The 2015 ACC men’s basketball tournament is set to begin this Tuesday, March 10 and conclude on Saturday, March 14. It will take place at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. Here’s the bracket, along with the times for each game. Ticket information is available here.
Every ACC Tournament game will be available on either ESPN or ESPN2, as well as the ACC Network.
Favorite: Duke
Virginia clinched its second straight ACC regular season title after finishing 16-2 in conference play and 28-2 overall. The Cavaliers are a good bet to clinch a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and have perhaps the toughest defense in the nation, but right now it is hard to argue against Duke as the hottest team in the league. After a shaky (by Duke standards) 4-3 start in ACC play, the Blue Devils rattled off 11 straight wins to finish with a 15-3 conference record. Duke’s explosive offense hasn’t been held under 70 points since January, when it became one of only two teams to beat Virginia, knocking off the Hoos 69-63 in Charlottesville. Duke has the most talented post player in the country in Jahlil Okafor, a terrific guard combo in Quinn Cook and Tyus Jones, and a dynamic wing player in freshman Justise Winslow. There should also be plenty of Duke fans making the trip to Greensboro, which gives Coach K’s team a definitive edge over most ACC foes.
Sleeper: North Carolina State
It is hard to get a read on the Wolfpack this season. Mark Gottfried’s team is capable of losing to the ACC’s bottom feeders (88-84 at Wake Forest, 79-63 at Boston College), but it also holds wins over Duke, Louisville, and North Carolina this season. The ‘Pack is coming off of a very nice season-ending win against Syracuse, defeating the Orange 71-57 in Raleigh. N.C. State enters the ACC Tournament as the No. 7 seed, and will face Pittsburgh, a team that it defeated 68-50 in early January, in its first game. With a win, the Wolfpack will have a chance to pick up a second win against Duke. N.C. State fans should also have a strong showing in Greensboro, as they did last year, when the Wolfpack made a run to the semi-finals, helping push the team off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament. The Wolfpack are no lock for the Big Dance, and can help themselves with a good performance in Greensboro once again.
