The ACC Tournament begins Wednesday afternoon with top-seeded Duke a pretty substantial favorite (2/3 at Bodog) considering the tourney is in Greensboro, N.C. – bet on the ACC Tournament with Bodog's NCAA Basketball Odds
Duke was unbeaten at home this year but did lose once in the Tar Heel State, that coming at North Carolina State on Jan. 20. Otherwise the Blue Devils' losses all came in road games, and they will be the de facto home team in this tournament because fellow fan favorite North Carolina isn't expected to be around long. The Dukies should earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament if they win this or even make it to the final.
The reigning national champion Heels (16-15) will not be returning to the NCAA Tournament without a near-miracle run to the ACC championship. But UNC (12/1 to win the ACC on Bodog) enters off an embarrassing 32-point loss at Duke on Saturday and must open against Georgia Tech, a team that swept Carolina during the season. Plus the Tar Heels have only won consecutive games once in 2010. How average was North Carolina this year? For the first time since the ACC was formed in 1954, the Heels didn't have a player chosen to the first, second or third all-conference teams.
Sports handicapper notes that only one team other than Duke or Carolina has won this tournament since 1996, and that was Maryland, which enters as the co-regular season champ this year and No. 2 seed. The Terps (3/1 at Bodog) boast ACC Player of the Year Greivis Vasquez, who is the only Division I player averaging at least 19 points and six assists a game. He's the first Terp to win the ACC's top honor since 2002. And Maryland is rolling entering the tournament on a seven-game winning streak. That includes a seven-point home win over Duke in the regular-season's final week.
If you want a sleeper in this tournament, try Florida State at 13/2 on Bodog. The Noles have the size and defense to beat anyone on a given day. They also closed with five wins in six games. FSU lost in the final to Duke last year.
The ACC's top four seeds all get first-round byes. Here is the schedule for Wednesday (all times Eastern):
No. 8 Boston College vs. No. 9 Virginia, noon (winner vs. Duke)
No. 5 Wake Forest vs. No. 12 Miami, 2 p.m. (winner vs. Virginia Tech)
No. 7 Clemson vs. No. 10 North Carolina, 7 p.m. (winner vs. Maryland)
No. 6 Clemson vs. No. 11 N.C. State, 9 p.m. (winner vs. Florida State)
Get all your ACC Tournament odds at Bodog
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