Charlotte, NC – Eight Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball teams earned bids to the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, as Clemson, Duke, Louisville, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, SMU and Virginia were selected to the 68-team event. It marks the league’s most bids since picking up a league-record nine in 2017 and 2018.
The tournament opens Tuesday, March 17, with First Four games in Dayton, Ohio. The first round will be contested Thursday and Friday, March 19-20, with second-round games on Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22.
After winning both the ACC regular-season championship and T. Rowe Price ACC Tournament title, Duke (32-2, 19-1 ACC) earned the No. 1 overall seed and the No. 1 seed in the East Region. The Blue Devils earned their 15th No. 1 seed in program history and play Siena on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina. The Blue Devils are making their 48th NCAA appearance and the fourth straight under Jon Scheyer. The Blue Devils are 126-42 all-time in NCAA Tournament action, with national championships in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015.
Clemson (24-10, 12-6) claimed the No. 8 seed in the South Region and faces No. 9 seed Iowa on Friday in Tampa, Florida. The Tigers will be making their 15th tournament appearance, including their third straight and sixth under head coach Brad Brownell. The Tigers are 12-14 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
Louisville (23-10, 11-7) notched a No. 6 seed in the East Region and plays No. 11 seed South Florida on Thursday in Buffalo, New York. The Cardinals are making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Pat Kelsey and their 41st all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament, winning the championship in 1980 and 1986.
After the largest turnaround in Division I this season, Miami (25-8, 13-5) claimed a No. 7 seed in the West Region and will face No. 10 seed Missouri on Friday in St. Louis, Missouri. The Hurricanes notched their 13th NCAA Tournament bid, including their first under head coach Jai Lucas, also in his first season. The Canes are 15-12 all-time in NCAA Tournament action, including a run to the program’s first Final Four in their last appearance in 2023.
North Carolina (24-8, 12-6) claimed a bid as a No. 6 seed in the South Region and takes on No. 11 seed VCU on Thursday in Greenville, South Carolina. UNC is making its 55th appearance in the NCAA Tournament – most of any ACC program – and fourth under head coach Hubert Davis, who guided UNC to the national championship game in his first season in 2022. UNC owns a 134-51 record in the tournament with NCAA titles in 1957, 1982, 1993, 2005, 2009 and 2017.
NC State (20-13, 10-8) claimed its 28th NCAA Tournament berth, with head coach Will Wade leading the Wolfpack back into the tournament in his first season. The Pack earned a No. 11 seed in the West Region and plays No. 6 seed Texas on Tuesday in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to play No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday in Portland, Oregon. The Wolfpack are 41-26 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, with titles in 1974 and 1983. In its last NCAA trip in 2024, the Wolfpack advanced to the Final Four.
Virginia (29-5, 15-3) picked up a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region and plays No. 14 seed Wright State on Friday in Philadelphia. The Cavaliers are making their 27th NCAA appearance in program history and its first under Ryan Odom, in his first season. Virginia captured its first national title in 2019, which also marks the ACC’s most recent national championship. UVa is 35-25 all-time in NCAA Tournament play.
SMU (20-13, 8-10) earned a No. 11 seed and will play Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday in the NCAA First Four in Dayton, Ohio, with the winner advancing to play No. 6 seed Tennessee on Friday in Philadelphia. Making their first NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Andy Enfield and the program’s 13th overall and first since 2017, the Mustangs are 10-14 in their NCAA Tournament history. This is SMU’s first at-large selection since 1993.
The ACC has captured three of the last 10 NCAA Championships (Duke 2015, North Carolina 2017 and Virginia 2019). Since 2015, the ACC leads all conferences in Men’s Final Four appearances (10) and NCAA Tournament wins (116), with three national championships. Six different ACC programs have reached the Final Four since 2015 (Duke, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, Syracuse) – the most schools of any league in that span.
ACC Men’s Basketball has won 15 NCAA national championships overall. Teams currently in the ACC have combined to win eight of the last 24 NCAA crowns and 19 overall. Since the tournament expanded in 1985, nearly half of the ACC teams that earned NCAA Tournament bids have reached the Sweet 16 (106 of 218).
ACC in 2026 NCAA Tournament
Tuesday, March 17 – NCAA First Four
No. 11 NC State vs. No. 11 Texas – West Region – Dayton, Ohio
Wednesday, March 18 – NCAA First Four
No. 11 SMU vs. No. 11 Miami (Ohio) – Midwest Region – Dayton, Ohio
Thursday, March 19 – First Round
No. 16 Siena vs. No. 1 Duke – East Region – Greenville, S.C.
No. 11 South Florida vs. No. 6 Louisville – East Region – Buffalo, N.Y.
No. 11 VCU vs. No. 6 North Carolina – South Region – Greenville, S.C.
Friday, March 20 – First Round
No. 10 Missouri vs. No. 7 Miami – West Region – St. Louis, Mo.
No. 14 Wright State vs. No. 3 Virginia – Midwest Region – Philadelphia, Pa.
No. 9 Iowa vs. No. 8 Clemson – South Region – Tampa, Fla.