ACC Record in NCAA Tournament After the First Round

Will the ACC be able to capture a 16th NCAA men's tournament title this year?

Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg dribbles as North Carolina Tar Heels guard Elliot Cadeau defends. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The 2025 NCAA men's basketball tournament began on Thursday, March 20, and fans are waiting to see which team will take home the trophy. Will it be an ACC team?

The ACC has been represented by at least three teams in the NCAA tournament every season since 1980, and this year is no different. The Atlantic Coast Conference has captured 15 national titles since 1957, and the ACC teams this year are looking to make that 16.

Four ACC teams made the tournament this year, but the conference's best bet for winning the title are the Duke Blue Devils, which many regard as the top team in the country. Duke was also selected as one of the favorites to win across various bracket sites.

With NCAA tournament play underway, here's how the ACC teams are faring.

ACC Record in NCAA Tournament After the First Round

The ACC's overall record is 2–3.

The only remaining ACC team is Duke; the league's other three teams in the tournament—Clemson, Louisville and North Carolina—were all eliminated.

What ACC Teams Are Still Alive?

The teams who made it to the second round of the tourney this year include Duke—and Duke alone. All second round games are scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 22 and Sunday, March 23.

MATCHUP	DATE/TIME	CHANNEL
No. 1 Duke vs. No. 9 Baylor	March 23, 2:40 p.m. ET	CBS

Biggest Wins and Most Disappointing Losses

Without Duke winning the national championship, it will be hard for the ACC to consider this year's tournament as anything but a disappointment. The league, historically one of college basketball's best, landed just four teams in the field (10 fewer than the SEC, for example). And yet, after the round of 64, Duke stands alone in representing the ACC.

No. 5 seed Clemson suffered one of the biggest upsets of the first round, falling to No. 12 McNeese State. No. 8 Louisville fell to No. 9 Creighton, 89–75. North Carolina managed to win one game, blowing out Xavier in a First Four matchup of 11-seeds, but lost to No. 6 Ole Miss in the round of 64.

It is a historically bad performance for the league:

Duke is officially the only ACC team in the Round of 32.

Via @ESPNStatsInfo, it's the first time since the NCAA started allowing multiple teams from the same conference into the NCAA tournament in 1975 that the ACC will have one or fewer teams in the Round of 32.

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) March 21, 2025

Duke, meanwhile, handled business against No. 16 Mount St. Mary, 93–49.

How the ACC Compares to Other Conferences in the 2025 NCAA Tournament

After the early slate of Friday games, the Big Ten and SEC each have eight teams through to the round of 32, while the Big 12 (six programs), Big East (three) and even the midmajor Mountain West (two) and WCC (two) have advanced multiple programs, while the ACC has stalled out with just Duke advancing.

With just one school advancing, the ACC is currently tied with the Missouri Valley and Southland Conferences.

How Many ACC Teams Made the NCAA Tournament?

There were four ACC teams named to the 2025 NCAA tournament. Below you'll find which teams were selected, as well as what seed they were entering play.

Team	Region	Seed
Duke	East	No. 1
Clemson	Midwest	No. 5
Louisville	South	No. 8
North Carolina	South	No. 11

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