Today, ESPN and the ACC formally announced that ESPN will start an ACC Network in 2019 that will have at least 500 live sports events per year including over 150 men's and women's basketball games. However, that wasn't the only news that came out of today's ACC Network announcement at the ACC Kickoff.
https://twitter.com/BermanRoanoke/status/756144544530460672
The ACC will expand their men's basketball schedule from 18 to 20 games for the 2019-2020 season. There hasn't been much talk previously about expanding the basketball conference schedule but the addition of the ACC Network has led to the expansion of the ACC conference basketball schedule.
For fans across the conference, this is absolutely great news.
This means that every program will get an extra ACC home game while also facing the big name blue bloods more often over a year-to-year basis. Now the addition of two more ACC games likely will mean one less home game per year with two non-conference home games against weak opponents likely to go but these games never got fans excited and now, fans will get a better package of games and a better value.
Having two more ACC games will also help ACC schools in the RPI with this move instantly strengthening the schedules for all 15 ACC teams. This change could make the difference down the road in helping one more ACC school get in the NCAA Tournament over another school while also making the conference look stronger as a whole.
One thing of note is that it is unknown at this point if ACC Women's Basketball will also expand its conference schedule from 18 to 20 games.
In addition to the announcement of the ACC Network starting in 2019 and the ACC Network Extra digital channel starting this fall, this news about the ACC expanding its basketball conference schedule from 18 to 20 conference games is a great move that will only strengthen America's best and deepest basketball conference.
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