...
By Cole Sullivan
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
There’s no question who the favorite is heading into the 2026 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament, and it’s the Duke Blue Devils, who will receive a double-bye — meaning fans won’t see them in action until the quarterfinals on Thursday.
So how could things shake out, and what should fans be ready to tune in for? The first-round games will begin Tuesday afternoon, with three matchups scheduled from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET. Tipoff times could shift slightly depending on how quickly each game concludes.
First Round — Tuesday
Read More on NCAA
- No. 10 Stanford Cardinals vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh Panthers — 2 p.m. ET
- No. 11 SMU Mustangs vs. No. 14 Syracuse Orange — 4:30 p.m. ET
- No. 12 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. No. 13 Wake Forest Demon Deacons — 7 p.m. ET
Right now, only one second-round matchup is already locked in. The No. 8 seed Florida State Seminoles will face the No. 9 seed California Golden Bears on Wednesday. The remaining second-round games will feature the winners of Tuesday’s first-round contests.
With much of the bracket still undecided beyond those four matchups, here’s a full look at the ACC tournament bracket, the seedings, and how the tournament could potentially shake out.
More news: SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament 2026 Bracket: Seedings and Full Schedule
More news: ESPN March Madness Bracket Projections Bring Bold Prediction For Top Seeds
The ACC title game will be played Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. ET, and for No. 1 Duke, they’ll be looking to repeat after defeating the Louisville Cardinals in last season’s championship.
Duke will be in line to face the winner of the matchup between Florida State and California. If the Blue Devils win that game — and the No. 4 seed North Carolina Tar Heels also take care of business Thursday, depending on who they draw from the bottom portion of the bracket — it could set up a semifinal showdown between Duke and North Carolina.
That would mark the third meeting between the rivals this season after the Tar Heels won the first matchup, while Duke claimed the most recent meeting this past Saturday.
...
The team that wins the ACC Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, but beyond that, which teams have a legitimate shot to play their way into the field or improve their projected seeding?
Right now, Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, Miami, Louisville, and Clemson are all heavily projected to make the field, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
The teams with the most to gain — and lose — currently sitting on Lunardi’s bubble are NC State (Last Four Byes), SMU (Last Four In), Virginia Tech and Stanford (First Four Out), and California (Next Four Out).
More news: Tom Izzo Rips Michigan Fans After Spartans Lose Season Series
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines