2025 March Madness: ACC Faces Unprecedented Tournament Struggles
The ACC's recent losses leave the once-proud conference with only Duke still competing in the NCAA Tournament.
The ACC set a record for NCAA Tournament struggles on March 21, 2025, with No. 11 seed North Carolina’s 71-64 defeat to No. 6 seed Ole Miss leaving Duke as the only remaining ACC team in the tournament. This marks the first instance in NCAA Tournament history where not multiple teams from the ACC have advanced past the first round.
Only four of the 18 ACC teams qualified for this year’s NCAA field, marking the conference’s lowest percentage (22.2%) of tournament participants since the expansion to 32 teams in 1975.
Worst record by conference in first round of NCAA Tournament since 2000
| Year | Conference | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ACC | 1-3 |
| 2023 | Pac-12 | 1-3 |
| 2012 | Mountain West | 1-3 |
| 2000 | Conference USA | 1-3 |
Minimum four games.
While the ACC’s recent history has surprised many fans, the struggles began back in November, where the conference had a disappointing 2-14 record in the ACC-SEC Challenge. The ACC now finds itself ranked last amongst the major conferences, further diminishing its presence in the tournament.
