Since July 1, 1961, the ACC's bylaws have included the phrase "and the winner shall be the conference champion" in referring to the tournament.[1] Accordingly, the teams listed below are the ACC men's basketball champions for the years indicated, and it is not technically correct to refer to them as the "tournament champions" insofar as that usage implies that there is some other championship. While it has become popular for the media (and fans of teams that finish first in the regular season but fail to win the tournament) to use the term "regular-season champions," such usage is not borne out by league rules.
