The ACC women’s basketball tournament bracket is set, with Duke as No. 1 seed

It’s time to wipe the records clean, because the 2026 women’s basketball postseason has officially arrived.

The ACC released the conference tournament bracket on Sunday night following the conclusion of nine games. The tournament will take place at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, from March 4-8.

Entering the final day of the regular season, six teams knew exactly where they stood before games tipped off.

Three teams — Duke, Louisville and North Carolina — knew they’d earned the double bye and would start their postseason in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. SMU, Pittsburgh and Boston College knew they’d be sitting at home after finishing at the bottom of the league.

The final spot for a top-four finish, however, was up for grabs. N.C. State, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia and Clemson all featured similar ACC records coming into the final day, and their game results determined the seeding.

The Wolfpack (20-9, 13-5) came out on top and secured the double bye after a dominant 93-43 win over Pitt. No tiebreakers were necessary. It could’ve dropped outside of the top 4 with a loss, but it ultimately didn’t matter. N.C. State won its last three games of the regular season after its two double-digit losses to Notre Dame and Duke on the road.

“Obviously we dropped a few, but we’re spoiled,” N.C. State head coach Wes Moore said on Thursday night after the team’s win over Syracuse. “We’re 12-5 in the conference. A lot of people would give anything to be 12-5 in this league. Not quite as good (as past years), still it’s a great accomplishment, and I’m proud of them for that.

“If we can maintain our position, you’ve got to win three games,” Moore added. “Then, we leave there, we’ll wipe it again and get ready for the NCAAs.”

Duke (21-8, 16-2) locked in a share of the regular season crown and top seed on Thursday after defeating Florida State, 80-52. It will hold onto its seeding and the regular season title despite losing to North Carolina, 74-69, on Sunday in the regular season finale.

The Blue Devils won the ACC championship last season, upsetting top-seeded N.C. State in the tournament final. It was the first championship for the program under coach Kara Lawson and the first since 2013.

Lawson noted the program won the regular-season title this season with just seven available players after losing three, including star defender Jadyn Donovan, to season-ending injuries.

“To win the ACC regular season for our school for the first time in 13 years is amazing accomplishment,” Lawson said on Sunday. “That doesn’t make losing a game any less frustrating. Of course, you want to win. You’re competitive. But, I think when it’s appropriate, it’s really important, as a coach and as a player, you zoom out and take stock in the big picture. In the big picture, we’ve had a great three months. We played well. We didn’t have it today, but we look forward to the ACC Tournament.”

Louisville (25-6, 15-3) clinched the No. 2 seed prior to the final day of games, despite a 65-62 loss to Notre Dame. Had the Cardinals and Duke both lost, the Blue Devils held the head-to-head after beating Louisville, 59-58, on Feb. 5. The Cardinals have not won the tournament since 2018, but they’ve played in the championship game three times since then.

UNC (25-6, 14-4), meanwhile, was also guaranteed a spot based on its record entering Sunday. The win over Duke was a bonus for future NCAA Tournament seeding. The Tar Heels have not won the championship in 18 years and have not played in the title game since 2013, prior to head coach Courtney Banghart’s arrival.

“I think this group knows a lot about who they are. Doesn’t make the games easier. It doesn’t make beating whoever we have next any easier,” Banghart said on Sunday. “But, they’ve been through more stuff. The ‘one-and-done’ mentality — when you give up three of your first five ACC games, you’re basically playing one-and-done the whole season. We had to win, 12 of 13 to even be in this spot.”

Wake Forest narrowly made the tournament field after missing it last season. The Demon Deacons finished the regular season 14-16 overall and 4-14 in ACC play. Despite the lopsided conference record, the Deacs were much improved this year. Wake Forest started the season 9-0. It lost seven games by fewer than 10 points and four were by one possession.

A change in location

This is the first time since 2017 that the tournament has been held outside of Greensboro and just the second time since 1996 that the event is held outside of North Carolina. The ACC is headquartered in Charlotte after decades of being in Greensboro.

Duluth is a suburb of Atlanta, with Gas South Arena sitting roughly 40 minutes from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Moore said the venue change doesn’t impact much about the team’s routine. His staff feels confident in the process it uses in these situations. N.C. State won three straight ACC titles from 2020-22 and played in the title game the past two years.

“I think people wanted it to move. I think Greensboro has done a really good job,” Banghart said. “I know it looks like it’s a home court advantage for us, N.C. State and Duke. Well, those have been the top three teams a lot of the time, even before I got here. But, our teams travel. … I think we’ll still have fans. I don’t get to make those decisions. I guess we’ll see after if that was the right decision.”

Sunday’s games

North Carolina 74, Duke 69

Virginia Tech 83, Virginia 82

Georgia Tech 79, Miami 49

Syracuse 90, Boston College 65

Stanford 85, Clemson 50

N.C. State 93, Pitt 43

Notre Dame 65, Louisville 62

Florida State 77, Wake Forest 74

California 78, SMU 34

End of regular season

With SMU, Pittsburgh and Boston College not qualifying, here are the official pairings:

ACC tournament schedule

At Gas South Arena, Duluth, Georgia Wednesday’s games

Game 1: No. 12 Miami (16-13) vs. No. 13 Stanford (19-12), 11 a.m. (ACC Network)

Game 2: No. 10 California (18-13) vs. No. 15 Wake Forest (14-16), 1:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

Game 3: No. 11 Georgia Tech (13-17) vs. No. 14 Florida State (10-20), 4 p.m. (ACC Network)

Thursday’s games

Game 4: No. 8 Virginia (19-10) vs. No. 9 Clemson (20-10), 11 a.m. (ACC Network)

Game 5: No. 5 Notre Dame (20-9) vs. Game 1 winner, 1:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

Game 6: No. 7 Syracuse (22-7) vs. Game 2 winner, 5 p.m. (ACC Network)

Game 7: No. 6 Virginia Tech (22-8) vs. Game 3 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

Friday’s games

Game 8: No. 1 Duke (21-8) vs. Game 4 winner, 11 a.m. (ESPN2)

Game 9: No. 4 N.C. State (20-9) vs. Game 5 winner, 1:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

Game 10: No. 2 Louisville (25-5) vs. Game 6 winner, 5 p.m. (ESPN2)

Game 11: No. 3 North Carolina (25-6) vs. Game 7 winner, 7:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

Saturday’s games

Semifinals: Noon and 2:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Sunday’s game

Championship, 1 p.m. (ESPN)

This story was originally published March 1, 2026 at 8:07 PM.