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ACC unveils schedule, defending champion Virginia gets Duke, UNC once apiece

Tony Bennett

Virginia head coach Tony Bennett celebrates after defeating Duke in an NCAA college basketball game in the championship of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Sunday, March 16, 2014. Virginia won 72-63. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

AP

While the 15 ACC schools knew who they would be playing well in advance of Wednesday’s announcement, what they didn’t know is how their entire schedules would look for the 2014-15 season. The conference removed that suspense, releasing the composite schedule (non-conference and conference games; .pdf file here) which begins with 14 games on November 14. There are still a few spots to fill in the non-conference portion of the slate, including who Syracuse will be playing in their opener, but the full conference schedule is accounted for.

In larger conferences, which teams meet twice within league play tends to be of high importance. Reigning ACC champion Virginia will play fellow contenders Duke (January 31 in Charlottesville) and North Carolina (February 2 in Chapel Hill) just once, and among their home-and-home opponents is league newcomer (and expected contender) Louisville. Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers, who return three starters led by guard Malcolm Brogdon, will play three of their final four league games on the road with two of those games being at Syracuse (March 2) and at Louisville (March 7).

As usual Duke and North Carolina will meet twice, with the first game between the two being played on February 18 in Durham. The return match will be played on March 7 in Chapel Hill, and the home team won both meetings in 2013-14. Also of note this season is that the ACC tournament will start a day early, beginning on Tuesday, March 10 with the title game to be played Saturday, March 15. The ACC title game returns to Saturday night for the first time since 1981.

Some of the other conference games on the ACC schedule that offer up intrigue are:

- Louisville at North Carolina, January 10: The Cardinals will have two league games under their belt before this one, which could be a matchup of teams ranked in the Top 10.

- NC State at Miami, January 22: Yes the Wolfpack lost T.J. Warren, but they’ve got a very talented freshman class that includes the Martin twins and forward Abdul Malik-Abu. Miami will be deeper than they were last season thanks to a combination of eligible transfers and recruits. Doubt this is a matchup of Top 10 teams, but it’s one that could be important when resumes get compared in March.

- Syracuse at Pittsburgh, February 7: Last season’s meeting at the Peterson Events Center supplied one of the best finishes of the season, as Tyler Ennis’ shot from just inside of half court kept the Orange undefeated. Will Jim Boeheim need his latest freshman point guard (Kaleb Joseph) to do the same?

- Duke at Syracuse, February 14: Their two meetings last season were unforgettable, with a blocked dunk attempt saving the game for Syracuse at the Carrier Dome and Jim Boeheim’s ejection being the final act in Duke’s win at Cameron. What will happen this time around? They’ll meet again on February 28 in Durham.

- Pittsburgh at Virginia, February 16: The Panthers and Cavaliers met just once last year, with a Malcolm Brodgon three-pointer being the difference in Pittsburgh. Will there be a similar finish this time around? Pitt does have to account for the graduation of Lamar Patterson and Talib Zanna, but they should once again be an NCAA tournament team.

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