Preview, picks, predictions for 2022 ACC basketball tournament

The 2022 ACC Tournament will get underway on March 8 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The tourney will run every day through March 12 and conclude with that day’s tournament final at 8:30 p.m. ET.

We’ll be taking a look at some of the best teams in each conference, and providing picks and predictions for each conference tournament. Plenty of favorites will win, but we’ve got some sleepers to consider that might be able to pull off a big upset on the way to the NCAA Tournament.

Here’s the bracket for the AAC Tournament with TV listings, dates and times.

Favorite: Duke Blue Devils

Coach K’s crew may have a little bit of fire underneath them when they enter the Barclays Center. The legendary coach’s home sendoff on March 5 was spoiled by the arch-rival North Carolina Tar Heels. Despite the defeat, this a well-rounded Duke team, one that ranks inside the top 25 in offensive and defensive efficiency. And it has lost only twice since mid-January. Six-foot-ten frosh Paolo Banchero has lived up to the billing as one of the best players in the game, and he is complemented by center Mark Williams, guard Wendell Moore and forward AJ Griffin. This is the best team in the ACC, and it’s not really that close. DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Blue Devils as the tournament favorite at -130.

Sleeper: North Carolina Tar Heels

There were people questioning Hubert Davis’ job status halfway through his first season as the head man at UNC. The Heels were 12-6 overall, 4-3 in the conference. From there, North Carolina went 11-2 and picked up a season sweep of Virginia Tech and that aforementioned highlight triumph over the Blue Devils. No one should be wondering about Davis’ future now. Junior center Armando Bacot, who has 23 double-doubles this season, has been outstanding, especially since the start of February. Fellow big man Brady Manek provides an inside-outside presence as he’s hit 40 percent of his 3-pointers this year. Turnovers will be key for the Tar Heels (they rank sub-300 in turnover margin), but if they can take care of the ball, they can make a deep run in Brooklyn. Maybe that victory in Durham, N.C. will serve as a confidence booster as they head north. They have the second-best odds to win this conference tournament at +800, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.

Dark Horse: Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The fifth-seeded Demon Deacons are the only team in the conference other than Duke that sits among the top three in offensive and defensive efficiency. They can bully you in the paint and are led by perhaps the ACC’s best player beyond Banchero in guard Alondes Williams. He leads the conference in points, assists, field goals and chips in almost seven rebounds per game. They haven’t played exceedingly well of late — 3-3 in their past six games — but maybe putting up a combined 200 points in the last two games of their regular season will foreshadow what this Demon Deacon offense accomplishes in the tourney. They have +1000 odds to cut down the nets.

Odds to win ACC Tournament from DraftKings Sportsbook

Duke -130
North Carolina +850
Wake Forest +900
Notre Dame +1000
Virginia Tech +1000
Miami (FL) +1000
Virginia +1800
Syracuse +4000
Florida State +7500
Clemson +8000
Louisville +9000
North Carolina State +10000
Georgia Tech +15000
Pitt +20000
Boston College +25000