Big 12 Basketball: 3 ACC schools to add in conference expansion

North Carolina

If the Big 12 were hypothetically looking to expand its footprint to have a greater presence on the east coast, the most appealing expansion candidate from the ACC would be the North Carolina Tar Heels. UNC is a big brand with strong athletics and academics and a TV market that would be valuable to the Big 12.

That’s not to mention the recruiting pipeline in the Carolinas that breeds a lot of football, basketball, and baseball talent.

UNC’s calling card is obviously men’s hoops. This is one of the premier blue-blood brands in men’s college basketball, boasting more than 2,300 wins all-time, six titles, and 21 Final Four appearances. UNC’s football and baseball programs would also bring a lot to the table for the Big 12.

The Big 12 hypothetically adding a package deal of UNC and Virginia or UNC and the Duke Blue Devils would immediately make it the clear-cut best basketball conference in America. It would also give the Big 12 the best and most-watched rivalry in college hoops if it added UNC and Duke.

UNC-Virginia is also among the more hotly-contested east coast rivalries in college hoops.

Moreover, among the ACC member schools, UNC is one of the most valuable. In a hypothetical world where the Big 12 adds UNC, the Tar Heels would immediately be the most valuable brand in the conference.

From UNC’s perspective, if the ACC were to face a fate similar to that of the PAC-12 in the near future, the school would look to join another power conference as soon as possible. ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported in June 2023 that UNC would be “coveted” by the Big Ten and SEC in possible conference expansion talks.

Given the Big 12’s expansion solidifying its future, it could also be an option hypothetically for the Tar Heels if the school was open to future realignment talks with the conference.