ACC commissioner informs basketball coaches Power Five not breaking away from NCAA

275133747_4796292347117549_592518599057046758_nby:Jonathan Wagner•05/10/22•

Jonathan Wagner

There is currently uncertainty surrounding the future of college athletics. The transfer portal and NIL developments have wreaked havoc on the sport over recent months, leading to some calling for wholesale changes to the current process. We have also seen conference realignment recently, leading to questions regarding the future of the Power Five in relation to the NCAA.

But now it appears that the Power Five conferences won’t be breaking way from the NCAA, at least not right now. According to Brandon Marcello of 247 Sports, Notre Dame head men’s basketball coach Mike Brey was told by ACC commissioner Jim Phillips that’s not part of any future plans.

“ACC commissioner Jim Phillips assured basketball coaches today the Power Five is not going to break away from the NCAA, says Notre Dame coach Mike Brey,” Marcello tweeted.

Realignment across the NCAA has shaken up Power Five conferences

The Big 12 is going to look different in a couple of years, however, with Texas and Oklahoma set to join the SEC. To replace the Sooners and Longhorns, the Big 12 is adding BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF.

Following that wave of movement, a shockwave of moves in lower conferences then began. There were even talks of the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 joining forces to rival the SEC, which many see as a “super conference.” Now that things have mostly settled, all eyes are on the future. Earlier in the year, Phillips opened up on the future of the ACC in the midst of all of the changes across the nation.

“There’s the entertainment piece of college athletics that we all know and love,” he said. “To me and the ACC, it’s pushing forward in those three areas in particular. Speaking only for the ACC, we’re incredibly excited about what we’ve seen, the possibilities and some of the work that’s been done in the past six months, but even more bullish on where this thing can go in the future and how the Alliance can be a part of the bigger picture of the future of college sports.”