How will 18 team ACC regular season and tourney work?

[Sean Miller Fan]

Regular season:

- play 14 teams once and 3 teams twice
- I'd only protect the following home and home rivalries:
UNC/Duke
UNC/NC St
UVa/VT
FSU/Miami
Cal/Stan
- So a team like Pitt would go roughly 6 years between playing a team twice in one season. I'd do a 22 game schedule but that's me.

ACC Tournament
This one is tricky as there is no easy way to do it.

What I think they'll do (but I wouldnt)
Monday - 15 vs 18 and 16 vs 17
Tuesday - 9 vs 16, 12 vs 13, 10 vs 15, 11 vs 14
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday the same as is now.

This would force a team to win 6 games in 6 days to win it, though a team that finished 15th through 18th has no chance to make it that far anyway.

This is what I'd do:

Tuesday: 15 vs 18 and 16 vs 17
Wednesday:
10AM - 5 vs 12 (off-site)
12:30 PM 6 vs 11 (off-site)
noon - 1 vs 16
2:30 - 2 vs 15
4:00 - 8 vs 9 (off-site)
6:30 - 7 vs 10 (off-site)
7:00 - 3 vs 14
9:30 - 4 vs 13

Thursday, Friday, Saturday as normal. I'd use an off-site location for the 4 Wednesday games involving the 5, 6, 7, and 8 seeds while the 1 through 4 seeds play at the primary site.

When its in Brooklyn, they can use the Islanders' UBS Arena 20 miles west.

When its in Greensboro, they can use PNC Arena in Raleigh 75 miles away for old-times sake.

When its at the Wizards arena, they can play at that new arena called the Entertainment & Sports Arena if they want to keep it on the Metro line in DC. If not, they can use Baltimore, George Mason, or some other arena outside the city.

When its at the Hawks' arena, they could use GT's.

 

[UPitt '89]

17th and 18th place teams don't qualify for ACC tournament.
Then do a 16-team tournament just like the old Big East did.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

17th and 18th place teams don't qualify for ACC tournament.
Then do a 16-team tournament just like the old Big East did.

That's a non-starter nowadays.

 

[wbrpanther]

17th and 18th place teams don't qualify for ACC tournament.
Then do a 16-team tournament just like the old Big East did.

15-18 and 16-17 on Monday. That leaves 16. Play it off. 4 games Tuesday and 4 games Wednesday cuts it to 8. 4 games Thursday cuts it to final 4. Double header Friday. Championship Saturday. Simple.

 

[pittchagg]

I think every team should have one protected game. For Pitt, that should be Syracuse. But playing each team once, and three teams twice feels like it makes sense.

For Pitt, one year they’d play at Cal and Stanford - maybe Cal on Saturday, and Stanford on Wednesday; it’s a long road trip but manageable if it’s once every other year - and the next year Cal and Stanford would come out here and do the same thing.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

15-18 and 16-17 on Monday. That leaves 16. Play it off. 4 games Tuesday and 4 games Wednesday cuts it to 8. 4 games Thursday cuts it to final 4. Double header Friday. Championship Saturday. Simple.

Yea, that's another option. 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15, 3 vs 14, 4 vs 13 on Tuesday. 5 vs 12, 6 vs 11, 7 vs 10, 8 vs 9 on Wednesday. Then Thursday-Saturday are as normal. I'd do the top 4 seeds on Tuesday so they get a day off and dont have to win 4 in 4. I guess I just dont like the ACCT starting on a Monday, 2 days after the last regular season game but if you finish 15-18, so what I guess.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I think every team should have one protected game. For Pitt, that should be Syracuse. But playing each team once, and three teams twice feels like it makes sense.

For Pitt, one year they’d play at Cal and Stanford - maybe Cal on Saturday, and Stanford on Wednesday; it’s a long road trip but manageable if it’s once every other year - and the next year Cal and Stanford would come out here and do the same thing.

Yea, its every other year. Leave after classes and practice on a Tuesday night. Get there late Tuesday night with the time change. Play Wednesday night and Saturday. Miss classes Wednesday and Thursday. Not that big of a deal. Makes for a great fan road trip though.

 

[levance2]

I guess, if nothing else, it gives ESPN another timeslot to fill on the west coast. Maybe the Sunday night basketball game will return.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

I guess, if nothing else, it gives ESPN another timeslot to fill on the west coast. Maybe the Sunday night basketball game will return.

Should do Wednesdays
6PM, 8PM, or 10PM or 6:30/8:30/10:30 with Cal and Stanford alternating hosting duties. Well, actually, SMU can host a 10PMer also since its 9 their time and the ACC loves weeknights at 9PM local

Monday
7PM ESPN

Tuesday
7:00 ESPN
9:00 CW

Wednesday
6 ACCN
8 ACCN
10 ACCN (@ Cal, Stan, SMU)

Thursday
7 ESPN
9 ACCN (possibly @ Cal, Stan, SMU)

But its the ACC so I am sure they will squish 7 games into Tuesday/Wednesday and cannibalize their viewership instead of utilizing Thursdays and Sundays.