The Atlantic Coast Conference has launched a sweeping new basketball initiative that connects at least 37 men's and women's games between its own programs and 18 HBCU schools throughout the 2026-27 season. Called Two Traditions. One Court., the effort kicks off in November with matchups already locked in involving Florida A&M, North Carolina Central, Norfolk State and Grambling State, among others.
According to HBCU Gameday, the slate breaks down into 20 scheduled men's matchups and a women's schedule that currently guarantees 17 games, with the possibility of an 18th. A 38th matchup could also be added depending on how tournament results shake out involving Virginia Tech and Alcorn State, per the same outlet. ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips said the conference is proud to launch “an initiative that will spotlight at least 37 men's and women's basketball games between our programs and HBCUs,” and that it will recognize both ACC basketball and HBCU athletics histories while highlighting the connections between them.
As first reported by the Kansas City Star, the ACC developed the initiative after discussions with leadership from the MEAC, SWAC, Hampton University and Tennessee State University. The conference says it plans to use ACC Network and ACC Network Extra for coordinated coverage, and per 247Sports, the league intends to “celebrate the traditions and communities represented in these matchups” through that broadcast platform.
Early Matchups Set the Tone for November and December
Florida A&M's men travel to Florida State on November 2, with the FAMU women making the same trip on November 8, per the HBCU Gameday report. FAMU's men are led by head coach Charlie Ward, the 1993 Heisman Trophy winner, while the Rattlers' broader participation reflects the kind of cross-conference exposure the initiative is built around.
North Carolina Central women's basketball heads to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina on November 11, a date confirmed separately by UNC's athletics site, which notes the Tar Heels will open their home slate that day at Carmichael Arena against NC Central. The very next day, Duke women's basketball visits Norfolk State on November 12, and Grambling State's men travel to Duke on December 17. Norfolk State's men are also slated to play North Carolina and Virginia later in the season, though specific dates for those games were not detailed.
Familiar Faces From Duke's Championship Era
Several of the HBCU programs folded into the initiative are led by coaches with direct ties to Duke basketball. Howard's bench features head coach Kenneth Blakeney and associate head coach Nate James, both former Duke national champions, alongside Rod Balanis, a former Georgia Tech assistant now on Howard's staff. Tennessee State is led by Nolan Smith, another former Duke champion. Grambling State's women's program is helmed by Courtney Simmons, who previously played at Louisville.
The full list of programs tied into Two Traditions. One Court. includes North Carolina Central, Norfolk State, Hampton, Florida A&M, Southern, Grambling State, Morgan State, South Carolina State and Tennessee State, among the 18 HBCUs involved, according to HBCU Gameday.
Leaders Frame the Partnership as More Than One Season
Sonja Stills said the partnership could create opportunities that extend beyond a single basketball season, while Charles McClelland said the ACC partnership will lean on storytelling to support growth for each HBCU program involved. The ACC itself frames the matchups as packaged collectively to deliver additional exposure for athletes, coaches and institutions, with the conference suggesting the arrangement could eventually lead to more HBCU home games against major programs or deeper scheduling relationships down the line.
Part of a Longer Tradition of Road Games
HBCU programs have played major-conference opponents for decades, often traveling on the road for non-conference games, a pattern the new ACC initiative builds on rather than invents. That reality carries financial weight: a separate HBCU Gameday report found that a heavy road schedule for one HBCU program could generate close to $1 million in guarantee payments this season, though that figure is described as a projection rather than a confirmed payout, since contracts have not been released. The same report noted that Mississippi Valley State's athletic department received $1,357,947 in guarantee payments across all its sports in fiscal year 2025, accounting for roughly 24.4 percent of the department's approximately $5.6 million in total revenue — underscoring how much these road trips can matter to an HBCU athletic department's bottom line.
