The ACC’s Impressive Final Four Tradition

The conference might as well have a permanent spot

The college basketball world’s legion of loud skeptics apparently haven’t noticed, but the ACC made quite a strong showing lately in getting teams to the Final Four. Last year was the fourth straight, and the fifth in six seasons there was an NCAA tournament, that the ACC was represented with a program in the Final Four.

It’s no surprise. Getting to the Final Four is an ACC tradition. And that’s without the numerical advantage of adding more teams to the league. Not that new members automatically equate to more Final Four berths. Miami in 2023 was the only expansion team to reach the Final Four since Georgia Tech in 2004, when the ACC had 9 teams, half as many as it does now.

Of 18 schools competing within the league in 2024-25, and presumably beyond, 13 have reached at least one Final Four.

Nine got to a Final Four at least twice. Seven won NCAA championships. Four of the seven – Duke, North Carolina, NC State and Virginia – did so as ACC members; Cal, Louisville and Syracuse brought their laurels with them when they joined.

Those among the approximately one-quarter of the membership that have yet to reach the NCAA semifinals are Boston College, Clemson, Southern Methodist, Stanford and Virginia Tech. Of that group only Clemson is an original ACC member.

Other schools made a single Final Four appearance in the mid-20^th century and not since, so long ago it might never have happened.

Pittsburgh got that far in 1941 and lost. Cal-Berkeley went farther, winning the 1960 national championship. Pitt’s Panthers didn’t join the ACC until this century; the Golden Bears are rookie members.

Among league originals Wake Forest earned a Final Four berth in 1962, and not since. Florida State advanced to the Final Four in 1972, two decades before the school joined the ACC, and not since. (Maybe if FSU moved to another conference…)

Miami, program resuscitated in 1986, got to the Final Four two seasons ago, and not before or since.

NC State appeared once in 1950 prior to the advent of the ACC, won titles in 1974 and 1983, and got back to the Final Four this past season. The Pack also suffered its first Final Four modern defeat in ’24, losing to Purdue.

At the other end of the Final Four spectrum, North Carolina has visited 21 times starting in 1945, the most by any program, ACC or otherwise.

Duke, well-equipped to again advance to the final weekend of play, has made it to a Final Four 17 times, tied for third all-time with Kentucky.

Louisville, with eight appearances, is tied with Indiana for eighth-most. The Cards also reached the 2012 Final Four and won the 2013 title, but both appearances were vacated. Only Memphis and Michigan joined UL in twice being erased from the Final Four record book.