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Odds to Win the ACC Tourney

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Sportsbook customers who follow and bet on college basketball may be looking for an eventual Final Four team to come out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, where North Carolina has taken a huge dip but Duke remains strong, and a few teams which strangling defense look to grind out a surprise tournament win.

Odds To Win ACC Tournament - March 11-14, Greensboro


  • Boston College +2500
  • Clemson +1100
  • Duke -130
  • Florida State +600
  • Georgia Tech +1400
  • Maryland +200
  • North Carolina +1400
  • Virginia Tech +800
  • Wake Forest +1100
  • Field +1400

The Blue Devils of DUKE (26-5 SU, 18-11-1 ATS), listed at -130 to win the ACC, are a team with a motivation unlike some others in the conference tournaments, in that they would be seeking a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they can win the ACC tourney. Like most of Coach K's Duke teams, this one emphasizes outside shooting and scoring over size, and the versatile Kyle Singler can hit from the outside, along with guards Nolan Smith and Jon Scheyer (all of them are 38% or better from beyond the arc). These guys can all hit their free throws too. Seven-footer Brian Zoubek is not without talent, but make no mistake - there is no real shot-blocker in the middle. You probably won't have a lot of success running up and down the court with them, but if you can outmuscle Duke, you have a chance to beat them.

MARYLAND (+200 to win the ACC) may not be the team that roughs them up a little (Zoubek had 16 points and 17 rebounds against them in one game), but the Terrapins did beat Duke a week ago, getting outstanding play from guards like Greivis Vasquez, who provides as much leadership on the floor as anyone in the country, and Eric Hayes and Sean Mosley, both of whom hit better than 50% from the field. In fact, of the Terps' top six scorers, five of them have hit at least half their shots.

VIRGINIA TECH (+800 to win the ACC) has had enough near-misses in terms of making the NCAA's that Seth Greenberg doesn't want to leave anything to chance if he doesn't have to. The offense pretty much runs through leading scorer Malcolm Delaney (20.9 ppg), who will often be the best player on the floor but can also be erratic (39.8% FG's). The Hokies don't shoot all that well as a team, but they are going to pull a lot of stops (39.8% FG's allowed).

FLORIDA STATE (+600 to win the ACC) is a strange entry here because the Seminoles might have to a little more to assure themselves a berth in the NCAA Tournament field. What's also strange is that FSU is one of the very best defensive teams in the land (allowing 37.2% field goals and 58.1 points a game), but they can't seem to cover in the NCAA basketball odds (8-17 ATS). That's because after the departure of do-everything guard Toney Douglas (who went in the first round of the NBA Draft) they have a problem putting points together.

CLEMSON (+1100 to win the ACC) scored a total of only 100 points in two meetings against Duke, and losing the regular season finale to Wake Forest may have put them on the bubble. The Tigers have a few big wins, one of them an out-of-conference triumph against Butler, and they create a lot of turnovers with pressure. But they also don't have a long-range shooting element (26% from beyond the arc).

WAKE FOREST (+1100 to win the ACC) clearly wasn't playing its best basketball down the stretch, losing four of its last five games, and the defeats to North Carolina and North Carolina State were painful. Wake Forest commits to many turnovers and have enough bad shooting days to offset the 38% field goal percentage they allow. They can't afford a first-round exit (they play Miami first).

NORTH CAROLINA (+1400 to win the ACC) have demonstrated that Roy Williams isn't such a genius when he had only two or three blue chippers on the roster rather than seven or eight. They're not a factor.

BOSTON COLLEGE (+2500 to win the ACC) has filled the huge vacuum left by the departure of Tyrese Rice, and the response has been some interesting offensive balance, with four starters averaging in double figures. BC doesn't really do anything exceedingly well, except maybe rebound on the offensive end (13 per game). The Eagles obviously don't have enough wins to make the NCAA field without a win in this tourney, but they won't see the post-season at all if they can not beat Virginia in their opening game.

VIRGINIA (part of Field bet at +1400) is an interesting proposition. The Cavaliers have to try and win a couple of games in order to punch a ticket to one of the other tournaments, the NIT or CBI. They can be trouble because, under first-year coach Tony Bennett, they are able to control tempo and take care of the ball as well as any team in the conference.

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