After reports emerged last month that the ACC could move to shrink its conference basketball schedule, the move is now official.
According to CBS Sports college basketball reporter Matt Norlander, the ACC’s athletic directors have officially approved a move from 20 conference games down to 18. The league is making the switch, in part, to allow its teams to schedule more marquee out-of-conference games and therefore place more teams into the NCAA Tournament.
Sources: ACC ADs have officially approved moving to an 18-game schedule in basketball, sources tell @CBSSports. League had been on a 20-gamer since 2019-20 (save the COVID year). Decision was made in part because the ACC only sent four of its 18 teams to the men’s NCAAT this yr.
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) May 7, 2025
The ACC has played a 20-game conference schedule since 2019, coinciding with the launch of ACC Network. The extra two games have helped fill the network’s programming lineup throughout basketball season.
However, “The ACC has been proactive with its broadcast partner, ESPN, regarding the potential cuts to the conference schedule and the programming challenges that might create for the ACC Network next season,” according to earlier reporting by CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello.
It’s unclear exactly where the new TV inventory will fall, but the new schedule format should mean more high-profile non-conference games for the league’s top brands like Duke and North Carolina.
