Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils conclude college basketball’s regular season with a stacked deck of “firsts.” They’re first in the final AP poll, ending Auburn’s eight-week stay atop the national rankings. They’re first in offensive rating, powered by Cooper Flagg’s gravitational pull and the cadre of reliable shooters in his orbit. Needless to say, they are also first in the ACC and will tip off in Charlotte as overwhelming favorites to win the conference tournament.
Elsewhere, Louisville had its best campaign in several years. They were unranked since Jan. 2021 but finished out an 18-2 ACC run as No. 13 overall in the AP poll. Clemson closed with an eight-game winning streak. Dick Vitale made a public return and called his “Super Bowl” at Littlejohn. It’s been a wonky year for the conference overall, but North Carolina, Wake Forest and new entrant SMU can each improve their dancing chances with respectable showings this week.
How to watch the 2025 ACC men’s basketball tournament
- Venue: Spectrum Center — Charlotte, N.C.
- Dates: March 11-15
- TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free), ESPN+
- Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub
Full schedule
All times Eastern, to be updated throughout the tournament.
First round — Tuesday, March 11
- Game 1: No. 12 Notre Dame vs. No. 13 Pitt | 2 p.m on ACC Network
- Game 2: No. 10 Virginia Tech vs. No. 15 Cal | 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network
- Game 3: No. 11 Florida State vs. No. 14 Syracuse | 7 p.m. on ACC Network
Second round — Wednesday, March 12
- Game 4: No. 8 Georgia Tech vs. No. 9 Virginia | 12 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 5: No. 5 North Carolina vs. winner of Game 1 | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 6: No. 7 Stanford vs. winner of Game 2 | 7 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
- Game 7: No. 6 SMU vs. winner of Game 3 | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 13
- Game 8: No. 1 Duke vs. winner of Game 4 | 12 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
- Game 9: No. 4 Wake Forest vs. winner of Game 5 | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
- Game 10: No. 2 Louisville vs. winner of Game 6 | 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
- Game 11: No. 3 Clemson vs. winner of Game 7 | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals — Friday, March 14
- Semifinal 1 | 7 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2
- Semifinal 2 | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN or ESPN2
Championship — Saturday, March 15 | 8:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Players to watch
Senior guard Chucky Hepburn has been fantastic, coming over to Louisville after three years at Wisconsin. He’s averaging more than 22 points per game in his last five, on very nice 48/41/86 shooting splits. He was second to Flagg in ACC offensive win shares.
Clemson’s Ian Schieffelin is a four-year program staple, and sixth-year lead scorer Chase Hunter is a shifty bucket with deep range.
Remember, last year’s ACC Tournament was seized by 10th-seeded NC State and D.J. Burns became a brief but real college basketball sensation. Duke’s supreme dominance and the conference’s larger struggles make such results unlikely this time.
Perhaps Stanford’s seven-foot Frenchman Maxime Raynaud will go off for an upset or two; he averaged a 20-10 double-double and can pop from the outside.
Flagg is sublime, but Duke is no one-man show. Fellow freshmen Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans can take on high-volume perimeter shooting and initiate heat checks. Three-year starter Tyrese Proctor is an efficient playmaker with distinct patience. Khaman Maluach and Sion James are strong defenders.
More analysis from The Athletic
Brendan Quinn and Brendan Marks on Cooper Flagg’s transcendent season:
“It’s been a ride powered by prodigious talent, an endless work ethic and the family’s total dedication to get Flagg where he’s going. Cooper has been considered the best current American-born NBA prospect for a while now … But this? Flagg’s season has morphed into something else. The daily buzz surrounding him has grown to a point that nearly distracts from something that probably needs to be said out loud — that all the makings are there for Young Cooper Flagg to pen one of the great individual seasons in college basketball history.”
Duke in CJ Moore’s latest national rankings:
“Among the things that make Cooper Flagg so special: He almost always makes the right play, always plays with max effort and is so unselfish and tries so hard that his teammates follow his example. How can you make selfish or lazy plays if your best player rarely does either? Ah, the beauty of a 6-9 playmaker and a 6-6 point guard who can set smashing screens and roll and finish like a big.”
“The Tigers should be celebrated for going 18-2 in the ACC, especially because they were the only team to beat Duke in league play. But to give some perspective on how bad this ACC was, Clemson is currently ranked No. 19 at KenPom, right where it finished last year. The 2023-24 Tigers went 11-9 in the ACC, and the league wasn’t great then, either. The ACC has seven teams outside the top 100 at KenPom. The other four power conferences have a total of three.”
Locks: Clemson, Duke, Louisville
In the Mix: North Carolina, SMU, Wake Forest
ACC Tournament odds
Tournament record book
Duke has 22 tournament wins, while UNC has 18 and NC State has 11. Wake Forest (4), Georgia Tech (4) and Virginia (3) are the only other current members with multiple tourney titles.
Four players have won this tournament’s MVP award twice: JJ Redick (Duke, 2005-06), Tommy Burleson (NC State, 1973-74), Larry Miller (UNC, 1967-68) and Len Chappell (Wake Forest, 1961-62).
Current tournament MVPs in the NBA:
- Kyle Filipowski (2023, Utah Jazz)
- Zion Williamson (2019, New Orleans Pelicans)
- Luke Kennard (2017, Memphis Grizzlies)
CoachYearsCareer Wins
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(Photo of Cooper Flagg: Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images)
