What to know for Saturday’s ACC Tournament championship at Charlotte
We’re reached the final day and the final game in uptown Charlotte.
On Saturday night at 8:30 p.m., the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils (31-2) face the No. 2 seed Virginia Cavaliers (29-4) in the ACC Tournament championship game on ESPN.
Both teams are headed to the NCAA Tournament and have larger goals in mind, like Final Four berths and perhaps a national championship. Still, there’s a big prize at stake at the Spectrum Center.
Here are three things to know about the ACC Tournament final
- Duke seeks not only its second ACC championship in a row but it can add on to what’s already a record number of league titles. Duke owns 23 ACC men’s basketball championships, more than any other school. Rival UNC is next with 18, but the Tar Heels haven’t won it all since 2016. Duke has won four times since then (2017, 2019, 2023 and 2025).
- Virginia last won the ACC championship in 2018. This is the third time Duke and Virginia have played for the league title, all in the past 12 years. Virginia beat Duke, 72-63, in the 2014 ACC final at Greensboro. Three years ago in 2023, Duke beat Virginia, 59-49, in Greensboro for the championship.
- Duke coach Jon Scheyer has led the Blue Devils to the league championship game for the third time in his four seasons since replacing the retired Mike Krzyzewski in 2022. He’s already made history in 2023 when he won the ACC in his first season as a head coach. Now he looks to complete two years of complete ACC dominance. Over the past two seasons, Duke is 41-2 against ACC opponents in regular season and tournament play.
This story was originally published March 14, 2026 at 6:00 AM.
Steve Wiseman
The News & Observer