Last month, during the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips sat beside Clemson athletic director Graham Neff. In a normal year, this situation would be standard operating procedure: The pair, likely assigned to this seating arrangement by the NCAA, might be sharing small talk and celebration as the Tigers beat New Mexico 77-56. After all, their first win—in what would become an Elite Eight run—was good for both the conference’s image and its finances, thanks to the tournament prize money system referred to as “units.”

But, nearly a year removed from last summer’s major wave of realignment, the vibe was decidedly icy. The two did little more than acknowledge each other’s presence when Neff sat down midway through the first half; otherwise, they “weren’t particularly chatty,” according to one reporter on the ground. Another reporter likened the scene to a botched wedding seating chart. Neff got up at halftime and never returned.