ACC approves Pitt, Syracuse membership

• Tweet

GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The Atlantic Coast Conference says it formally invited Syracuse and the University of Pittsburgh to join the league, raising the number of member schools to 14.

The ACC Council of Presidents voted unanimously in North Carolina this weekend to extend the invitations after reviewing the applications submitted by the two Big East schools, the conference said in a written statement Sunday.

"Both schools are committed to competing at the highest level of academics and athletics," said Richard Broadhead, chairman of the Council of Presidents. "We welcome them as full partners in the ACC."

The announcement did not specify when the Panthers and Orange would start playing in the ACC.

ACC Commissioner John Swofford added the new members will bolster the conference's reach in New York and Pennsylvania, and also "geographically bridge our footprint between Maryland and Massachusetts."

The chancellor and president of Syracuse, Nancy Cantor, said joining the ACC would improve the entire university's national image, particularly in the South and the New York City area.