The ACC is expanding from 15 to 18 teams for the 2024-25 basketball season, but its postseason tournaments won't be expanding to accommodate every program. ACC leaders resolved during their annual winter meetings to continue with a 15-team format for both the men's and women's basketball tournaments in 2025, the league announced Wednesday.
As a result, the bottom three teams in the conference standings will be left out of the conference tournament next season. Cal, Stanford and SMU are the three new members joining the ACC next season as conference realignment reshapes college sports.
The Big Ten has already announced that its conference tournament will only expand from 14 to 15, even as its membership grows from 14 to 18 next season. The SEC and Big 12 are also expanding amid the Pac-12's implosion and will have to make official determinations about their postseason tournament formats as well.
Standing pat at 15 teams will allow the ACC Tournament to operate within the same five-day format it has employed for years. The top four teams receive double-byes to the quarterfinals and need just three victories to win the tournament. Teams seeded 5-8 begin play a day earlier and need four wins. Finally, seeds Nos. 9-15 must play on the event's first day and are required to win five games in order to be ACC Tournament champions.
The ACC also announced the number of conference games played by each school will remain the same with men's teams playing 20 conference games and women's teams playing 18 conference games
