The ACC was the first Division I conference to conduct a Women’s Basketball Tournament, leading the way for countless opportunities for female student-athletes. The first ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament took place in 1978 at University Hall on the campus of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and included seven teams: Clemson, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia and Wake Forest. There have been seven different tournament champions over the last 39 ACC Women’s Basketball Tournaments: Clemson, Duke Maryland, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame and Virginia. The tournament has seen incredible growth over the last 40 years, not just in terms of the number of teams participating, as it’s gone from seven to 15 teams over the years, but with attendance and television exposure. Following the inception of the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament, the league followed with conference tournaments for all of its women’s sports it sponsors.