ACC Men’s College Basketball Tournament Picks & Predictions
Written March 9, 2009 by Jack Jones
The pairings have been announced for the 2009 ACC Basketball Tournament, with 2-time defending champion North Carolina again seeded #1. Tournament action starts this Thursday, March 12th, and runs until the championship game on Sunday afternoon, March 15th. The winner of the tournament will gain an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and while not big for top seeds like UNC, Wake Forest, or Duke, a conference tournament championship may be the only way a team like Maryland or NC State makes the Big Dance. Here’s a look at the three favorites to win the ACC tournament and a dark horse that I think has a legitimate shot of making a run for the conference tournament championship.
North Carolina Tar Heels (13-3 ACC, 27-3 Overall)
North Carolina lost just 3 games all season, and while you’d have to be crazy not to mark them down as the favorites in this tournament, all three of those regular season losses did come during conference play. The Tar Heels finished out their regular season with a monster win over Duke for the regular season ACC title, but Tyler Hansbrough and company would love to sweep the tournament bracket as well and make the conference champions title unanimous. Everyone knows about Hansbrough’s prowess on the court, but players like Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington, and Danny Green can all take over on the offensive side of the ball if need be. Anything can happen in college basketball, but the smart money in this tournament is on North Carolina. Bet the Tar Heels in the ACC tournament this year.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (11-5 ACC, 24-5 Overall)
Wake Forest earned the #2 seed in the ACC tournament and as one of only 3 teams to beat North Carolina this year, you have to like their chances of making a run. I really like how the Deacons are coming into the tournament, winning 4 conference games in a row, but what concerns me about this team is that they have played down to their opponents at times. With that being said, this is flat-out one of the most talented teams in the nation and they should not be overlooked as potential winners of the ACC tournament this year.
Duke Blue Devils (11-5 ACC, 25-6 Overall)
It was another successful year for the Duke Blue Devils overall, but two losses to arch-rival North Carolina over the past month can’t be sitting well with the team going into the conference tournament. The Blue Devils also suffered a loss at the hands of the #2 seed in the tournament, Wake Forest, but they have consistently shown they are in the same class as the top two seeds. The real question for Duke is whether or not they can beat one of these teams if they meet again in the tournament, which is a likely possibility.
Sleeper:Â Boston College Eagles (9-7 ACC, 21-10 Overall)
I know it’s a bit of a stretch to find a “sleeper” team in the ACC, but Boston College has flown under the radar in the conference all year. As a team that has the distinction of beating both Duke and North Carolina during the regular season, I like the long odds on Boston College to get hot at the right time and make a run for the championship. My one knock on them is that Wake Forest destroyed them both times that they met in the regular season, but under the right circumstances there is no reason BC can’t make a legitimate run.
ACC Tournament Prediction: Take North Carolina
Looking to do some college basketball betting this tournament season? Check out these great NCAA basketball picks and view the latest NCAA basketball lines for all the tournament games at Betfirms.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- ACC Tournament Futures: College Basketball Odds
- North Carolina at Wake Forest: College Basketball Odds & Predictions
- Rocketman’s ACC & SEC Tournament Previews
- College Basketball Power Rankings: Championship Week
- NCAA Tournament Predictions: ACC
One Response to “ACC Men’s College Basketball Tournament Picks & Predictions”
Got something to say?
Forget UNC Wake Forest all the way. We’ve beat UNC once we’ll do it again.
Reply