Verizon Center Puts In Bid For ACC Tournament

For those who are disgusted with the mere thought of Syracuse playing on Georgetown's home court, you might want to stop reading now. According to the Washington Post, the Verizon Center has put in a bid to host the ACC Tournament.

With Syracuse and Pittsburgh soon joining the ACC, moving the tournament location north would make sense. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Verizon Center is among the venues to file a request for proposal to host the tournament, which will continue to feature all ACC teams, even with conference expansion.

Because of the competitive nature of such talks, the individual declined to give the specific years for which the Verizon Center has put in a bid. The Washington arena last hosted the ACC tournament in 2005.

Earlier today at Big East media day, Commissioner Mike Aresco mentioned that the Big East and Madison Square Garden were putting the final touches on a new 10-year deal that would keep the game's premiere Conference tournament in the World's Most Famous Arena through the 2025-26 season.

The next three ACC tournaments will be held in Greensboro, North Carolina, and 18 of the ACC's 23 conference tournaments have been held in that state. With the ACC's expansion to include Big East lame ducks Syracuse and Pitt next season, it makes sense for the ACC to seek a larger venue in a bigger city, and a rotation among Charlotte, Atlanta and DC has been discussed.

Surely Verizon Center owner and Georgetown alum Ted Leonsis, who famously heeded our call for salt on the concourses of the arena, wouldn't willingly subject DC to throngs of Syracuse fans, would he? Then again, perhaps this is all part of his master plan to use some of the ACC tournament revenue to build Georgetown the grandest new athletic facility on the face of the planet.