“In the 18-team ACC, only 15 teams will qualify for the conference basketball tournaments.”
Next season, three men’s and women’s basketball teams from the ACC will be excluded from the conference tournament.
On Wednesday, the league declared that the top fifteen teams will take part in both the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2025. The ACC will expand to eighteen teams next season, including California, Stanford, and SMU.
The suggestion was made by Commissioner Jim Phillips to potentially reduce the number of participants in the tournaments in October.
“I believe that one must earn their place in the most esteemed postseason basketball tournaments in the nation,” stated Phillips. “If you do not meet a certain criteria, you will not qualify for participation that year.”
According to Phillips, the existing four-day schedule has a good rhythm and he is not particularly inclined to incorporate an extra day.
The ACC’s Winter Meetings, which ended on Wednesday, resulted in the ultimate decision being made.
The majority of coaches were against making this alteration.
In October, NC State coach Kevin Keatts expressed his desire to find a solution that would allow everyone to participate, even if it involves extending Tuesday’s game or potentially adding a Monday game.
Clemson coach Brad Brownell stated in October that the conference tournament is an opportunity for teams who do not make the NCAA Tournament. He acknowledged that it is rare for lower-seeded teams to win, but emphasized the importance of having a chance to do so.
The ACC’s basketball tournaments have evolved as the conference has grown over the years, now including 15 teams.
In 2024-25, the men’s conference schedule will consist of 20 games while the women’s league slate will have 18 games.
In 2025, the men’s basketball tournament will take place in Charlotte, while the women’s tournament will be hosted in Greensboro.
Source: wralsportsfan.com