2015 Notre Dame |
| 2016 North Carolina |
| 2017 Duke |
| 2018 Virginia |
| 2019 Duke |
| 2020 Florida State |
| 2021 Georgia Tech |
| 2022 Virginia Tech |
| 2023 Duke |
| 2024 NC State |
| 2025 Duke |
Printable ACC Basketball Tournament Bracket
If you are looking for an early, printable 2026 ACC Men’s basketball tournament bracket, we have a blank one for you here. The league updates the bracket and is in printable PDF format for you here. The team who wins the ACC tournament will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the 2026 NCAA Basketball Tournament. If you are looking for a printable, blank 2026 March Madness bracket, we have one posted as well as a March Madness schedule.
Current Projected Seeds
Here are the current projected seeds for the 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament. last updated March 3rd, 2026.
| Seed | Team | ACC Record | Overall Record | Notes/Key Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Duke | 16-1 | 28-2 | Clinched No. 1 seed; dominant favorite |
| 2 | Virginia | 13-3 | 25-4 | Strong hold on No. 2; double bye locked |
| 3 | Miami (FL) | 12-4 | 23-6 | Solid position for double bye |
| 4 | North Carolina | 11-5 | 23-6 | Tied for 4th but projected 4th |
| 5 | Clemson | 11-5 | 21-8 | Tied with UNC but projected 5th |
| 6 | NC State | 10-7 | ~19-11 | Holding mid-tier spot |
| 7 | Louisville | 9-7 | 20-9 | Bubble for bye but likely single bye |
| 8 | Florida State | 8-8 | 15-14 | Tied group; tiebreakers favor here |
| 9 | Cal | 8-8 | 20-9 | In the 8-10 mix for last bye |
| 10 | SMU | 8-8 | 19-10 | Likely first-round game |
| 11 | Stanford | 7-9 | ~18-11 | Fighting to qualify |
| 12 | Virginia Tech | 7-9 | ~18-11 | Similar to Stanford |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 6-10 | ~15-14 | Lower qualifier spot |
| 14 | Syracuse | 6-10 | ~15-14 | Likely in first round |
| 15 | Pitt | 4-12 | ~11-18 | Edges out others for last spot |
(Sources: Official ACC standings via theacc.com, On3 bracket update as of 03.02.26, ESPN/NCAA cross-references. Records approximate where minor variances exist across sources; Duke/Virginia updates show Duke at 16-1/28-2 after recent wins.)
