ACC Announces Initiative to Bring Awareness to HBCUs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Atlantic Coast Conference announced today the launch of Two Traditions. One Court., a new initiative designed to bring greater visibility and storytelling to men’s and women’s basketball games between ACC programs and Historically Black Colleges and Universities during the 2026-27 season.

ACC men’s and women’s basketball teams are scheduled to play 37 games against 18 HBCU programs this season, with the potential for a 38th matchup. Rather than viewing those games individually, Two Traditions. One Court. creates a collective platform to elevate the matchups and celebrate the histories, communities and people that connect ACC and HBCU basketball.

Through coordinated coverage across ACC Network and ACC Network Extra, the initiative will highlight the student-athletes and coaches competing on the court while creating opportunities to tell the broader stories surrounding the games and introduce them to new audiences.

“This season, the ACC is proud to launch an initiative that will spotlight at least 37 men’s and women’s basketball games between our programs and HBCUs,” said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D. “These matchups provide an opportunity to recognize the rich legacy of ACC Basketball and HBCU athletics, celebrate the meaningful connections between our institutions — including ACC alumni now leading HBCU programs — and engage new audiences while elevating the student-athletes and coaches who make college basketball so meaningful.”

“We appreciate the ACC’s efforts to bring greater visibility to games featuring ACC and HBCU programs,” MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills said. “We hope this is just the beginning of even more opportunities to showcase the excellence, tradition and impact of HBCU basketball and create connections that can benefit our student-athletes and programs for years to come.”

“I am excited for the partnership of two storied conferences bringing more visibility through basketball,” stated SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland. “The partnership with the ACC to bring storytelling to HBCU Basketball will continue the growth for each program. As the SWAC grows with increased interest from our fanbase, we understand how important it is for our student-athletes and coaches to share their stories on a platform where their voice is heard. I am enthused to see the growth on and off the court with this partnership during the 2026-27 season!”

The ACC spearheaded the development of the initiative, engaging leadership from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Hampton University and Tennessee State University ahead of its launch to share the vision, foster collaboration, and discuss opportunities for continued growth in future seasons.

The connections between ACC and HBCU basketball extend well beyond this season’s schedule. Nine ACC alumni currently serve on coaching staffs at HBCU programs, including former ACC national champions who are now bringing that championship experience to the next generation. Among them are Duke national champions Kenneth Blakeney, now head coach at Howard, and Nolan Smith, head coach at Tennessee State; Florida State alumnus and Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, now head coach at Florida A&M; and Louisville alumna Courtney Simmons, head coach of Grambling State women’s basketball. Howard associate head coach Nate James also won a national championship as a Duke student-athlete and later helped coach two more championship teams in Durham.

Two Traditions. One Court. reflects two distinct and storied basketball traditions coming together through competition, shared connections and a common love of the game. By bringing these matchups together under one initiative, the ACC aims to create greater awareness of the games, deepen engagement among ACC and HBCU fans, and provide a platform for stories that extend beyond the final score.

The complete schedule of 2026-27 ACC basketball games against HBCU programs is listed below.

Men’s Basketball Matchups
Nov 2: UMES at Wake Forest
Nov 2: Southern at SMU
Nov 2: Florida A&M at Florida State
Nov 3: Hampton at Georgia Tech
Nov 3: Coppin State at Virginia Tech
Nov 10: UMES at Boston College
Nov 10: Prairie View A&M at SMU
Nov 11: South Carolina State at Notre Dame
Nov 17: Norfolk State at Georgia Tech
Nov 23: Alabama State at California
Nov 25: Norfolk State at NC State
Nov 28: Alcorn State at Georgia Tech
Dec 8: Hampton at Wake Forest
Dec 8: Bethune-Cookman at Virginia
Dec 10: UMES at Virginia Tech
Dec 16: Alcorn State at Miami
Dec 17: Grambling State at Duke
Dec 20: Southern at California
Dec 22: Bethune-Cookman at Florida State
Dec 22: Alabama A&M at NC State

Women’s Basketball Matchups
Nov 2: North Carolina Central at Virginia Tech
Nov 2: UMES at Virginia
Nov 5: Hampton at SMU
Nov 8: Florida A&M at Florida State
Nov 10: Delaware State at Pitt
Nov 11: North Carolina Central at North Carolina
Nov 12: UMES at Georgia Tech
Nov 12: Duke at Norfolk State
Nov 17: Tennessee State at Louisville
Nov 18: Southern at Notre Dame
Nov 24: Alcorn State or Michigan State vs. Virginia Tech (Destin, Fla.) *
Nov 25: Syracuse vs. Southern (San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Nov 29: UAPB at Miami
Dec 18: Coppin State at SMU
Dec 20: Morgan State at Miami
Dec 21: Norfolk State at North Carolina
Dec 28: Bethune-Cookman at Miami
Dec 28: Norfolk State at Virginia

• Virginia Tech’s Nov. 24 opponent will be determined by tournament results. A matchup against Alcorn State would increase the total number of ACC-HBCU games to 38.

ACC Alums on HBCU Coaching Staffs

Men’s Basketball
Jake Morton, Alcorn State MBB, Head Coach, Miami
Charlie Ward, Florida A&M MBB, Head Coach, Florida State
Jarrod Lazarus, Florida A&M MBB, Associate Head Coach, Florida State
Kenneth Blakeney, Howard MBB, Head Coach, Duke
Bryant Stith, Hampton MBB, Associate Head Coach, Virginia
Nate James, Howard MBB, Associate Head Coach, Duke
Rod Balanis, Howard MBB, Assistant Coach, Georgia Tech
Jethro Hillman, Southern MBB, Assistant Coach, Miami
Nolan Smith, Tennessee State MBB, Head Coach, Duke
Vince Taylor, Tennessee State MBB, Assistant Coach, Duke

Women’s Basketball
Courtney Simmons, Grambling State WBB, Head Coach, Louisville
Ericka Cromartie, Florida A&M WBB, Assistant Coach, Florida State (Masters)