ACC Tournament Preview: Duke and Everyone Else

The championship game is on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Here is a team-by-team look at the ACC tournament field with the Madness Madness odds included.

Team to Beat Duke Blue Devils

• Record: 26-5
• ACC record: 16-4
• Last ACC tournament title: 2019
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: -140
• Odds to win national title: -1000
• NET ranking: 9
• What you should know: Each of Duke’s last three games went over the Las Vegas odds total.

Duke’s strength of schedule and especially the less-than-stellar state of affairs in the ACC this season will certainly hurt the Blue Devils when the bracket is announced. Duke’s humbling loss to North Carolina in retiring head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium stings a bit, but a wake-up call right before the start of the postseason isn’t the worst thing in the world.

Challengers to Watch

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

• Record: 22-9
• ACC record: 15-5
• Last ACC tournament title: 2015
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +800
• Odds to win national title: +15000
• NET ranking: 50
• What you should know: Notre Dame has covered in four of its last five games.

The No. 2 seed won’t have the easiest path to the title with Virginia Tech and North Carolina, two of the hottest teams in the conference, on the Fighting Irish’s half of the bracket. While the competition level is different, Notre Dame’s Paul Atkinson does have a track record of postseason success dating back to his days playing for Ivy League juggernaut Yale.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

• Record: 23-8
• ACC record: 13-7
• Last ACC tournament title: 1996
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +800
• Odds to win national title: +20000
• NET ranking: 39
• What you should know: Each of the Demon Deacons’ last four games went over the total.

The competition level wasn’t the greatest but Wake Forest did end the regular season by putting up 99 and 101 points in its last two games. It might be hard to match those numbers in the postseason, but it does make the Demon Deacons a team to look out for. A potential quarterfinal matchup with Miami could be fun to watch but a hard one to predict for those who bet online.

North Carolina Tar Heels

• Record: 23-8
• ACC record: 15-5
• Last ACC tournament title: 2016
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +800
• Odds to win national title: +12500
• NET ranking: 33
• What you should know: North Carolina is 5-2 against the college basketball spreads in its last seven games.

North Carolina was looking like a longshot to be a part of the March Madness bracket a few weeks ago, but the Tar Heels head into the postseason on a five-game winning streak, capped by a 13-point win at Duke in their regular-season finale. The win against Duke and blowout victory against Michigan earlier in the season is proof that the Tar Heels can play with anybody, but there are enough results that also indicate that they can lose to anybody as well.

Virginia Tech Hokies

• Record: 19-12
• ACC record: 11-9
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +1000
• Odds to win national title: +10000
• NET ranking: 37
• What you should know: Seven of the Hokies’ last eight games finished under the total.

The loss to Clemson in the final game of the regular season was a head scratcher, but Virginia Tech did win seven of its last nine games to put the Hokies in position to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Most of those wins did come against the bottom half of the ACC, but there is something to be said for picking up victories when they matter the most.

Miami Hurricanes

• Record: 22-9
• ACC record: 14-6
• Last ACC tournament title: 2013
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +1200
• NET ranking: 59
• What you should know: Miami has covered against the spread in six of its last eight games.

Perhaps no team in the ACC has a tendency of playing up or down to the level of competition more than the Hurricanes. Each time Miami would appear to be on the verge of challenging Duke for the regular-season conference title, the Hurricanes would put together a clunker. The good news for Miami is that the fourth-seeded Hurricanes won’t see nemesis Florida State unless the Seminoles upset Duke.

Virginia Cavaliers

• Record: 18-12
• ACC record: 12-8
• Last ACC tournament title: 2018
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +1400
• NET ranking: 77
• What you should know: Virginia has covered in six of its last nine games.

Virginia has allowed the fewest points per game in the ACC, although the Cavaliers are just sixth in field goal percentage defense, so part of the impressive defensive numbers can be attributed to Virginia’s methodical style of play. No. 6 seed Virginia gets either Louisville or Georgia Tech in its first tournament game.

So you’re saying there’s a chance?

Syracuse Orange

• Record: 15-16
• ACC record: 9-11
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +4000
• Odds to win national title: +13000
• NET ranking: 94
• What you should know: Syracuse is 0-5 against the spread in its last five games.

Syracuse has lost its last four games and if the Orange happen to get by Florida State in their tournament opener, Duke is waiting in the quarterfinals. The last time Syracuse and Duke squared off, the Orange lost by 25 points at home.

Louisville Cardinals

• Record: 12-18
• ACC record: 6-14
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +5000
• NET ranking: 137
• What you should know: The total has gone under in five of the last seven contests for the Cardinals.

Plenty of questions surround Louisville, which made a coaching change during the season, but the Cardinals struggled regardless of who was the head coach.

Florida State Seminoles

• Record: 17-13
• ACC record: 10-10
• Last ACC tournament title: 2012
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +5000
• NET ranking: 99
• What you should know: Six of the Seminoles’ last seven games went over the total.

Florida State heads into the tournament on a three-game winning streak, including victories against Notre Dame and Virginia. If the Seminoles defeat Syracuse in their tournament opener, they will face Duke. FSU’s most noteworthy win of the season came on Jan. 18, when the Seminoles upset Duke 79-78.

Clemson Tigers

• Record: 16-15
• ACC record: 8-2
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +6600
• NET ranking: 86
• What you should know: The total has gone under in four of Clemson’s last five games

Leading scorer PJ Hall returned after missing three games. He averaged 22 points in the four games before he was sidelined.

North Carolina State Wolfpack

• Record: 11-20
• ACC record: 4-16
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +10000
• NET ranking: 146
• What you should know: The Wolfpack are 1-10 against the spread in their last 11 contests.

Leading scorer Dereon Seabron has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games. Teammate Terquavion Smith averaged 26 points in the last two games to earn ACC Freshman of the Week honors.

#ACCMBB Freshman of the Week ⬇️

Terquavion Smith. 💯

Smith (@PackMensBball) averaged 26 points + 3 rebounds + 2 assists in games against Wake Forest and Florida State. He was 10-for-20 from 3-point range for the week. 🔥

📰: https://t.co/tkiNRfPT3a pic.twitter.com/dGHmKRwOj0

— ACC Men’s Basketball (@accmbb) March 7, 2022

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

• Record: 12-19
• ACC record: 5-15
• Last ACC tournament title: 2021
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +10000
• NET ranking: 158
• What you should know: Georgia Tech is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games.

Georgia Tech avoided finishing in last place in the ACC by topping Boston College in overtime in its final regular-season game behind 30 points from Jordan Usher.

Pittsburgh Panthers

• Record: 11-20
• ACC record: 6-14
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +20000
• NET ranking: 193
• What you should know: The Panthers have covered in one of their last five games.

Pittsburgh’s last three games in the regular season saw the Panthers lose by 21, 30 and 24 points. The Panthers did split two games with Boston College, which happens to be their first-round opponent.

Boston College Eagles

• Record: 11-19
• ACC record: 6-14
• Odds to win ACC Tournament: +20000
• NET ranking: 170
• What you should know: The total has gone under in eight of the Eagles’ last 12 games.

The Eagles won three of their last five games and also won their last meeting against Pittsburgh by 13 points.

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