Duke Leads the Pack: 2025 ACC Basketball Tournament Schedule and Bracket Revealed

Although the Atlantic Coast Conference grew larger this year, the ACC tournament remained unchanged in terms of size. This year’s competition included only 15 teams, which means the last three teams in the newly enlarged 18-member league were left out. However, the tournament still features all three of the conference’s newest additions. Interestingly enough, the reigning tournament champions didn’t secure their spot in the lineup either.

North Carolina State , which transformed last year’s unexpected tournament championship into an even more astounding march to the Final Four, won't be participating this year. Nor will Miami (Fla.) Just two years after making its own Final Four appearance, the team has experienced a sharp decline in performance. This quick turn of events reflects the overall state of the conference, where many traditionally successful basketball programs have struggled recently.

This does not mean the ACC will be absent from the Big Dance. However, concerning this typically prestigious tournament, most likely only NIT spots are up for grabs unless one of the teams ranked outside the top three manages to make a surprising run.

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ACC conference tournament schedule, playoff grid

First round

Tuesday, March 11

Notre Dame 55, Pittsburgh 54

California 82, Virginia Tech 73 (Double Overtime)

Syracuse 66, Florida State 62

Second round

Wednesday, March 12

Georgia Tech 66, Virginia 62

North Carolina 76, Notre Dame 56

Stanford 78, California 73

SMU 73, Syracuse 53

Quarterfinals

Thursday, March 13

Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70

North Carolina 68,Wake Forest 59

Louisville 75, Stanford 73

Clemson 57, SMU 54

Semifinals

Friday, March 14

Duke versus North Carolina at 7 p.m.

Louisville vs. Clemson, 9:30 p.m.

Championship

Saturday, March 15

Semifinal winner, 8:30 p.m.

All times Eastern

ACC tournament favorite

The No. 1 seed hasn’t won this tournament since Virginia in 2018. Be that as it may, it’s hard to consider Duke As anything except the favored choice. Out of Duke’s 19 Atlantic Coast Conference victories, only two were won by less than ten points, and this was before they suffered their one conference defeat. Clemson On February 8th, they've emerged victorious in their last eight matches, scoring an average of more than 28 points above their opponents' scores. The primary competitors seem to be the mentioned tigers and the second-seeded team. Louisville , where rookie head coach Pat Kelsey masterminded an impressive turnaround from bottom to nearly topping the league.

ACC tournament top players

Cooper Flagg, G, Duke - Representing the program, and potentially the whole league, this newest member of Duke’s prolific lineup of first-year standouts is being considered for national Player of the Year accolades. He tops the team in points with 19.4 per game, rebounds with 7.6 per contest, and also leads in assists at 4.2 per game.

Kon Knueppel, G, Duke The Blue Devils' second highest point getter averages 13.7 points per game and outshines Flagg as a sharp shooter from beyond the arc, making shots from deep at a rate of 39.9%. He also boasts an impressive free-throw percentage of 91.4%.

Chase Hunter, G, Clemson — The seasoned guard for the Tigers typically scores around 16 points per game and has the ability to score from various distances. Last year, he played an essential role as his team advanced to the Elite Eight, and this season, he aims to lead them to another impressive playoff performance.

Chucky Hepburn, G, Louisville — The ex-Wisconsin player swiftly turned into the backbone of the Cardinals' reconstruction, topping the squad in both points (16.3) and assists (5.9).

RJ Davis, Guard, University of North Carolina - Despite facing challenges throughout last season, the ACC Player of the Year has managed to boost his scoring average back up to 17.3 points per game. Recently, he has also delivered some of his finest performances of the season as it comes to an end.

ACC tournament bubble storylines

As stated earlier, the conference includes three teams with secure spots in the NCAA Tournament and no clear bubble contenders. In Thursday’s second semifinal match-up, which will probably feature Wake Forest against North Carolina, winning doesn’t guarantee advancement as both teams may still face challenges ahead. UNC might receive an at-large bid if they reach the finals. SMU holds the potential for two Quad 1 victories from their seed of No. 6; however, lacking any such wins prior to the tournament means this alone wouldn’t suffice.

The article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Calendar, tournament bracket for the 2025 ACC Basketball Tournament with Duke heavily favored to win.