ACC Hoops moving to 20 conference games by 2019

[GTJT622]

As part of last week's announcement of the upcoming ACC Network by 2019, it was also reported that the ACC will increase its inventory of conference games from the current 18 to 20. I applaud the ACC for doing this. I know some coaches probably will bitch and moan about it, but I think it is great for fans. With a conference as large as ours now (15 programs) and with round-robin scheduling far in the rear view mirror, it is good to get a couple more games each season for the fans and for TV.

I am hopeful the ACC will do something similar on the women's side of hoops. Currently, WBB in the ACC features a 16-game schedule. WBB went from 16 to increasing by 2 games to an 18-game schedule for one season ('12-'13) before going back to 16 games. It would make sense to me to go back to an 18-game schedule in similar vogue as to what will happen on the men's side. It will increase inventory for an ACC Network, though we all know WBB will never draw eyes and interest like MBB...not even close...so, it may stay at 16.

Back to MBB and what this means...

1. The ACC already has released the opponents teams will face for both the upcoming '17 season as well as the '18 season. So, those likely stay as-is. Tech already knows who we face both Home & Away as well as just road and just home. It makes sense to me that the ACC will develop the schedules to phase in the 20 game schedule for the '19 season. We don't know when the ACC Network will launch yet. Could be Jan. 1, 2019, just in time for the ACC hoops schedule that winter. Could be July 1, 2019, just before the football and new school year begins. I will not be surprised one bit if the network launches early - perhaps in 2018.

2. Currently, each ACC program has 2 set opponents it faces both home & away annually. That's 4 games. For example, Tech's are Clemson & Notre Dame. Then, 2 more are rotated annually both home & away. That's 4 more games. For example, this upcoming season, Tech will play NC State and Syracuse home & away. Then, in '18 we are scheduled to rotationally add Wake & Virginia to play both home & away. The other 10 games to get to 18 are 5 road only and 5 home only among the remaining 10 teams.

3. Moving forward we can assume to get to 20 games, we will move to a model where we play 6 opponents both home & away each season (adding 2 more games) and then 8 opponents just once - 4 away only and 4 home only. The ACC may choose to continually rotate 4 more opponents each season rotationally to the 2 set every year. Or, add one or maybe even 2 set opponents each year. Adding 2 more set opponents may make old school fans happier in that it may - and I stress "may" - offer opportunities to have regional rivalries appear more frequently. For instance, the Big 4 Carolina schools + old guard Virginia could play one another more frequently when set as annual rivals both home & away. Certainly, I'd think, the Big 4 Carolina schools would like to play both home & away as often as they can, but keep their cousin up the road in Virginia involved at the same time.

4. Building on this concept, this applies to others as well in the ACC. Syracuse, Notre Dame, Pitt, BC and Louisville (read: old Big East foes) likely would appreciate rekindling their old days a little more frequently just like the Carolina 4 + Virginia. Same for the 4 Dixie-based schools among Clemson, FSU, Ga Tech and Miami. Perhaps Va Tech can tag along with those 4 since those 5 tend to like the oblong ball more than the roundball anyway so they have a lot in common.

We'll see...

 

[GTJT622]

Further, it will be interesting to see WHEN 2 more games will be added to the ACC schedule. Historically, and currently, the ACC schedule for the most part doesn't get into full swing until after the New Year has begun. This past season the ACC schedule kicked off with 2 games on a weeknight (Wed. IIRC) before NYD. Those games perhaps get "lost" in the shuffle of meaningless exhibition football games in late December though.

What I'd like to see is the ACC take advantage to what is typically a brief lull period in mid-December to whet the whistle with 2 ACC games. This would be the time after the ACC FB championship game and before Christmas when football is taking a break from games. Of course, there is a fall semester exam week to consider in that time window as well. The ACC-Big 10 Challenge thingy is normally the week after Thanksgiving and same week leading up to the ACC FB Championship game. Most schools still have that 2nd week of December available to schedule some ACC games prior to exams. Another option could be to do it the week after exams just before Christmas (and before MEG's begin). Of course, the ACC may choose to do it the week between Christmas and NYD while MEG's are going on or just somehow squeeze them in after NYD.

ESPN will be committed pretty much to its MEG's. With a dedicated ACC Network, games could be scheduled as an extravaganza on NYE and NYD. The Big East - with no big time FB programs and Hoops being the cash cow at each school - now has a big NYD bash (of games) on Fox Sports 1. The ACC could do something similar. 5 games on the ACC Network starting at noon and then games at 2, 4, 6, and 8...or the like.

The ACC is king in CBB now and adding 2 more games adds even more interest. And, thinking like an optimist, I hope by '18 or '19 CJP has Tech back to being competitive for the upper division by then.

 

[BornAJacket]

There have been a few OOC games the past few seasons in the second 1/2 of the schedule for some teams, scattered around the conference. I expect those will be the first ones to go. Then you are right, the only way to go is back into December some time. I know they had some really early games one year, but no one seemed to like those games. The coaches will avoid any ACC game with the students off campus for the holiday break. And rightfully so.

 

[GTJT622]

With 15 teams (read: odd number), the ACC uses a rotation where 1 team is off every midweek or weekend during the normal ACC season schedule starting in early January. A few of the teams - not many - have scheduled the occasional OOC game in those slots (Duke vs St. John's being a normal example in the past).

With still an odd number of teams, you won't get to add any of the additional games going to 20 per team into the normal schedule block that are currently being used for most as an open date (rest time) or the occasional OOC game.