Not every team competing in the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments of the newly expanded Atlantic Coast Conference will be present in 2020–21.
The American Conference (AAC) and the Pac-12’s Stanford and California will compete in the ACC’s first-ever tournaments for the top 15. The league made this announcement on Wednesday. With the addition of SMU from the American Athletic Conference, the league now has 18 teams. The league will continue to have a men’s conference schedule of 20 games and a women’s schedule of 18 games.
Since the league has always included every team, the structure of the ACC men’s and women’s tournaments has been questioned; however, expanding to 18 teams would require them to go beyond the current five-day event model.
In addition, the ACC has authorized two technological initiatives for the 2024 football campaign, subject to NCAA Football Rules Committee approval. In order to “enhance their ability to make in-game adjustments,” league teams will also have access to in-game video and the use of coach-to-player helmet devices that permit one-way communication.
The announcement was made at the conclusion of the three-day winter meetings, which were attended by the chancellors and presidents of the league’s member schools, as well as key administrators and athletic directors.
