While the Atlantic Coast Conference itself expanded this year, the ACC tournament did not. The event size was held at 15 teams, meaning the bottom three finishers in the now 18-team league won’t make the trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. The tournament field does include all three of the conference’s new members. Curiously, it does not include the defending tournament champion.
North Carolina State, which turned last year’s improbable tourney title into an even more unlikely Final Four run, won’t be here this year. Neither will Miami (Fla.), just two years removed from a Final Four appearance of its own. The rapid downturn in the fortunes of those programs represents the plight of the league in microcosm, with numerous schools accustomed to hardwood success not faring well.
That is not to say the ACC won’t have an impact in the Big Dance. But as far as this usually marquee event is concerned, mostly NIT berths are on the line unless anyone outside the top three teams manages to break through.
BRACKETOLOGY:Fight for No. 1 seeds, bubble lead projected NCAA field
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ACC conference tournament schedule, bracket
First round
Tuesday, March 11
Notre Dame 55, Pittsburgh 54
California 82, Virginia Tech 73 (2OT)
Syracuse 66, Florida State 62
Second round
Wednesday, March 12
Georgia Tech 66, Virginia 62
North Carolina 76, Notre Dame 56
Stanford 78, California 73
SMU 73, Syracuse 53
Quarterfinals
Thursday, March 13
Duke 78, Georgia Tech 70
North Carolina 68, Wake Forest 59
Louisville 75, Stanford 73
Clemson 57, SMU 54
Semifinals
Friday, March 14
Duke 74, North Carolina 71
Louisville 76, Clemson 73
Championship
Saturday, March 15
Duke vs. Louisville, 8:30 p.m.
All times Eastern
ACC tournament favorite
The No. 1 seed hasn’t won this tournament since Virginia in 2018. Be that as it may, it’s hard to consider Duke as anything but the odds-on favorite. Only two of the Blue Devils’ 19 ACC wins have been by single-digit margins, and since sustaining their lone conference loss at Clemson on Feb. 8 they’ve won their last eight games by an average of over 28 points. Their only real challengers figure to be the aforementioned Tigers and second-seeded Louisville, where first-year coach Pat Kelsey orchestrated a remarkable revival from worst to almost first.
ACC tournament top players
Cooper Flagg, G, Duke – The face of the program – and arguably the entire league – the latest in the long line of Blue Devils’ freshman sensations is a candidate for national player of the year honors. He leads the team in scoring (19.4), rebounding (7.6) and assists (4.2).
Kon Knueppel, G, Duke – The Blue Devils’ second leading scorer at 13.7 points a game is an even better three-point marksman than Flagg, connecting at a 39.9% clip while also shooting 91.4% from the free-throw line.
Chase Hunter, G, Clemson – The Tigers’ veteran guard averages 16 points a game and can score from all levels. He was a key cog in the team’s run to the Elite Eight last season and will be looking to have another strong postseason campaign.
Chucky Hepburn, G, Louisville – The former Wisconsin transfer quickly became the cornerstone of the Cardinals’ rebuild, leading the team in points (16.3) and assists (5.9).
RJ Davis, G, North Carolina – It’s been a struggle at times for last season’s ACC player of the year, but the Tar Heels’ mainstay has his scoring average back up to 17.3 and has played some of his best ball of the campaign down the stretch.
ACC tournament bubble storylines
As mentioned above, the league has three NCAA locks and no real bubble candidates. Thursday’s second quarterfinal contest between Wake Forest and – most likely – North Carolina isn’t a true elimination game since the winner would still have work to do. The Tar Heels might have an at-large case if it makes the final. SMU could potentially capture a pair of quad 1 wins from its No. 6 position, but since the Mustangs have none entering the tournament that still might not be enough.
