ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: All-time championships by program
The ACC was the first conference to use a postseason tournament to determine it’s champion and in the time when only conference champions were sent to the NCAA Tournament, the conference started a trend.
Over the years there have been countless basketball legends that have played in the ACC and are responsible for incredible ACC Tournament moments. Michael Jordan, Len Bias, Tim Duncan, Shane Battier, and David Thompson are just a handful of the many.
Duke and North Carolina certainly come to mind first when you think of the ACC Tournament all-time but others have hoisted the trophy after winning the title and created memorable moments themselves.
As the 2023 ACC Tournament gets started this week, here is a look at how every basketball program has performed in ACC Tournament history.
0 titles - 5 programs
GIANT GOOSE EGG. AS IN 0. THANK YOU. (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK / AFP) (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)
Six programs have been members of the ACC but never won an ACC Tournament. Louisville, Pitt, Syracuse, and Boston College all joined the conference since 2004 so at least they’ve got excuses but its a tough look for Clemson has been held to a goose egg despite being an original member back in 1953.
Titles: None
T-8: South Carolina - 1 title
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South Carolina was a founding member of the ACC back in 1953 but left for the SEC following the 1970-71 school year. The Gamecocks went out with a bang in basketball as they won their one and only ACC Tournament in the spring of 1971.
Titles: 1971
T-8. Virginia Tech - 1
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[autotag]Virginia Tech [/autotag]won their first ACC Tournament in 2022 as they entered the tournament very much on the NCAA Tournament bubble and walked away with an automatic bid.
T-8: Florida State - 1 title
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Florida State has been a fairly regular NCAA Tournament qualifier under Leonard Hamilton as they’ve made the dance eight times since 2009. Hamilton helped the Seminoles to the ACC Tournament title in 2012.
Titles: 2012
T-8: Miami - 1
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A conference member since 2004, Miami had their moment in the sun, at least in terms of the ACC Tournament, when they captured the title in 2013. They enter the 2023 ACC Tournament having finished atop the regular season conference standings.
Titles: 2013
T-8: Notre Dame - 1 title
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An upstart Notre Dame squad beat North Carolina State, Duke and North Carolina on consecutive nights to capture their one and only ACC Tournament crown in 2015.
Titles: 2015
T-6: Maryland - 3 titles
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Maryland being the Big Ten will always be weird to me but especially so in basketball. Gary Williams built them into a powerhouse during my teenage years when Duke-Maryland was a better rivalry than Duke-Carolina, even. But money talks and the Terrapins are now in the Big Ten. Before departing, Maryland had won three ACC Tournaments all-time.
Titles: 1958, 1984, 2004
T-6: Virginia - 3 titles
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Virginia won just one ACC Tournament in the first sixty years of the contest but have won twice since 2014 as the Cavaliers have turned into a college basketball powerhouse under Tony Bennett.
Titles: 1976, 2014, 2018
T-4: Wake Forest - 4 titles
(USA TODAY NETWORK PHOTO)
Wake Forest has gone back-to-back twice to win their four ACC Tournament crowns. First they did so in 1961-62 and then did it again under the leadership of Tim Duncan in 1995-96.
Titles: 1961, 1962, 1995, 1996
T-4: Georgia Tech - 4 titles
Mar 13, 2021; Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets lift the trophy after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 80-75 to win the 2021 ACC tournament championship at Greensboro Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Tech won the 2021 ACC Tournament which was their first time raising the trophy in 28 seasons.
Titles: 1985, 1990, 1993, 2021
3. NC State - 10 titles
(AP Photo)
North Carolina State was a force in the early days of the ACC, winning four of the first six conference tournaments. They’ve slowed since, having not won since 1987. The Wolfpack have perhaps the most memorable team in ACC tournament history however as their 1983 squad made an improbable run first in the ACC Tournament before ultimately winning the national championship.
Titles: 1954, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1965, 1970, 1973, 1974, 1983, 1987
2. North Carolina - 18 titles
Michael Jordan cuts down the nets following UNC’s win against Virginia in the 1982 ACC Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Star News via USA TODAY NETWORK
The legends from North Carolina speak for themselves as do the banners at the Dean Dome. Dean Smith and Roy Williams have made the Tar Heels one of college basketball’s true blue-bloods. Smith led North Carolina to 13 ACC Tournament titles and two national championships during his time. Strangely enough, Williams won as many national championships at North Carolina as he did ACC Tournament titles (3), and never won both in the same year.
Titles: 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1989, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998, 2007, 2008, 2016
1. Duke: 21
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Duke has unsurprisingly won more ACC tournaments than any other program and Mike Krzyzewski has won more than any other coach in conference history (15). Can the Blue Devils remain at the level they’ve performed under Krzyzewski with him now retired? It’d be almost impossible to expect but that’s where the bar is set for Duke.
Titles: 1960, 1963, 1964, 1966, 1978, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1992, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2019
