The bracket is set for the 2026 ACC Tournament, which will be brimming with storylines as college basketball’s postseason ramps up. Duke is the No. 1 seed and will be aiming for back-to-back conference tournament titles for the first time since winning three straight from 2009-11.
While the Blue Devils are the event’s headline attraction, the ACC Tournament is also dripping with NCAA Tournament bubble intrigue. Squads like No. 7 seed NC State, No. 9 seed Cal, No. 10 seed Stanford and No. 11 seed SMU are living life on the bubble and will want to extend their stays in Charlotte as long as possible.
The Cardinal and Mustangs are among the teams with the longest paths to Saturday’s championship game. Both will be in action Tuesday when the ACC Tournament tips off with a trio of games involving teams 10-15 in the seeding hierarchy. This is the ACC’s second season as an 18-team league, and like last year, the bottom three teams from the conference standings didn’t make it. That’s why you won’t see Boston College, Notre Dame or Georgia Tech in the bracket.
As for teams other than Duke that should be regarded as high-caliber contenders, No. 2 seed Virginia and No. 3 seed Miami stand out. Both programs are in the midst of remarkable turnarounds under first-year coaches and are looking to build momentum entering the NCAA Tournament. No. 4 seed North Carolina and No. 6 Louisville are also talented clubs to watch during what’s shaping up to be a high-stakes week for a storied conference that is fighting for its place in the national hierarchy.
2026 ACC Tournament bracket, scores
Location: Spectrum Center — Charlotte, North Carolina
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free) | Follow live: CBS Sports App
All times Eastern; some start times approximated
First round — Tuesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 10 seed Stanford vs. No. 15 seed Pitt | 2 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 2: No. 11 seed SMU vs. No. 14 seed Syracuse | 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 3: No. 12 seed Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 seed Wake Forest | 7 p.m. on ACC Network
Second round — Wednesday, March 11
Game 4: No. 7 seed NC State vs. Game 1 Winner | Noon on ESPN
Game 5: No. 6 seed Louisville vs. Game 2 Winner | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Game 6: No. 8 seed Florida State vs. No. 9 seed California | 7 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
Game 7: No. 5 seed Clemson vs. Game 3 Winner | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2/ESPNU
Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 12
Game 8: No. 2 seed Virginia vs. Game 4 Winner | Noon on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 9: No. 3 seed Miami vs. Game 5 Winner | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 10: No. 1 seed Duke vs. Game 6 Winner | 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 11: No. 4 seed North Carolina vs. Game 7 Winner | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals — Friday, March 13
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
ACC Tournament Championship Game — Saturday, March 14
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner | 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
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