Marty Gordon
nrvsports@ourvalley.org
Effective next year, only the top 15 teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s (ACC) regular season will make both the men’s and women’s basketball tournament.
In addition to the decision on ACC Tournament play, the men’s basketball regular season will continue with a 20-game conference slate while the women will continue to play an 18-game campaign. In addition to the decision on ACC Tournament play, the men’s basketball regular season will continue with a 20-game conference slate while the women will continue to play an 18-game campaign.
If the tournament was played this year, it would mean the following teams made the tournament. Due note: SMU and Stanford’s regular season records were included. Thus, the bottom dwellers would not make the tourney.
In the men’s scenario, Louisville, Notre Dame and Ga. Tech would be out the tournament.
UNC, Duke, UVA and Wake would be the top seeds. Clemson, Pitt, N.C. State, FSU and Stanford would all be tied for sixth. SMU would slide in at number five. The new twosome is Syracuse and Virginia Tech locked in the tenth spot. Miami, SMU and Boston College would round out the field.
On the women’s side, Standford would top Virginia Tech for the top seed with a 11-2, 22-3 mark. The Hokies would be second, followed by N.C. State, Louisville, Notre Dame, Duke, FSU, UNC, Miami, SMU, Ga. Tech, Clemson, UVA and Cal. Pitt, Boston College and Wake Forest would not make the tourney.
If all of the schools were eligible to play in the tournaments, then an extra day (six days) would’ve been added to the tournament schedule.
Still in play is how the conference will put together a 20-game conference schedule on the men’s side and an 18-game one on the women’s side. Again, this will begin next year with the addition of the three new schools.
The ACC already limits the fields for championships in baseball, softball and women’s soccer.
In addition to the basketball tourney, ACC football teams will now have complete access to in-game technology.
Pending approval by the NCAA Rules Committee, the ACC will now allow access to in-game video, which will allow teams to make in-game adjustments.
The measure was unanimously supported by ACC head football coaches.
In addition, all ACC teams will be provided with access to coach-to-player (helmet headset) communication devices that will allow for one-way communication between the sideline and player(s) on the field.
Both programs will be administered via the Conference office to ensure competitive equity with the implementation of the new initiatives and the ACC is working collaboratively with the NCAA Football Rules Committee to fully develop the final rule and associated policies. The use of either piece of technology will be permissive and at each institution’s discretion.
