The college sports landscape has long been dominated by football realignment, but this time, college basketball is stepping into the spotlight. There are growing discussions surrounding the possibility of a merger between the ACC and Big East to form a super conference in college basketball. The Big East, which recently secured a six-year media deal with Fox, NBC, and TNT running through 2031, and the ACC, which is locked into a media deal with ESPN until 2036, would face significant hurdles in making such a merger happen before their respective contracts expire.
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Both conferences would likely have to renegotiate or dissolve their current contracts to forge a new partnership. Both the ACC and Big East are steeped in basketball tradition. The Big East, notably, does not sponsor football, which leaves it at a disadvantage in the era of conference realignment primarily driven by college football. UConn’s coach, Dan Hurley, highlighted that former Big East schools—Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Boston College—that have joined the ACC in recent years, miss out on their traditional regional rivalries and the iconic Big East Tournament games at Madison Square Garden.
In terms of basketball pedigree, both conferences have been powerhouses in recent years. The ACC is home to blue bloods such as North Carolina, Duke, and Louisville, all of which are consistently ranked among the top programs in terms of championships, tournament wins, and producing NBA talent. Butler, Xavier, and Marquette are also with strong baseball roots in the Big East.
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The Big East has seen a resurgence, particularly under Rick Pitino’s leadership at St. John’s. Georgetown, once a national powerhouse, is rebuilding, and Villanova claimed a national title in the past decade. Creighton remains a perennial NCAA Tournament team, and UConn has solidified itself as one of the premier programs since the 1990s. No other combination of conferences in college basketball would boast the same rich history and tradition if these two were to merge.
“I don’t know if I have any space in my brain for conference realignment,” UConn coach Hurley admitted. “But I’ve been saying that for a while. I’ve been talking to Coach K about it. He’s texted me about it. We’ve discussed it. I’ve also mentioned it to people at the Big East and talked to Dave Benedict (UConn’s athletic director) about it.”
One of the biggest questions surrounding a potential merger would be where to host the conference tournament. The Big East holds its tournament at Madison Square Garden, an iconic venue for college basketball. The decision of where to hold the championship event could be a point of contention, but it also presents an exciting opportunity for the merged conference. A merger between the ACC and Big East could prove mutually beneficial.
Photo Cred: USA Today
While the ACC is home to several of college basketball’s most storied programs, its focus on football might cause some of its basketball-centric schools to reconsider their place in the conference. The move could allow the ACC schools to break away from their existing ESPN deal and create a new, stronger league, especially as they risk being overshadowed by the SEC and Big Ten in the coming years. The potential merger is still speculative, but the shifting landscape of college basketball could see this idea gain momentum in the coming years.
