One of the longest-running events in all of men’s basketball is the ACC basketball tournament. Tip-off of the first round of the 2016 ACC tournament will be Thursday, March 14th in Greensboro, North Carolina. The championship game in the ACC tournament bracket will take place on Sunday, March 17th. In honor of the annual tournament, an ACC tournament bracket is available on this site. The bracket sheet is complimentary and can be downloaded instantly.
ACC Basketball Tournament History
Since 1961, the winner of the ACC Tournament has been named the conference champion. What a school does prior to the postseason tournament is irrelevant as no team is declared “regular season champion.” The vast majority of conferences today have both a regular season and tournament champion. Regardless, the winner of the tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Raleigh, North Carolina was the site of the inaugural ACC Tournament in 1954. Tournament Most Valuable Player Dickie Hemric led North Carolina State to an 82-80 overtime victory over Wake Forest in the first championship game. NC State would go on to win the first three tournaments, beating Wake in the final game twice.
Bitter rivals Duke and North Carolina are one-two atop the all-time title list. The Blue Devils have collected 19 titles, while the Tar Heels have taken home 17. NC State sits alone in third place on the all-time list with 10. Florida State captured its first, and to date only, championship in 2012.
Some of the all-time greats are among those who have taken home ACC tournament MVP honors. Some of the future NBA stars who took home the award include James Worthy, Mark Price, Christian Laettner, Jerry Stackhouse, Tim Duncan, Antawn Jamison, Elton Brand, Shane Battier and Carlos Boozer. Duke guard J.J. Redick and Maryland’s Tommy Burleson are among those who won MVP honors in back-to-back tournaments.
The ACC has held a women’s basketball tournament every year since 1978. Maryland won the first of its conference-best 10 tournament championships in the inaugural event. The Terrapins won five of the first six women’s tournaments, as well as the event in 2012.
Download: ACC Basketball Tournament
Related Templates:
- Big 12 Tournament Bracket
- SEC Basketball Tournament
- Big East Basketball Tournament
- Big Ten Basketball Tournament
- NIT Tournament
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