CHAPEL HILL – It’s official. Notre Dame will play basketball as a member of the ACC next year.

Big East presidents gathered Tuesday morning to vote on allowing the Irish to depart the conference effective July 1. This announcement comes amidst the deterioration of the old Big East, but while it’s making a major shift, it’s not going away.

Seven schools within the conference—known as the ‘Catholic Seven’—have agreed to take the Big East name and create a new basketball-dominated conference. According to ESPN, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Villanova will possibly be joined by Butler, Creighton, Dayton, St. Louis, and Xavier to create the 12-member league.

It was known that Notre Dame was coming to the ACC since September. The announcement was made by the school’s president Father John Jenkins and athletic director Jack Swarbrick at a press conference with the ACC held in Chapel Hill. Notre Dame was expected to have to pay an exit fee of $2.5 million to leave before 2015, but because the school did not request any of the league’s revenue from entrance and exit fees in the last few years, no exit fee is necessary.

In October, the ACC announced changes in the schedule to accommodate for the addition of Notre Dame as well as Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The 16-member league in basketball will see 18-game conference schedules—just as they did this year—but will only play two teams twice. North Carolina is paired with Duke and NC State; Duke is paired with UNC and Wake Forest; and NC State has UNC and Wake Forest.

Comment from ACC Commissioner John Swofford:
“Our conference, schools and fans are delighted that Notre Dame will join the ACC on July 1, 2013. The addition of Notre Dame, Pitt and Syracuse, followed by Louisville in 2014, positions us extremely well with an outstanding collection of 15 member institutions.”
“As was previously announced, our annual five games against Notre Dame in football will begin with the 2014 season. This not only will enhance our league’s already ambitious football schedules but also will provide terrific fan excitement.”
“From a basketball perspective, the level of competition will be second to none. As we look towards the future, there’s no denying that ACC Basketball will continue to set even higher standards of excitement and excellence. The competition will be brutal, which is a great thing for our league and fans.”
Comment from Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame Vice President and Director of Athletics:
“Notre Dame now looks forward with great anticipation to becoming a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. We are thrilled to join a great group of institutions who share our commitment to the integration of athletics into the academic mission of the university. Our coaches and student-athletes across our athletic programs are truly excited about the new challenges ahead.”
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