The ACC is perennially the best basketball conference in the country. Blue bloods like Duke and North Carolina are almost always among the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament, and the conference is responsible for five of the last 10 national champions. More than half of the teams in the ACC are likely to make it to the NCAA Tournament on Selection Sunday, and a few teams are looking to play their way into the field with a strong performance in Charlotte. The ACC Tournament will last from March 12 to March 16.
ACC Tournament Favorites
Virginia, North Carolina, and Duke are going to be the favorites to win the conference tournament. The Cavaliers went 16-2 in the ACC this year, and their two losses were at the hands of Duke while the Blue Devils still had a healthy Zion Williamson. They beat everyone else in the conference with relative ease, and they have the best defense in the ACC too. Virginia took down the conference title last season, and as the No. 1 seed, the Wahoos should be the favorites to win back-to-back titles as they won’t face Duke or North Carolina until the ACC Championship Game.
The Tar Heels are the No. 2 seed, and that means they will likely go up against a slumping Louisville team. UNC has turned it on over the last month, and the Tar Heels are starting to show why they were considered title contenders with Luke Maye and Cameron Johnson back for their senior seasons. Few teams have the size to outmuscle UNC on the boards.
If Zion is back in action, Duke is likely to be favored in every game at the ACC Tournament. However, we still don’t know whether he will return in Charlotte, or if Coach K and the Blue Devils will save him for the NCAA Tournament. Without Zion, Duke has been unable to beat the ACC’s heavyweights, losing twice to North Carolina and once to Virginia Tech. His availability is paramount to Duke’s chances.
ACC Tournament Contenders
Florida State is the No. 4 seed and getting that spot was huge for the Seminoles. FSU will now get a double bye into the ACC Quarterfinals where they will be more rested than their opponent. The Seminoles have only won the ACC Tournament once in their 28 years in the conference (back in 2012), and they are unlikely to take it down this year. Although the have a very good defense, I think Virginia Tech will upset them in the quarterfinals provided they beat either Miami or Wake Forest on Wednesday.
Speaking of the Hokies, they are looking like a sleeper. They were unable to beat FSU in Tallahassee to get the No. 4 seed, but they took the Seminoles to overtime on the road and they beat Duke just a couple weeks ago. Virginia Tech has been lights out from three, hitting nearly 40 percent from range on the year, and that’s usually the key to pulling off upsets in March.
ACC Tournament Teams That Need Wins
Louisville and Syracuse are probably on the right side of the bubble, but both teams likely need one win in Charlotte to punch their ticket to the dance. Both teams are 19-12 and 10-8 in conference with multiple quality wins on their resume, and they will each have a chance to get to 20 wins against a sub-.500 team on Wednesday. It’s hard to see either team winning more than their first game though with Louisville losing six of its last eight and Syracuse losing four of its last five.
The Second Round noon game between North Carolina State and Clemson could very well be for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack and Tigers both have marginal resumes and finished 9-9 in conference play during the regular season, so the Selection Committee could play both these teams off each other. Neither has been impressive against Quad 1 opponents, and the winner will likely be hammered by Virginia the following day.
ACC Tournament Longshots
The No. 10 to No. 15 seeds in the ACC Tournament all finished below .500 and must win five games in five days to go to the NCAA Tournament. Whenever Georgia Tech, Boston College, Miami, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame lose their seasons are over, so it’s do or die.
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