March Madness is here, and once again, No. 1 overall seed Duke has national championship ambitions—though the Blue Devils probably feel lucky to still be dancing after a close call against No. 16 Siena.
After a light few years, the ACC is well represented in 2026, with eight teams in the field—the most for the league since 2018. Duke is joined by No. 3 Virginia, No. 6 Louisville, No. 7 Miami (Fla.) and No. 8 Clemson.
No. 6 North Carolina and a pair of No. 11 seeds, NC State and SMU, round out the group, though the Tar Heels are already out after suffering a Thursday upset, and neither the Wolfpack nor the Mustangs made it out of the First Four.
The eight teams were evenly dispersed throughout the bracket, with two ACC teams appearing in each region, led by the Blue Devils occupying the top spot in the East Region.
ACC record in NCAA tournament after day one of the first round
The ACC has work to do. After Thursday’s first-round games, the league is 2–3 in March Madness play, the most losses of any league. Of course, two of those defeats came in the First Four, as NC State and SMU failed to make it into the main 64-team bracket.
The Wolfpack fell to Texas in a dramatic Tuesday night game in Dayton, 68–66, surrendering a Tramon Mark jumper in the game’s waning moments to lose the game. SMU wasn’t as close on Wednesday, as Miami (Ohio) took out any frustrations about those who questioned whether they deserved to make the tournament against the Ponies, who fell 89–79.
No. 6 Louisville got the ACC in the win column with a solid win over American champion USF, a No. 11 seed. The Cardinals built a big early lead, and survived a furious late run by the Bulls to win 83–79. Duke needed a comeback of its own to overcome Siena. The Saints thoroughly outplayed Cameron Boozer & Co. for most of the game, but Gerry McNamara’s depleted roster ran out of steam late and Duke survived, 71–65.
The Blue Devils may have survived their mid-major test, but their rivals, No. 6 North Carolina, did not. This time it was No. 11 VCU which made a historic 19-point comeback to knock off the Tar Heels, 82–78.
Which ACC teams are still alive?
Along with Thursday winners Louisville and Duke, three more teams are still in the mix as Friday’s games begin.
No. 3 Virginia opens play against No. 14 Wright State, No. 8 Clemson enters as a slight underdog against No. 9 Iowa and No. 7 Miami takes on No. 10 Missouri in a late ACC–SEC clash.
ACC March Madness schedule
Below are all the details available for the five remaining ACC teams’ upcoming games on Friday and Saturday. All times are ET. ACC programs are in bold. The full men’s NCAA tournament schedule and TV lineup is available here.
| Game | Date | Time | Location | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 14 Wright State | Friday, March 20 | 1:50 p.m. | Philadelphia | TBS |
| No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Iowa | Friday, March 20 | 6:50 p.m. | Tampa | TNT |
| No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 Missouri | Friday, March 20 | 10:10 p.m. | St. Louis | truTV |
| No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 6 Louisville | Saturday, March 21 | 2:45 p.m. | Buffalo | CBS |
| No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 TCU | Saturday, March 21 | 5:15 p.m. | Greenville, S.C. | CBS |
Biggest wins and most disappointing losses
The most impressive win was probably Louisville’s against a very strong USF team. Even without star guard Mikel Brown Jr., who is out for at least the first weekend of March Madness, the Cardinals jumped all over the Bulls, and held on to survive their charge in the second half. However, the most important for the league was Duke avoiding a defeat at the hands of 16-seeded Siena ... though the Tar Heels faithful and other rival fans probably wouldn’t have minded seeing it.
North Carolina, meanwhile, suffered the most disappointing loss, given the toss-up nature of the First Four. The Tar Heels were down star freshman Caleb Wilson, one of the nation’s best forwards, but there’s no excuse for a 19-point blown lead.
How the ACC compares to other conferences in the 2026 NCAA tournament
It hasn’t been a great start! At 2–3, the ACC has the most losses of any conference so far, and is the only Power 5 league under .500 through the first full day of tournament play.
The SEC leads the way at 5–1, while the Big Ten and Big 12 have each won two-thirds of their games at 4–2 and 2–1, respectively. The Big East has not yet played a game. The Atlantic 10 is the midmajor standout so far at 2–0, with one of those wins coming at the expense of the ACC.
More March Madness from Sports Illustrated
Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s YouTube channel.
- A Deadpan Kevin Willard Gave the Best In-Game Interview After Villanova’s Tough Start
- The Three Worst Game-Changing Calls From Kentucky’s Nervy Win Over Santa Clara
- How a Missed Timeout Helped Kentucky Survive Scare From Santa Clara in March Madness
- Where Is Queens University Located? What to Know About No. 15 Seed Playing Purdue
This article was originally published on www.si.com as ACC Record in March Madness 2026 After Thursday’s First Round NCAA Tournament Games.
