THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE THREAD

Notre Dame is moving to the Atlantic Coast Conference in almost every sport except football, where the Fighting Irish will maintain their status as an independent.

The school's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, and athletic director Jack Swarbrick joined ACC commissioner John Swofford and three ACC presidents for a news conference on Wednesday announcing the Irish's move from the Big East.

"I don't think there's out there a better situation than the situation we have," Jenkins said. "The ACC has allowed us to retain a tradition (of football independence) that's so central to our identity in football while we're joining a conference that athletically as well as academically fits Notre Dame perfectly."

The move, first reported by ESPN's Brett McMurphy, means the ACC is making an exception to its all-or-nothing requirement for schools to be full members. Although they will remain independent in football, the Fighting Irish will play five games annually against ACC schools.

Read more: http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8369070/notre-dame-sports-football-hockey-acc

 

Re: Notre Dame joining ACC

Notre Dame To ACC:
Changes To The ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Format

With Pittsburgh and Syracuse set to join the conference next season, the ACC was already anticipating a move to a five-day format for the ACC men's basketball tournament. Though Notre Dame makes it 15 programs, an odd number, don't expect the new format of the conference tournament to change much.

Commissioner John Swofford thinks that this new format will remain largely the same after Notre Dame joins, with three games being played on Wednesday and the top-four seeds continuing to receive early-round byes. The dreaded double-bye? Oh yes, the double-bye.





http://www.bcinterruption.com/2012/...to-acc-acc-tournament-format-changes-schedule

 

Re: Notre Dame joining ACC

Notre Dame wants to maintain Big East Conference rivalries




Notre Dame is expecting to play in the Big East the next two seasons, but whenever the Fighting Irish do join the ACC, coach Mike Brey is ready to completely change his nonconference schedule.

Brey wants to play the Big East's Catholic-based institutions, especially long-standing rivals Marquette and DePaul, in nonconference home-and-home series. Brey said he would like to add Villanova, St. John's and possibly Georgetown into the rotation of schools the Irish want to play. Brey said he wants to play at least two to three of those five schools every season.

"We're not in Philadelphia anymore so we definitely want Villanova, we want to go to New York with St. John's and keep DePaul and Marquette," Brey said. "We will be in the D.C. area with Maryland, but we'd still like to play Georgetown. Villanova, DePaul, Marquette, St. John's and possibly Georgetown are definitely the five I'd like to do."

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...ral-big-east-rivalries-men-college-basketball

 

Re: Notre Dame joining ACC

Notre Dame's McGraw expects UConn rivalry to continue


SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Though the Big East has been good to her program, Muffet McGraw is fine with leaving it behind.

But powerhouse Connecticut? The Notre Dame women's basketball coach has no intention of letting that rivalry die.

Even as her program begins a new life in the ACC at some point, McGraw confirmed Wednesday that she will approach Huskies coach Geno Auriemma about continuing that series in non-conference play.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/...raw-uconn-rivalry-huskies-coach-geno-auriemma

 

Re: Notre Dame joining ACC

New ACC schedule format partners for BC, Notre Dame, and Syracuse


Men's and Women's Basketball
The ACC will continue to play an 18-game conference schedule with the addition of Notre Dame. The scheduling model will be based on a two-partner format.

Each year, teams will play every league opponent at least once with the two partners playing home and away annually. In addition to the four annual games against partners, the remaining 14 conference games will feature home and away games with two rotating opponents and five home-only games and five road-only games.

The two-primary-partner format preserves competitive balance and builds upon traditional rivalries while providing the opportunity to create new ones.

Boston College - Notre Dame and Syracuse
Clemson - Florida State and Georgia Tech
Duke - North Carolina and Wake Forest
Florida State - Clemson and Miami
Georgia Tech - Clemson and Notre Dame
Maryland - Pitt and Virginia
Miami - Florida State and Virginia Tech
North Carolina - Duke and NC State
NC State - North Carolina and Wake Forest
Notre Dame - Boston College and Georgia Tech
Pitt - Maryland and Syracuse
Syracuse - Boston College and Pitt
Virginia - Maryland and Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech - Miami and Virginia
Wake Forest - Duke and NC State

Following the regular season, the ACC Tournament format will continue to feature all league members. The Tournament will begin with three games on Wednesday, followed by four games on Thursday and Friday, two semifinals on Saturday and the championship game on Sunday. The top four seeds will continue to receive byes into Friday's quarterfinal round.

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/umia...l-check-out-last-paragraph.html#storylink=cpy

 

Re: Notre Dame joining ACC

Notre Dame, Big East reach deal;
Irish to join ACC in July


Notre Dame and the Big East reached an agreement Tuesday morning that allows the Irish to leave the league on July 1, 2013.

This paves the way for their expedited move to the Atlantic Coast Conference, where they will begin competing this fall.

