2024 ACC Basketball Tournament
For a very long time, the Atlantic Coast Conference was the best in all of college basketball. That might not be the case any longer, but this is still the home of blue bloods like the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils. Until that changes, the ACC will always be relevant.
This conference also has quite a bit of depth this year, which adds some serious intrigue to the 2024 ACC men’s basketball tournament. This year’s event will take place at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., where Duke will be hoping to win for the second year in a row. Find out whether we think that’ll happen with our picks and predictions below.
How to Watch the ACC Tournament
When: March 12-16
Where: Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
Format: Seeding based on record in conference; all 15 teams will participate, top-four seeds receive byes to quarterfinals
Watch: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACCN; Championship Game on ESPN at 8:30 pm ET on Mar. 16
College Basketball Odds | College Basketball Betting Splits | Greg Peterson’s Daily Lines | Steve Makinen’s Power Ratings
ACC Tournament Bracket
ACC Tournament Seeds, Teams and Odds
1. North Carolina Tar Heels (+150)
2. Duke Blue Devils (+160)
3. Virginia Cavaliers (19-1)
4. Pittsburgh Panthers (12-1)
5. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+900)
6. Clemson Tigers (+850)
7. Syracuse Orange (65-1)
8. Virginia Tech Hokies (30-1)
9. Florida State Seminoles (100-1)
10. NC State Wolfpack (100-1)
11. Boston College Eagles (300-1)
12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (300-1)
13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (500-1)
14. Miami Hurricanes (150-1)
15. Louisville Cardinals (500-1)
(odds from DraftKings Sportsbook accurate at time of publish)
Favorite To Win ACC Tournament
After going 17-3 in conference play and sweeping Duke in the regular season, North Carolina is the betting favorite to win the ACC. However, it’s not by much. Duke is right there on the odds board and then there’s a significant drop to Clemson. But overall, Hubert Davis’ team has been a wagon for most of the year. The Tar Heels are a top-10 defensive team in the nation, and they have the scoring required to take advantage of that. The one-two punch of RJ Davis and Armando Bacot is as good as any in the country, and North Carolina has trustworthy role players surrounding those two. On top of that, the Tar Heels fanbase always travels well. So, they’ll be well represented in D.C. for this tournament.
ACC Tournament Darkhorse
Miami has been wildly disappointing all year, but it’s hard to rule out a Jim Larranaga-coached group. The Hurricanes went all the way to the Final Four last year, and the team brought back a decent number of pieces from that group.
Norchad Omier is the same wrecking ball around the basket that he has always been, and he added an outside jumper to his arsenal. However, Wooga Poplar and Nijel Pack, two of the key contributor’s from last year’s team, have missed time with injuries lately. That’s part of the reason this team hasn’t lived up to expectations. But Poplar is already back for the Hurricanes. Pack, who got banged up again a few days day ago, is probably doubtful to return this year. But Miami is the team to play if you want a long shot — especially considering the team has good guard depth. Bensley Joseph has been solid in bigger minutes, and Kyshawn George has NBA scouts drooling.
Miami gets Boston College and Clemson in its first two games, which is a manageable path to the quarterfinals. At that point, the Hurricanes would have the confidence and talent to compete with anyone. And these odds are good enough that you can hedge down the line.
Players to Watch in ACC Tournament
I mentioned RJ Davis and Armando Bacot earlier, but the two are absolutely tremendous. Davis led the ACC in scoring at 21.1 points per game, and Bacot led the conference in rebounds per game with 10.1. Davis is a big shotmaker and a guy that won’t be afraid of the moment. Meanwhile, Bacot is just a load around the basket. Not many teams have a guy that can prevent him from playing bully-ball in the paint. North Carolina also has an outstanding third piece in Harrison Ingram. He’s a versatile wing that can do whatever the Tar Heels need of him. It’s also hard to ignore Cormac Ryan, who is one of the best 3-point shooters in the conference. When teams overplay the others, Ryan is there to make them pay.
Duke is as loaded as any team in the country with Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, Jeremy Roach and Tyrese Proctor all being very good players. Filipowski was tied with Davis for second in the ACC in BPM, according to Bart Torvik. He’s a big man that can score the basketball in a variety of ways, and Duke runs a lot of offense through him. Meanwhile, McCain, Roach and Proctor make up a three-headed monster at the guard position. All three of them are capable of being the best guard on the floor on any given night. But McCain took his game to another level once December hit. He’ll have a moment or two in the postseason.
Virginia’s Reece Beekman led the conference in BPM and is a really fun player to watch. He’s a feisty point-of-attack defender and processes the game at a high level offensively. Virginia’s offense is always boring, but Beekman is a very good pick-and-roll ball handler. Isaac McKneely and Ryan Dunn are also very good for this Cavaliers team. McKneely is a fearless catch-and-shoot option. Every good team has one of those. And Dunn is arguably the best wing defender in all of college basketball.
Syracuse guard Judah Mintz is somebody that can get hot and help Syracuse do some damage in March. He had nine 20-point games once conference play hit, and that included a 25-point performance in a win over North Carolina in February. Mintz just needs to take care of the basketball. The Orange are a different team when he’s playing a mistake-free game.
Clemson forward PJ Hall has been as good as anybody in the conference this year. The big man averaged 18.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game for the Tigers in the regular season. He’s a relentless competitor that can do a bit of everything out there. He’s a guy that NBA teams are watching because of his improved ability to pick and pop but also make plays for his teammates. On top of that, he’s a very good shot blocker.
Wake Forest has a star in Gonzaga transfer Hunter Sallis. The Demon Deacons scored some big wins during the regular season, and Sallis’ fingerprints were all over them. Not many teams possess a three-level scorer quite like Sallis, and that type of player is valuable late in games.
Betting Pick to Win The ACC Tournament
Duke and North Carolina are a little too far ahead of the pack to actually suggest betting anybody else. However, I like the way the Tar Heels match up with the Blue Devils this year, so I’m riding with the classic Carolina blue this week.
Duke just doesn’t have much of an answer for Bacot’s brute strength around the basket. He’s a big part of the reason UNC was 2-0 against Duke this year. North Carolina also happens to be one of the few teams in the country with the guard play to match Duke. On top of that, the Tar Heels are just an incredible defensive team, and their ability to dig in late in games can’t be ignored. That ability to defend should prevent North Carolina from getting bounced on the way to the finals, and it should also be a key factor in a potential meeting with Duke. Would it be hard for the Tar Heels to beat the Blue Devils for a third time? Absolutely. But I can’t shake that I trust North Carolina just a little bit more.
Makinen Power Ratings for ACC
Check out the other previews in our 2024 College Basketball Conference Tournament Betting Guide.
