ACC men’s basketball tournament bracket: Matchups, seeds, and schedule revealed

The 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket is officially set, with the conference’s top teams preparing for a five-day showdown in Charlotte. With Selection Sunday looming on March 15, every game at the Spectrum Center carries major NCAA Tournament implications.

No. 1 Duke Blue Devils enter as the regular-season champions after finishing 16-1 in ACC play. The Blue Devils secured their 25th ACC regular-season title and the top seed, earning a coveted double-bye into the quarterfinals. Joining them with double-byes are No. 2 Virginia Cavaliers, No. 3 Miami Hurricanes, and No. 4 North Carolina Tar Heels.

The tournament will run from March 10 to March 14 at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Current ACC Tournament Seeding

• Duke (16-1)
• Virginia (13-3)
• Miami (12-4)
• North Carolina (11-5)
• Clemson (11-5)
• NC State (10-7)
• Louisville (9-7)
• Florida State (8-8)
• Cal (8-8)
• SMU (8-8)
• Stanford (7-9)
• Virginia Tech (7-9)
• Wake Forest (6-10)
• Syracuse (6-10)
• Pitt (4-12)

Only 15 teams qualify for the ACC Tournament, leaving Notre Dame, Boston College and Georgia Tech out this year.

Tournament Schedule and Matchups

First Round - Tuesday, March 10

• No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Wake Forest - 2 p.m. ET
• No. 10 SMU vs. No. 15 Pitt - 4:30 p.m. ET
• No. 11 Stanford vs. No. 14 Syracuse - 7 p.m. ET

Second Round - Wednesday, March 11

• No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 9 Cal - Noon ET
• No. 5 Clemson vs. Winner Game 1 - 2:30 p.m. ET
• No. 7 Louisville vs. Winner Game 2 - 7 p.m. ET
• No. 6 NC State vs. Winner Game 3 - 9:30 p.m. ET

Quarterfinals - Thursday, March 12

• No. 1 Duke vs. Winner Game 4 - Noon ET
• No. 4 North Carolina vs. Winner Game 5 - 2:30 p.m. ET
• No. 2 Virginia vs. Winner Game 6 - 7 p.m. ET
• No. 3 Miami vs. Winner Game 7 - 9:30 p.m. ET

Semifinals - Friday, March 13

• Winner Game 8 vs. Winner Game 9 - 7 p.m. ET
• Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11 - 9:30 p.m. ET

Championship - Saturday, March 14

Final - 8:30 p.m. ET

What’s at stake?

Duke is the clear favorite, but drama in the middle of the table makes things more interesting. Florida State, Cal, and SMU all ended the season with 8-8 records, which made for some very close tiebreaker situations. Stanford and Virginia Tech are both 7-9, and Wake Forest and Syracuse are both 6-10.

For bubble teams, a long run in Charlotte may spell the difference between hearing their name called on Selection Sunday and not hearing it at all. The ACC Tournament promises high-stakes basketball from start to finish, with automatic bids and seeding on the line.



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