The Atlantic Coast Conference hopes its men’s basketball programs trade two fewer league games for marquee nonconference matchups in an effort to reverse a dwindling haul of NCAA tournament bids.
The league announced Wednesday it is reducing its 20-game men’s basketball schedule to 18. The change comes after commissioner Jim Phillips has been vocal about spending the past two seasons examining the conundrum of the ACC getting fewer bids for the NCAA Division I tournament — down to four this year, its fewest since 2013 — despite having teams regularly playing deep into March.
Going to 18 games could make room for schools to add quality nonconference matchups to help their schedule strength — and therefore the ACC’s stature, provided the league wins its share of measuring-stick games, unlike last season. It will shake up the scheduling model, which will mean ACC teams won’t face one league member each year.
In a release, Phillips said the move — first reported by CBS Sports — is “a direct result of our ongoing strategic review and analysis” and gives ACC teams more control of scheduling by freeing up two slots. It also comes as the league implements a new revenue-distribution model that will factor in TV viewership in its payouts to league schools, which could offer even more incentive to schedule marquee opponents that fans want to watch to boost the bottom line.
“This decision reflects our on-going prioritization to do what’s best for ACC Men’s Basketball,” Phillips said in the release, “and we appreciate the thoughtfulness of our membership and the support from our television partners.”