ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips Meets With Tar Heel Roundtable for an Exclusive Interview.

During ACC basketball media days, Phillips agreed to a one-on-one, on-camera conversation with Tar Heel Roundtable creator Josh Graham. Here are the topics they covered:

• Conference scheduling. The ACC introduced new scheduling formats for both football and basketball during the summer. In football, a game was added — jumping from eight to nine — plus a requirement of scheduling one non-conference date against Power 4 competition. In hoops, the ACC's 20-game league slate will be scaled back to 18 games starting this upcoming season.
• Lack of NCAA Tournament bids. The ACC is coming off its worst showing — in terms of NCAA Tourney participation — by having just four schools make the field of 68. That included North Carolina as the last at-large team to get in. This embarrassing result followed three consecutive seasons of just five teams making the dance, which Phillips views as being well below the standard.
• Transparency in officiating. The ACC has been lauded for its emphasis on adding more transparency to its operations. The league began requiring availability reports this season and allowed TV networks to access live audio from its officiating command center during in-game reviews. In the wake of a costly officiating miss at Wake Forest, Phillips discussed further steps the ACC might consider taking in the future.
• Future ACC women's tournament sites. Next March will be the just the second women's tourney to leave the state of North Carolina — more specifically, Greensboro — this century. It will be held in the greater Atlanta area before going to Spectrum Center, the home of the NBA's Charlotte Hornets, in 2027.
• ACC Tournament Format. The Big Ten recently announced that it would scrap its 15-team format in favor of letting all 18 of its schools participate starting in 2026. Phillips discussed why remaining at 15 teams — and having three schools not qualify — was right for the ACC and which expansion models he's open to considering.

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You can follow our Tar Heel Roundtable team on other social media channels as well. Josh Graham's handle on X and Instagram is @JoshGrahamShow. Will Dalton's handle is @TheWillDalton.