March Madness ACC Conference Rundown
While this is hardly the best Virginia team in recent member, the Cavaliers would love to sweep the season series against Duke and that would go a long way towards securing the Cavaliers a spot in the March Madness bracket.
While Duke has a one-game lead at the top of the ACC standings, Clemson, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State are tied for last (or 13th if you happen to be a glass-half-full type of person) in the conference standings.
North Carolina (+10000), coming off a seven-point win against Louisville, trails only Duke in the national championship odds according to the March Madness predictions.
Game of the Week
Duke Blue Devils at Virginia Cavaliers
- Date, time, TV: Wednesday, February 23, 7:00 p.m ET ESPN
This has been one competitive series with five of the last six games decided by either one of two points.
Virginia has won two of the last three meetings including a one-point win as an 11-point road underdog on February 7. The Cavaliers have covered in four of the last six meetings.
Duke (23-4, 13-3 in the ACC) has won four games in a row and nine of 10 and heading into this game. The Blue Devils lead Notre Dame by a game in the ACC standings as MIke Krzyzewski goes after the ACC title in his final season. Notably, Duke has lost four games to unranked teams this season.
Hall of Fame Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski makes his final visit to the Commonwealth when #UVA hosts the No. 9 Blue Devils on Wednesday. Coach K is 102-29 against Virginia schools at Duke.
Here are five of his most memorable matchups. Which is your favorite?https://t.co/Qu0Zma9UmD— Mike Barber (@RTD_MikeBarber) February 22, 2022
Virginia (17-10, 11-6) is one of many ACC teams with work to do to improve the chances of earning an NCAA tournament bid. The Cavaliers are coming on strong with five wins in their last six games, and Virginia covered in each of those victories. Virginia is 5-1 in the last six games determined by five points or less.
Duke leads the ACC in scoring averaging 80.7 points per game, while Virginia leads in scoring defense (60.1 points allowed per game).
Duke (-1100) continues to pull away from the competition in the odds to win the ACC title. Notre Dame is next at +700. The Blue Devils (+1400) have the fifth-best odds to win the national championship according to March Madness odds.
Here is a look at the other ACC games coming up on Tuesday and Wednesday with some trends to help those who bet online.
Miami Hurricanes at Pittsburgh Panthers
- Date, time, TV: Tuesday, February 22, 8:00 p.m ET ACC Network
Each game it looks like Miami is about to challenge for the ACC lead, and then the Hurricanes stumble. Three of its conference losses came when the Las Vegas odds listed Miami as the favorite. The Hurricanes are just 3-3 against the spread in their last six games.
Pittsburgh (11-16, 6-11) began to show signs of life with a three-game winning streak including an upset at North Carolina as a 13½-point underdog but that ended with a home loss to Georgia Tech. The Panthers have covered in three of their last four contests. Nine of the Panthers’ 11 wins have come at home.
Miami (19-8, 11-5) snapped a two-game losing streak to Pittsburgh with a six-point road win in 2021. The Hurricanes have covered in four of the last five meetings while seven of the last nine meetings went under the total.
One major difference between the teams is that Miami leads the ACC in turnover margin (+4.15) while Pittsburgh is last in that category (-3.07).
Boston College Eagles at North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Date, time, TV: Wednesday, February 23, 7:00 p.m ET ACC Network
North Carolina State has won four of the last five match-ups with Boston College although the Eagles have covered against the college basketball spreads in four of the last six meetings.
The last three times the teams met in Raleigh, the margin of victory was just four, nine and three points. Four of the last six games between the teams finished over the total.
Boston College (10-16, 5-11) snapped a five-game losing streak in Monday’s 71-55 win against Florida State.
The Eagles have covered in three of their last four games while four of the last five went under the total.
North Carolina State (11-16 4-12) hasn’t played in more than a week although the Wolf Pack did snap a six-game losing streak by winning 76-61 at Georgia Tech as a 1½-point underdog. The Wolf Pack is one of two ACC teams with losing records at home.
Boston College connected on 11 3-pointers in the win against Florida State. North Carolina State ranks last in the ACC in scoring defense allowing 74.3 points per game.
Syracuse Orange at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Date, time, TV: Wednesday, February 23, 7:00 p.m ET ACC Network
Syracuse is looking for its third straight win against Notre Dame and the Orange have covered in three of the last four meetings with three of those games going over the total.
Syracuse (15-12, 9-7) has won six of its last seven games and covered in five of those matchups. Additionally, they’ve won the last two match-ups played in South Bend.
Notre Dame (19-8, 12-4) is 6-1 at home in ACC play although the Fighting Irish failed to cover in each of the last three home games. A five-point loss at Wake Forest on Saturday knocked Notre Dame out of a tie for first place in the ACC. The last three Notre Dame games have gone over the total.
Buddy Boeheim and his brother Jimmy were just 11 of 37 from the field against Georgia Tech on Monday, but the Orange still escaped with a one-point win in overtime. The Boeheim brothers and Notre Dame’s Dane Goodwin are among the top players in the ACC in minutes played per game.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Clemson Tigers
- Date, time, TV: Wednesday, February 23, 7:00 p.m ET ACC Network
After dropping its previous two games by a combined total of six points, Wake Forest got a much-needed win against Notre Dame on Saturday. It was just the second time in the last six games that the Demon Deacons covered while four of their last five games went under the total.
Clemson has lost six games in a row and is 1-4-1 against the spread in those contests. Four of the last five Clemson games finished over the total.
Clemson (12-15, 4-12) has won 13 of the last 15 matchups with Wake Forest including eight in a row at home. Only one of the last four games in the series was decided by single digits.
Wake Forest (21-7, 11-6) is just 5-4 on the road. The Demon Deacons top the ACC in field-goal percentage (48.4) while Clemson is second in defensive rebounding percentage (.762).
Virginia Tech Hokies at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Date, time, TV: Wednesday, February 23, 9:00 p.m ET ACC Network
Virginia Tech is looking to rebound after its six-game winning streak ended with an eight-point loss to North Carolina with the Hokies a 4½-point favorite at home. Each of Virginia Tech’s last four games went under the total.
Georgia Tech (11-16, 4-12) has lost four of its last five contests although it has covered in the last two.
Virginia Tech’s win on February 2 snapped a two-game losing streak to Georgia Tech and was the first time the Hokies covered in the series in five games.
Virginia Tech (16-11, 8-8) has won three of the last four games hosted by Georgia Tech while three of the last four games went over the total. The Hokies are just 5-5 on the road this season.
The Hokies lead the ACC in 3-point percentage (.400) while Georgia Tech is second in the conference in 3-point percentage defense (30.5)
