ACC Tournament Preview: Prediction, Bracket, Odds, Standings and Schedule
By Ben Heisler
![The ACC Men's Basketball Tournament begins from Brooklyn, New York this Tuesday, March 8th at the Barclays Center. The ACC Men's Basketball Tournament begins from Brooklyn, New York this Tuesday, March 8th at the Barclays Center.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3796,h_2135,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/426/01fxk5gk4tqdcnxxe87c.jpg)
It's been a down year for the ACC, with only five projected teams likely to make the NCAA men's tournament in 2022.
Those five teams include the favorite Duke Blue Devils, who enter as the clear No. 1 seed and favorite at -125 odds to win the ACC Tournament. North Carolina, who defeated the Blue Devils in Coach Mike Krzyzewski's farewell game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, are a distant second at odds of +575.
Notre Dame (+950), Miami (+1000), and Wake Forest round out the remaining five seeds, while Virginia Tech, currently right in the thick of the bubble conversation, enters at +1000.
Here are the full list of odds to win the ACC Tournament over at WynnBET Sportsbook:
ACC Tournament Odds
- Duke -125
- North Carolina +575
- Notre Dame +950
- Wake Forest +950
- Miami +1000
- Virginia Tech +1000
- Virginia +2500
- Florida State +4000
- Syracuse +6000
- Clemson +10000
- Louisville +50000
- Boston College +50000
- Pittsburgh +50000
- Georgia Tech +50000
- NC State +50000
ACC Tournament Bracket and Standings
ACC Tournament bracket ⬇️
— Cooper Watson (@coopertwatson) March 6, 2022
Champ Week is here!! pic.twitter.com/DOJHcN8wdc
First round action tips off on Tuesday, March 8 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as No. 12 Pittsburgh and No. 13 Boston College begin at 2 p.m. ET. They'll be followed by No. 10 Clemson against No. 15 N.C. State at 4:30 p.m. ET, followed by the late game of No. 11 Louisville against No. 14 Georgia Tech.
The top four seeds of Duke (1) Notre Dame (2), UNC (3) and Miami (4) all receive a double-bye into Thursday's quarterfinals, with the championship game on Saturday, March 12.
ACC Tournament Prediction and Pick
With only three games needed, Duke is a cut above the rest and a fairly straight forward pick to take home the ACC Tournament. Even at minus-odds, it feels like a fair price from the oddsmakers who see Duke as a clear-cut 2-seed, who could potentially move their way up and find themselves in a favorable region by the Selection Committee come Sunday.
The Blue Devils offense is fast, explosive, and beats you up inside. They rank first in the conference and fifth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency, first in offensive rebounding, second in three point shooting, and third in effective field goal percentage.
On defense, the Blue Devils also rank at the top of the conference, while also holding opposing offenses to less than 30% from the three-point line.
Via KenPom, the Blue Devils have a 48.6% chance of winning the championship. North Carolina is second at 13.6%.
ACC pic.twitter.com/ptd4zEfsph
— Ken Pomeroy (@kenpomeroy) March 6, 2022
Given all the pressure from Coach K's last home game and losing to their hated rival, I think this is the opportunity for the Blue Devils to play as loose and care-free as we've seen from them all season.
With a down year in the ACC, the Blue Devils stand above the rest. Once they win the conference tournament, then we can fade them come NCAA Tournament time!
PICK: Duke -125
ACC Tournament Dark Horse
Virginia Tech may be a 7-seed, but they're a bubble team that's had a very good season under Mike Young in Blacksburg, especially as of late.
The Hokies have only lost two games since January 26th and own a very impressive Net Rating of +13.5 this season, ranking in the 88th percentile of college basketball via CBB Analytics.
If they only had to play three games, they would be my pick to win it all based on the value on the board, but to have to win four, and likely do it with less rest against a Duke squad that's top 5 in KenPom adjusted efficiency margin (top 5 in offense, top 27 in defense) is a fairly daunting task.
Plus, should Virginia Tech make it to the championship game anyway, they'd be a near lock to make the field as an at-large team, so the pressure immediately goes away.
At 10/1 odds, the Hokies are worth a shot in the dark.
LEAN: Virginia Tech +1000
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