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.
