The ACC is uprooting its conference schedule but despite all the changes the Duke basketball rivalry against UNC will remain unaffected.
It was announced on Wednesday that the conference will be making an 18-game league schedule for its men’s basketball season, cutting its original schedule by two games.
The biggest reasoning for the change is the lack of success the ACC has seen over the last several years in getting teams into the NCAA Tournament and the lack of resume building victories in conference play for its members.
Only four teams – Duke, Clemson, Louisville, and North Carolina – made the NCAA Tournament this year and the ability to add more high-profile non-conference games should help teams make the Big Dance, according to its athletic directors.
However, the league had to make a major change with its schedule and cutting rivalry series to just one regular season game.
Each team will have one main rival that they will play twice per season. For Duke, it’ll be against North Carolina. There will also be another opponent, which changes every season, that a team will play twice.
That team has yet to be announced for the 2025-26 season.
Every other school will be played once, split between seven games at home and seven games on the road.
The current format of the ACC Tournament remains unchanged with the last three teams in the regular season standings failing to make the postseason.
Duke has already taken advantage of the added non-conference games it could add to its schedule with neutral site matchups against Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, and Michigan with a road game slated against Michigan State.
The Blue Devils could also be going on the road for the ACC vs. SEC Challenge and will be playing a special road game on Veteran’s Day against Army.
Jon Scheyer finally booked a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Indiana State on November 14.
The ACC will release its opponents for each team and full league schedule at a later date in the summer.