ACC: Why an ACC Basketball Tournament Should Be Held in New York City

The ACC has decided its conference tournament venues through 2016. For 2018, it should choose the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Right about now, you may be wondering, "Why the Barclays Center?" Well, Madison Square Garden is out for a number of reasons.

First of all, the Big East Tournament (which is always held there) overlaps with the ACC Tournament. Even if it didn't, the Big East would undoubtedly block any attempt for another conference to share its premier venue. Plus, a brand new Barclays Center seems preferable to a Madison Square Garden that will be turning 50 in 2018.

Another thing you may be wondering is why should the ACC pick New York, which is a good 540 miles away from Greensboro, NC, site of its headquarters and a perennial ACC Tournament site? Well for starters, by 2018 at least three of the ACC's schools (Pitt, Syracuse and Boston College) will be in the northeast.  

And why 2018? I say 2018 because the Atlantic 10 is testing the Barclays Center as a sensible site from 2013-2017. The Atlantic 10 is a decent basketball conference, but it's by no means at the same level as the ACC. And by 2018, any kinks with the Barclays Center as a tournament venue will be worked out.

Also, geography doesn't always matter with tournament locations. The 2007 ACC Tournament was held in Tampa, Florida, which is more than 200 miles from any ACC school and more than 450 miles from all but two of them. The Big East and Atlantic 10 play tournaments in New York despite having teams from as far away as Tampa, Richmond, St. Louis and Milwaukee.

But geographical considerations aren't the only reason the ACC Tournament should be held in New York City. New York is the largest media market in the country, roughly the size of the three biggest media markets in ACC territory (Washington, Atlanta and Miami) put together.

Of the six major conferences, the ACC is weakest in terms of large media market presence (it plays stepchild to the Big East and SEC in many markets). This could be changed by seizing a larger media presence in New York.

Playing an ACC tournament in New York would also help ACC recruiting. Even the non-northeastern ACC teams have recruited players and coaches from the rich basketball waters of New York, and an ACC presence in New York would boost that even further.

Bottom line—an ACC tournament in Brooklyn couldn't hurt.