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NCAA Men's Basketball ACC Tournament Betting Preview: Duke a Heavy Favorite

Duke is the heavy betting favorite at SI Sportsbook to win the ACC tournament, but third-seeded North Carolina offers value.

Frankie Taddeo

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The 2022 ACC men’s basketball tournament will get underway Tuesday from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Duke earned the No. 1 seed by winning the league's regular season race on the strength of a 16-4 record. Mike Krzyzewski has guided the Blue Devils to their first regular season ACC crown since the 2009-10 season in his final year on the sidelines.

The oddsmakers over at SI Sportsbook have top-seeded Duke listed as the betting favorite. Notre Dame, North Carolina and Miami also earned double byes and will start tournament play Thursday. The Tar Heels, the hottest team in the conference via a five-game winning streak, offer tremendous value at +500 odds.

Conference tournament betting previews: Big Ten | Big East | Big 12 | Pac-12 | SEC

ACC Tournament Betting Odds:

Duke -135
North Carolina +500
Notre Dame +550
Wake Forest +1000
Miami +1000
Virginia Tech +1100
Virginia +1600
Syracuse +5000
Florida State +5500
Clemson +10000
Louisville +10000
NC State +10000
Georgia Tech +12500
Pittsburgh +22000
Boston College +22000

Check the Latest Men's College Basketball Odds at SI Sportsbook

Bet the ACC tournament at SI Sportsbook
Bet the ACC tournament at SI Sportsbook

CONTENDERS

No. 1 Duke (25-5 Straight-Up (SU), 16-12-2 Against the Spread (ATS); 16-4 ACC): -135

The Blue Devils saw their seven-game winning streak shockingly snapped by North Carolina in Coach K’s final home game as 11.5-point favorites. Freshman Paolo Banchero (17.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg) continues to fill up the box score, but it's the recent play of sophomore big man Mark Williams that gives Duke it's balance. Williams has become a force on the block, which has translated into tremendous ball spacing on the offensive end. One of the players to capitalize is freshman Trevor Keels (12.3 ppg) who has notched double-digits in scoring in eight of his last 10 games. Duke is playing like a squad determined to send off retiring Krzyzewski with more hardware.

No. 2 Notre Dame (22-9 SU; 17-14 ATS, 15-5 ACC): +550

Notre Dame, who is 8-2 SU their last 10 games, squandered its chance at the No. 1 seed when it fell to Florida State as 4-point road favorites last week. The Irish have been a solid team for bettors to support at the windows, especially in the month of February, when they went 6-2 ATS in eight games. The road to any ACC hardware— likely needing to defeat North Carolina just to make it a potential showdown with Duke in the championship game on Saturday—lands Notre Dame at healthy odds of +550. Paul Atkinson (16.0 ppg, 7.0 rbg) and Blake Wesley (14.8 ppg) are two key contributors Mike Brey will need to step up to make a run.

North Carolina forward Armando Bacot (5) dunks as Duke guard Trevor Keels (1) and center Mark Williams (15) watch during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Durham, N.C.
Chris Seward/AP

No. 3 North Carolina (23-8 SU; 15-15-1 ATS, 15-5 ACC): +500

The Tar Heels pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season by going into Cameron and beating Duke, 94-81, as double-digit underdogs in Krzyzewski’s last home game. North Carolina, who is currently on a five-game winning streak, has rewarded bettors with a 4-1 ATS mark over that span. Junior forward Armando Bacot has recorded an astounding 23 double-doubles in 31 games, which has resulted in the team lead in scoring (16.6 ppg) and rebounding (12.5 rbg). Bacot leads a cast of four Tar Heels averaging in double digits, which includes star sophomore guard Caleb Love (15.7 ppg), who has been the club’s leading scorer in 6 of the last 12 games. Oklahoma transfer Brady Manek has been sensational for Hubert Davis’ crew, converting at a 39.5% clip from beyond the arc. The wildcard for a Tar Heel ACC title for the first since 2016 could very well be R.J. Davis. The sophomore guard was sensational in the victory over the Blue Devils and has stepped up his play over the last month.

No. 4 Miami (22-9 SU; 17-13-1 ATS, 14-6 ACC): +1000

The Hurricanes have been up and down since February, posting a 6-4 record. Miami’s resume includes signature wins over both Duke and North Carolina. In a potential showdown with Wake Forest in the quarterfinals, Miami will have supreme confidence after beating the Demon Deacons twice in the regular season. The Hurricanes rely upon the strength of an outstanding backcourt featuring senior Kameron McGusty (17.5 ppg) and sophomore Isaiah Wong (15.5 ppg). Junior Jordan Miller has been superb down the stretch, averaging 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.

Frankie’s Breakdown

Duke and North Carolina are the only teams from the ACC that are ranked inside the Top 25. The Blue Devils, despite being prohibitive favorites, earn the nod to win the ACC. The loss to North Carolina embarrassed Coach K, who said in his postgame speech “the loss was unacceptable” and that could serve as the motivating factor that carries Duke to win the ACC Tournament for a 22nd time in program history.

Top Pick: Duke -135
Value: UNC +500

2022 ACC Tournament schedule

Location: Barclays Center -- Brooklyn, N.Y.

First round —Tuesday, March 8

Game 1: No. 12 Boston College vs. No. 13 Pittsburgh | 2 p.m. ET | ACC Network
Game 2: No. 10 Clemson vs. No. 15 NC State | 4:30 p.m. ET | ACC Network
Game 3: No. 11 Louisville vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech | 7 p.m. ET | ACC Network

Second round —Wednesday, March 9

Game 4: No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 9 Syracuse| Noon ET | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 5: No. 5 Wake Forest vs. Game 1 winner | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 6: No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. Game 2 winner | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 7: No. 6 Virginia vs. Game 3 winner | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2

Quarterfinals -- Thursday, March 10

Game 8: No. 1 Duke vs. Game 4 winner | Noon p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 9: No. 4 Miami vs. Game 5 winner | 2:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 10: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Game 6 winner | 6:30 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2
Game 11: No. 3 UNC vs. Game 7 winner | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN2

Semifinals —Friday, March 11

Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 9 p.m. ET | ESPN

ACC tournament championship game -- Saturday, March 12

Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner | 8:30 p.m. ET |ESPN

SI NCAA MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL BET REVIEW

2021: SI Betting is hoping to pick right up where we left last season when our NCAA tournament betting plays yielded major financial success, thanks to Alabama (+220), Illinois (+375) and Georgia Tech (+2500) all delivering conference tournament championship victories in the SEC, Big Ten and ACC.

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Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program ever offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Frankie is SI Betting's Senior Analyst and provides his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. You can follow Frankie on Twitter @Frankie_Fantasy for his latest betting and fantasy insights from Las Vegas.

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Frankie Taddeo
FRANKIE TADDEO

Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Besides contributing NFL fantasy analysis with a Vegas slant, Frankie primarily performs as Sports Illustrated's Senior Betting Analyst providing his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. 

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