"Notre Dame now looks forward with great anticipation to becoming a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference," Notre Dame vice president and director of athletics Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. "We are thrilled to join a great group of institutions who share our commitment to the integration of athletics into the academic mission of the university. Our coaches and student-athletes across our athletic programs are truly excited about the new challenges ahead."


http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...reach-deal-irish-to-join-acc-in-july/1981427/

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...irish-exit-2-years-early-join-acc-source-says

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebas...ort-notre-dame-fleeing-to-acc-for-next-season

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20130312/acc-notre-dame/?utm_hp_ref=homepage&ir=homepage

 

Miami center Reggie Johnson did not accompany the Hurricanes to Washington on Tuesday evening in preparation for the team's Sweet 16 game, the school said in a statement.

A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Johnson had a surgical procedure to repair a minor meniscus issue Tuesday and will not play in this weekend's East Regional games.

A spokesman said Johnson is expected to be able to play in the Final Four if Miami advances.

Miami (29-6) plays Marquette (25-8) on Thursday in the East Regional semifinals. The winner of that game will meet either Indiana or Syracuse for a trip to Atlanta and the Final Four.

In a statement, the university said Johnson was injured in last weekend's third-round game against Illinois. It was not immediately clear when Johnson was hurt in that game, and he was in the contest with 15 seconds remaining.

He played 18 minutes in all against the Illini, and Miami won the game 63-59.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...iami-hurricanes-knee-surgery-according-report

 

P.J. Hairston will return to UNC



North Carolina sophomore P.J. Hairston, whose insertion into the starting lineup in February helped push the Tar Heels to the NCAA tournament, will return to UNC next season, the school announced Friday.

"I have spent a lot of time with my family over the past couple of days discussing school and my future, and I have decided to return to the University of North Carolina for my junior year," Hairston said in a statement. "I value the experiences I have had over the past two years in Chapel Hill and hope to continue to grow under Coach Roy [Williams'] guidance.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9165041/pj-hairston-return-unc-tar-heels

 

Virginia's Paul Jesperson transferring



Virginia coach Tony Bennett says sophomore guard Paul Jesperson is leaving the Cavaliers' program.

The 6-foot-6 Jesperson started 33 of 35 games this season. He averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds. He scored a career-best 12 points in an 80-69 victory at Maryland on Feb. 10, but shot just 36.1 percent from the field overall. He made 40 of 108 3-point tries, or 37 percent.

 

ACC agrees to grant of rights deal

That seems a bit less likely with Monday’s revelation from David Glenn, a syndicated radio host in North Carolina, who reported the 15 current ACC members are about to announce a grant of rights deal that will secure them to the league to the end of their current ESPN television deal, which expires in 2026-27. The ACC confirmed the agreement.

"This announcement further highlights the continued solidarity and commitment by our member institutions," said ACC Commissioner John Swofford. "The Council of Presidents has shown tremendous leadership in insuring the ACC is extremely well positioned with unlimited potential."

In a grant of rights deal—which the members of the Big 12 used to save their league—members turn over their media rights to the conference. Those funds are then are disbursed to the membership. If a university that agreed to such a deal were to accept membership in another conference, the ACC would receive its media rights payments from the new league.

Glenn reported the current ACC members agreed unanimously to the deal. Previously they had put in place a $50 million exit fee. Maryland, which is exiting for membership in the Big Ten, currently is challenging that in court.

David Teel of the Newport News Daily Press reported the GOR proposal was distributed to members roughly a month ago for consideration.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-fo...rights-deal-15-members-realignment-cincinnati

The ACC is considering a network of its own


The Big Ten has one, the Pac-12 has one, and the SEC is working on getting one of its own. Could the ACC become the next conference to have its own television network? Apparently the conference is wondering if that's the answer to its financial situation.

According to SportsBusiness Journal, the ACC and its athletic directors are considering the idea.

While its media rights are tied up with ESPN for the next 15 years, that hasn't stopped the conference from beginning the process of deciding whether such a channel is feasible. It hasn't had formal talks with ESPN, which would have to play a big role in any ACC channel since the network controls the league's rights.

But ACC Commissioner John Swofford has quietly been exploring a branded channel and began floating the idea for it in the fall, around the time that Notre Dame joined the league in all sports but football. The Fighting Irish have committed to play five ACC opponents in football each season, but it will maintain its independence

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...t-the-acc-is-considering-a-network-of-its-own

 

Marshall Plumlee out 12-16 weeks

Duke says Marshall Plumlee will be out 12-16 weeks after having left foot surgery.

Team officials said the 6-foot-11 big man had the procedure Tuesday.

 

Coach K hires Jon Scheyer

Duke is bringing back former basketball player Jon Scheyer as a special assistant.

Coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Scheyer's hiring Monday.

Scheyer was a captain on the Blue Devils' last national championship team in 2010.

