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ACC commissioner Jim Phillips gave a glimpse of what's in store for college basketball fans in the 2024-25 season at the conference on Tuesday when he spoke during the ACC Media Days at The Hilton Charlotte Uptown in Charlotte.
Phillips welcomed its new members — California, Stanford, SMU — and talked about the measure that will financially reward participating women's basketball programs beginning in this year's NCAA Tournament, thanks in part to the recent surge of the sport.
Here are the five takeaways from Phillips' speech and the subsequent Q&A portion of the ACC Media Days.
Five takeaways from ACC commissioner Jim Phillips' speech during the ACC Media Days
#1 Women's basketball to be financially rewarded beginning in the 2025 NCAA Tournament
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The measur thaf was unanimously approved by the NCAA Division I board of directors in August called for the awarding of financial incentives for those teams who qualified for the 2025 NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Phillips said the incentives will motivate women's players to improve their craft and sustain its recent success. He believes the ACC conference is the premier division for women's basketball due to the prominent teams like Notre Dame, NC State, Virginia Tech, Stanford and Syracuse. The commissioner hopes an ACC team will win the national title this season, as six teams are in ESPN's Top 25 of the way-too-early rankings.
The financial reward is an opportunity for the conference to incentivize the players behind the recent surge of women's basketball in quality of play, attendance and viewership.
#2 The scheduling format for West Coast teams
The expansion to 18 teams with the inclusion of SMU, California and Stanford has raised eyebrows among college basketball fans concerned about the schedules of teams in the conference.
During his talk to the media, Phillips addressed it, pointing out that the conference arranged a travel partner scheme wherein East Coast teams who were on the West Coast would play two games there and vice-versa.
Phillips warned that the scheduling measure wouldn't be perfect but defended it by saying that it underwent a thorough review process. He will use this season as a basis for what they would do in the future, and the ACC will be open to feedback from student-athletes and the whole conference.
#3 Fixing an undervalued conference — by Jim Phillips' standards
A question concerning Jim Phillips' previous observation on ACC basketball being undervalued was asked in the portion. Phillips clarified that it's just a personal observation and wouldn't affect the conference's status as one of the premier basketball conferences in the nation.
He pointed out that the ACC teams' representation in previous NCAA Tournaments stood at five over the last three years and pledged to fix the situation.
Phillips noted that he had a chance to talk with men's and women's basketball officials. They created a plan to promote the conference further and urged the 18 teams to win their games to secure more invitations to the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
#4 ACC chief pledges to rework governance structure
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips promised to rework the conference's governance structure, particularly on handling violations of student-athlete compensation.
Monday's ruling by Judge Claudia Wilken, which granted preliminary approval to the terms of an antitrust settlement, helped college athletes move closer to the possibility of getting paid directly by the schools they represent.
The deal also eliminates school restrictions on allowing direct payments to student-athletes. If a settlement is finalized, schools will be mandated to give a certain amount of financial compensation to student-athletes starting next year.
Phillips pledged to continually support the players' welfare amid the reality that only a select few will continue in the professional ranks. He promised to help the athletes turn their sports experiences into great ones this season.
#5 Phillips open for another NCAA Tournament expansion
Citing instances where some ACC teams weren't chosen in the 68-team NCAA Tournament, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips is open to allowing more teams to participate in the knockout tournament.
He believes that it would create more opportunities for other teams to have a chance to surprise by winning the national title. However, Phillips pointed out that by the end of the day, teams should do their part in getting the much-coveted tournament bid from the selection committee.
That's regardless of the available metrics that measure the strength of the conference and programs during the season.
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