By JOSH NEWMAN
Special to ZAGSBLOG
With the additions of Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, the ACC Tournament has long been rumored to be heading north, specifically to New York City in some fashion.
On Wednesday morning, that fantasy became a reality. In a press conference with Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark, ACC Commissioner John Swofford and Atlantic 10 Commissioner Bernadette McGlade, it was announced that the ACC Tournament will be held in Brooklyn for the first time in 2017 and 2018.
Additionally, the A-10, which played its tournament there in 2013, 2014 and will do so in 2015 and 2016, will return to the arena for 2019, 2020 and 2021.
As part of the deal, the ACC and the A-10 agreed to play inter-conference doubleheaders at Barclays Center in 2015, 2016 and 2017, while the A-10 has secured a spot for its teams to participate in the building’s annual BROOKLYN HOOPS events.
The ACC invading New York City, forever a Championship Week stronghold of the Big East Tournament and Madison Square Garden, is not only a win for the conference, but also for the arena, which has worked to become a factor in college basketball since opening for the 2012-13 season.