The Atlantic 10 Conference will not "move the days of its conference tournament at the Barclays Center for the ACC in 2017 ... unless it gets a deal with the ACC that could include a non-conference scheduling agreement," according to a source cited by Andy Katz of ESPN.com. SI.com this morning reported that the ACC was close to reaching a multiyear deal to hold its tournament at the Brooklyn arena that could start as early as '17. The source said that Barclays "hasn't approached the A-10 about shortening" its five-year deal to play in the arena, which is scheduled to end in '17, and the A-10 "would not get out of the deal early." However, the source added that A-10 officials are "open to negotiating a deal" that would allow both conferences to play at Barclays in the same week in addition to the regular-season package of games. Under that arrangement, the A-10 would play before the ACC. The source said that the A-10 is not going to leave the arena or "give up the weekend dates unless there is a deal beneficial to the league" (ESPN.com, 3/14). In the initial report, SI.com's Pete Thamel reported the two-year deal between the ACC and Barclays was "expected to be completed by the end of the month." The ACC plays in Greensboro in '15 and DC in '16, but the conference's move to N.Y. has been "viewed within the conference as inevitable." It is expected that the league "will rotate" between N.Y. and North Carolina sites after '17. The ACC cannot move to MSG "in the immediate future" due to the venue's deal to host the Big East Tournament through '26. Considering the ACC's "recent northern expansion" with the addition of Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Notre Dame this season, the move to host the tournament in N.Y. "has been considered a natural transition" (SI.com, 3/14).
TURTLE POWER: In Atlanta, Ken Sugiura notes Maryland on Thursday was eliminated in the second round of the ACC Tournament by Florida State, "ending the Terrapins' stay at the conference's most visible event" before moving to the Big 10 next season. UM fans "came out in force," as the school "sold out its allotment of tickets." StubHub saw an 8% jump in tournament sales "compared with last year from purchasers in Maryland" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 3/14).
