ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips doesn't see 18-game conference slate going anywhere

2025 ACC Basketball Media Days | Thaddaeus McAdams/GettyImagesThe Atlantic Coast Conference has moved back to an 18-game conference schedule this season for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign. Each ACC school will play two teams twice. One of those two-game series, called the "primary partner," is a series that will happen each season. The other, called the "variable partner," is a two-game skid that will change each season. Duke basketball's primary partner is North Carolina, obviously. Its variable partner for the 2025-26 campaign is Louisville. Obviously, part of this is to raise TV ratings to put the ACC in a better financial position. This gives the conference more leeway with the non-conference schedule, while also giving it the freedom to schedule the best games possible. Duke and Louisville are likely heading into the season as the top two teams in the ACC, so it makes sense they will face off twice.

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