The Big Four Tournament was an annual college basketball tournament played from 1971 to 1981 in Greensboro, North Carolina.[1] The field consisted of the "Big Four" North Carolina Atlantic Coast Conference schools: NC State Wolfpack, Duke Blue Devils, North Carolina Tar Heels, and Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The four previously participated in the Dixie Classic from 1949–1960.

Big Four Tournament
SportBasketball
Founded1971
Ceased1981
No. of teams4
CountryUnited States
Most titlesWake Forest (4)

The tournament was held in December,[2] before the holiday season started, and consisted of two rounds. Each team would play one other team. The two winners then played for the championship and the two losers would play for third place. The games did not count in the ACC standings, but did count on a team's overall seasonal record, as did their team and individual stats.[3]

The tournament came to an end in 1981, when participating schools and their coaches decided that the extra competition, aggravation of playing top conference rivals a third time each season, and the toll of all but one team getting one or more losses on its record so early in the season, outweighed their share of the gate and media revenues, substantial fan interest, and the chance to test themselves against the best in the ACC without the outcome affecting their conference records.

Games

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Years Round Winner Loser Score
1970–71 First Wake Forest Duke 83–77
First NC State North Carolina 82–70
Third Place North Carolina Duke 83–81
Championship NC State Wake Forest 73–70
1971–72 First NC State Duke 67–62
First North Carolina Wake Forest 99–76
Third Place Duke Wake Forest 70–58
Championship North Carolina NC State 99–68
1972–73 First North Carolina Duke 91–86
First NC State Wake Forest 88–83
Third Place Duke Wake Forest 80–67
Championship NC State North Carolina 68–61
1973–74 First Wake Forest Duke 64–61
First NC State North Carolina 78–77
Third Place North Carolina Duke 84–75
Championship NC State Wake Forest 91–73
1974–75 First Duke North Carolina 99–96 OT
First Wake Forest NC State 83–78
Third Place NC State North Carolina 82–67
Championship Wake Forest Duke 75–71
1975–76 First NC State Duke 104–95
First Wake Forest North Carolina 95–88
Third Place North Carolina Duke 77–74
Championship Wake Forest NC State 93–78
1976–77 First Wake Forest Duke 81–80
First North Carolina NC State 78–66
Third Place Duke NC State 84–82
Championship Wake Forest North Carolina 97–96
1977–78 First North Carolina Duke 79–66
First NC State Wake Forest 79–77
Third Place Duke Wake Forest 97–84
Championship North Carolina NC State 87–82
1978–79 First Duke NC State 65–63
First North Carolina Wake Forest 73–55
Third Place NC State Wake Forest 77–70
Championship Duke North Carolina 78–68
1979–80 First Duke Wake Forest 72–70
First North Carolina NC State 97–84
Third Place NC State Wake Forest 70–65
Championship Duke North Carolina 86–74
1980–81 First North Carolina Duke 78–76
First Wake Forest NC State 87–57
Third Place NC State Duke 74–60
Championship Wake Forest North Carolina 82–71

[4]

Championships

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Team Championships Record
Wake Forest 4 10–12
NC State  3 13–9
North Carolina 2 12–10
Duke 2 9–13

References

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  1. ^ "TheWolfpacker - NC State's in-state rivalries once included the Big Four Tournament". ncstate.rivals.com. January 18, 2018.
  2. ^ "Duke Men's Basketball vs. North Carolina -- Big Four Tournament, Greensboro, N. C. (December 19, 1970) (BB-000030)". Rubenstein Library. Archived from the original on 2020-02-28.
  3. ^ Fimrite, Ron. "Cry Wolf in Carolina". Sports Illustrated.
  4. ^ "College Basketball Statistics and History". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  5. ^ "Your Opinion? Remembering the Acc'S Big Four Tournament". collegehoopsdaily.com. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
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