We all know that this has been a very down year for the ACC. They may as few as 3 bids in the NCAA Tournament. But just because it has been a down year doesn’t mean that the upcoming ACC Tournament is any less exciting. Back in Greensboro where it belongs, it should be a fun week at the Coliseum. Here is the ACC Tournament preview.
ACC Tournament Preview
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Miami Hurricanes
Miami won the conference regular season title (Sharing it with Virginia.) for the first time in a decade. Isaiah Wong was named ACC Player of the Year on Monday. They have a billion productive guards and one of the best forwards in the conference. The Hurricanes are a really good offensive team. They are 23rd in the country scoring 79.6 PPG and are 8th in offensive rating. They are also 13th in adjusted offensive efficiency. It is also worth noting that they made a run to the Elite Eight as a 10 seed last year.
Virginia Cavaliers
Virginia won another ACC regular season title this year. Reece Beekman just won ACC Defensive Player of the Year. As always the Cavaliers are an elite defensive team. The 60.5 PPG that they give up is 9th best in the nation. But they really struggle to score. And lately, they have not played that well at all. However, they should still be one of the favorites, at least on paper.
Duke Blue Devils
Duke seems like they may finally be hitting their stride. Led by newly minted ACC Rookie of the Year Kyle Filipowski, the Blue Devils have won six straight games heading into champ week. It took a while for first-year head coach Jon Scheyer’s team to get into a rhythm, but they may be in one now. That could make them a dangerous team, especially considering the Greensboro Coliseum is less than an hour from Duke’s campus.
Sleeper
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech has been up-and-down throughout most of this season. That is part of why they finished 11th in the ACC this year. But the Hokies have a lot of talent on their roster. They are more than capable of running through and winning the ACC Tournament for the second straight year if they play their best.
Others To Watch
There are multiple other teams to watch out for. UNC and NC State are both are the bubble and are both capable of making a run through this tournament and winning it. Pitt and Clemson are also bubble teams that have a lot to play for, although the latter probably needs to win it. Boston College is a team that could potentially cause a bit of chaos just like they did last year.
My Prediction
Other than a couple of hiccups, I think that Miami has shown themselves to potentially be the best team in the ACC this year. I also think that they are the most talented team too. If they can just overcome their lack of size and play better defensively, they can make a deep run not just this week in Greensboro but in the NCAA Tournament as well. I’m picking the Hurricanes.