 

Bernard Sullivan headed to Charlotte



Charlotte coach Alan Major says that former Clemson forward Bernard Sullivan has transferred to the play for the 49ers.

Sullivan, a native of Gastonia, N.C., will sit out the 2013-14 season in accordance with NCAA rules and have two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2014-15.

 

With new swagger,
ACC moves ahead on network


By Michael Smith & John Ourand, Staff Writers
Published May 6, 2013

ACC executives kept close tabs on Atlanta last Thursday, when rival conference SEC and ESPN announced their new network, scheduled to launch next year.

Thanks, in part, to a new grant-of-rights agreement from its 15 member schools that gives it a new level of security, ACC executives negotiated a new media rights deal with ESPN that conference executives say will be among the richest for all college conferences.

Now, ACC officials are turning their attention to launching their own league-branded network, joining the ranks of the Big Ten, Pac-12 and, now, SEC as conferences that own channels.

“We’ve got the strongest collegiate TV market in the country,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said. “We’re now in a position to accelerate talks with ESPN, which were already ongoing, about a network.”


http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/05/06/Media/ACC-network.aspx?

 

Tuesday, Dec. 3
Florida State at Minnesota
Illinois at Georgia Tech
Indiana at Syracuse
Michigan at Duke
Notre Dame at Iowa
Penn State at Pittsburgh

Wednesday, Dec. 4
Boston College at Purdue
Maryland at Ohio State
Miami, FL at Nebraska
North Carolina at Michigan State
Northwestern at North Carolina State
Wisconsin at Virginia

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/84373/b1gacc-challenge-matchups-announced

 

Miami adds transfer James Kelly



Junior college transfer James Kelly signed a national letter of intent with the Miami Hurricanes, giving coach Jim Larranaga seven new players after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title last season.

The 6-foot-8 Kelly averaged 18.3 points and 10.1 rebounds last season for Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio and led his team to the NJCAA Division II tournament semifinals.

The Hurricanes on Tuesday also announced the signing of Manu LeComte, a 5-9 point guard from Belgium. LeComte recently played in the U18 European Championship, where he led his team in scoring at 12.0 points per game.

 

ACC could play tourney at MSG


AMELIA ISLAND, Fla. -- The ACC is "thoroughly investigating" playing its men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.


One source was adamant that the ACC tournament eventually would be held in the World's Most Famous Arena, which would take it out of traditional ACC country for the first time.


"We'll be playing there," a source said. "It's just a matter of getting all the legal ramifications worked out."


That's because in March, the new Big East Conference and Madison Square Garden announced a 12-year deal through 2026. However, MSG executive vice president Joel Fisher was noncommittal about the ACC playing there.

"I don't want to speculate about (the ACC)," Fisher said in March.



http://espn.go.com/new-york/mens-co...-tournament-madison-square-garden-sources-say

 

Rights issues could prove problematic for ACC Network


Ever since the ACC announced its schools had agreed to a grant of rights deal there's been speculation of the conference forming its own network. Speculation that makes sense given the fact that the Big Ten, Pac-12 and SEC have already done so.

Unfortunately for the ACC, creating its own network may not be as simple as it was for those other conferences. The Sports Business Journal writes that the ACC's current television deals could stall the formation of such a network.


http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2013/05/20/Media/ACC-net.aspx

 

Theo Pinson commits to UNC



Greensboro native Theo Pinson, the No. 13 player in the ESPN 60, has chosen to stay in-state, as he committed to North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon.

The 6-foot-5 small forward from Wesleyan Christian Academy picked the Tar Heels over Indiana after also seriously considering Louisville, Duke and Georgetown.

 

Krzyzewski: ACC ought to think big

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski believes the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference could be the best basketball league in the country -- and should act like it.

The ACC is growing to 15 teams next season when Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame join. National champion Louisville comes aboard the following year to replace Big Ten-bound Maryland.

Krzyzewski said Wednesday that "if you really believe this could be the greatest conference ever, what are all the things that the greatest conference ever would do?"

Speaking during his annual "K Academy" fantasy camp at Duke, he said the league needs to "look at the total package of what we have" and "think outside conventional ways" in everything from its preseason media day to its league schedule and postseason tournament.

The location of future ACC tournaments has been a hot topic of discussion, with commissioner John Swofford raising the possibility that it could be held in New York. It will be played in Greensboro in 2014 and '15, but nothing has been decided beyond that.

When asked where he thinks the tournament should be played, Krzyzewski said the ACC "should take a look at the total package of what we have right now and not micromanage it," adding that he wants the league to think big.

"Look at it as the fact that you might have the best business. And what do you do to make that the best?" he said. "Are we a $1 billion business functioning as a $500 million business? Or are we a $1 billion business that wants to be a $2 billion (business)? In other words, think outside conventional ways."

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...h-mike-krzyzewski-says-acc-think-big-15-teams