Conference Tournament Predictions: ACC
 |
| Justise Winslow |
Bubble Teams: There are a number of teams sitting on the bubble inside the ACC who need to have success in order to earn a spot in the Field of 68. NC State appears to be pretty comfortably in, but Miami and Pitt need strong performances to have any shot at making the Big Dance.
First Round:
12 Boston College 65
13 Georgia Tech 60
Even with one of the ACC's most underrated players, forward Oliver Hanlan (19.4 points per game), the Eagles still just managed 4 conference victories and 12 overall. Even so, they are a better team than Georgia Tech, especially with a healthy Hanlan.
11 Wake Forest 69
14 Virginia Tech 63
For the most part, Danny Manning's first season at Wake Forest has been a relative disappointment, although it wasn't expected that the Demon Deacons were going to be real threats. Though, a victory against Virginia Tech would at least push them into the conference tournament's second day.
Second Round:
8 Clemson 74
9 Florida State 64
Perhaps Xavier Rathan-Mayes will put up 30 points in a four and a half minutes for the Seminoles once again. But, most likely Clemson will get the job done, with a much more balanced offense and do-it-all Jaron Blossomgame.
12 Boston College 57
5 North Carolina 75
The Tar Heels suffered a tough loss this weekend against arch rival Duke, and were swept for the season. If they can bully the Eagles down low, as they should look to do, they should put themselves in great position to avenge their defeats.
7 NC State 71
10 Pittsburgh 60
NC State made a superb run in this tourney a year ago, earning themselves a "First Four" bid. Led by Anthony "Cat" Barber and a strong amount of depth, they shouldn't need a deep run to make the Dance this year, although it obviously wouldn't hurt.
11 Wake Forest 51
6 Miami 72
Angel Rodriguez has quietly put together a huge year at Miami and the 'Canes will almost certainly be motivated in this tournament. While they are on the outside looking in, they do own a major win against Duke still and could be very dangerous.
Quarterfinals
1 Virginia 63
8 Clemson 58
It is possible Virginia's stud scorer, Justin Anderson, could be back in time for the tournament but if he is not, the Cavs will continue to lean on their defense and the services of wing Malcolm Brogdon. Clemson will be amped and primed for an upset, but Tony Bennett will have his team calm and ready to play.
4 Louisville 76
5 North Carolina 80
The Tar Heels will almost certainly have some troubles handing Louisville star forward Montrezl Harrell, but even so, Marcus Paige can lead the offense and North Carolina will dominate in transition, as the Cards have major depth issues.
2 Duke 74
7 NC State 70
Much like last year, NC State will give Duke a run for their money, but the Wolfpack simply don't have the weapons to match with the two-headed monster of Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook, along with Jahlil Okafor underneath.
3 Notre Dame 66
6 Miami 68
Notre Dame most likely will be a popular dark horse pick in the tournament this year, but they will get quite a challenge from Miami. Jerian Grant against Rodriguez a superb point guard battle, but expect the motivated Hurricanes to find a way to sneak out a huge win.
Semifinals
1 Virginia 70
5 North Carolina 62
The absence of Justin Anderson could be a problem for Virginia, especially if their offense struggles in the second half of this game, like it did earlier in the year against Duke. But, if Virginia plays smart and forces North Carolina to shoot often, they have a great shot to get the job done.
2 Duke 77
6 Miami 69
Miami would obviously to beat Duke again to add an extremely huge win to their resume, but the Blue Devils shout come out more focused and have a better attack plan. Jahlil Okafor has the chance to dominate, with the Hurricanes' absence of bigs.
Championship:
1 Virginia 65
2 Duke 71
Anderson's health will once more be a huge factor, but the Blue Devils may just be too strong offensively for the Blue Devils especially if Justise Winslow gets hot. No matter the outcome, if both teams reach the conference championship, the ACC has a very serious shot at two No. 1 seeds.
ACC Champion: Duke Blue Devils
No comments:
Post a Comment