ACC Tournament 2026 Men's Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Bracketology Predictions
The Duke Blue Devils will attempt to win their third ACC tournament in four years in Charlotte next week.
Duke was the class of the league throughout the regular season and it will be the favorite to cut down the nets next Saturday.
Most of the other top teams in the ACC will be playing for NCAA tournament seeding, or an entrance into the Big Dance.
The ACC's bubble teams will take control of the spotlight on the opening day in Charlotte. The Stanford Cardinal, SMU Mustangs and Virginia Tech Hokies likely all need a trip to the quarterfinals to have a shot at the field of 68.
2026 ACC Tournament Schedule
1 of 2
Tuesday, March 10
No. 15 Pittsburgh vs. No. 10 Stanford (2 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
No. 14 Syracuse vs. No. 11 SMU (4:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
No. 13 Wake Forest vs. No. 12 Virginia Tech (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
Wednesday, March 11
No. 7 NC State vs. Stanford/Pitt winner (Noon ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
No. 6 Louisville vs. SMU/Syracuse winner (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
No. 9 California vs. No. 8 Florida State (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU)
No. 5 Clemson vs. Virginia Tech/Wake Forest winner (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/ESPNU)
Thursday, March 12
No. 2 Virginia vs. NC State vs. Stanford/Pitt winner (Noon ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
No. 3 Miami vs. Louisville vs. SMU/Syracuse winner (2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
No. 1 Duke vs. Florida State/California winner (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
No. 4 North Carolina vs. Clemson vs. Virginia Tech/Wake Forest winner (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Friday, March 13
Semifinal No. 1 (7 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Semifinal No. 2 (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN2)
Saturday, March 14
Championship Game (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Predictions
2 of 2
Duke is the clear No. 1 team in the ACC, but it comes into Charlotte with some injury concerns.
Caleb Foster hurt his foot in Saturday's win over UNC and was seen in a boot on the bench during the second half. Patrick Ngongba didn't play at all on Saturday.
Duke still beat the Caleb Wilson-less Tar Heels by double digits, so the chances of a UNC upset in the ACC tournament semifinals seem slim.
Virginia feels like the most likely opponent for Duke in the final. The Cavaliers suffered three losses in league play and went 15-2 once the calendar flipped over to 2026.
Even if there's a Duke-Virginia final, there will be some compelling stories to follow in Charlotte.
SMU resides on the "Last Four In" line, Virginia Tech is on the "Last Four Out" line and Cal and Stanford are part of the "Next Four Out" group, per ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
Stanford and Virginia Tech probably need three wins in Charlotte to jump into the field of 68.
SMU would feel safer about its NCAA tournament prospects with a win over Louisville in the second round.
Cal probably needs to pull off an upset over Duke in the quarterfinals to catapult itself to the bubble.
With the way Duke is playing, it's hard to imagine the Blue Devils dropping out before the championship game.
Duke beat Virginia by 26 points at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 28. UVA can keep the game closer, but it's hard to pick the Cavaliers over Duke, even at a neutral site.
Prediction: Duke over Virginia
