ACC Conference Tournament 2017: Dates, Times, And Three Bold Predictions
The New York Life Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Men’s Championship tournament field is set with the regular-season champion — the North Carolina Tar Heels — taking the top spot heading into the week-long tournament.
This year’s ACC tournament is being held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This is also the ACC Tournament’s first time venturing to New York City for their annual men’s championship event.
Below is the ACC tournament schedule for every game this week. All times listed for the New York Life ACC Tournament are Eastern Standard Time.
Tuesday, March 7 — First Round
Game 1: #13 NC State vs #12 Clemson — Noon (ESPN2)
Game 2: #15 Boston College vs #10 Wake Forest — 2 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 3: #14 Pittsburgh vs #11 Georgia Tech — 7 p.m. (ESPNU)
Wednesday, March 8 — Second Round
Game 4: #9 Miami vs #8 Syracuse — Noon (ESPN)
Game 5: Game 1 Winner vs #5 Duke — 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 6: Game 2 Winner vs #7 Virginia Tech — 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
Game 7: Game 3 Winner vs #6 Virginia — 9 p.m. (ESPN2)
Thursday, March 9 — Quarterfinals
Game 8: Game 4 Winner vs #1 North Carolina — Noon (ESPN)
Game 9: Game 5 Winner vs #4 Louisville — 2 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 10: Game 6 Winner vs #2 Florida State — 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 11: Game 7 Winner vs #3 Notre Dame — 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday, March 10 — Semifinals
Game 12: Game 8 Winner vs Game 9 Winner — 7 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Game 13: Game 10 Winner vs Game 11 Winner — 9 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Saturday, March 11 — Championship
Game 14: Semifinal winners — 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Three bold predictions
1. North Carolina falls in quarterfinals. The University of North Carolina is playing as well as any team heading into the ACC Tournament after dispatching rival Duke 90-83 on Saturday, their fifth win out of their last six games. However, Miami and Syracuse are dangerous teams for the Tar Heels. The Hurricanes bested North Carolina earlier this year in a 77-62 match-up at Coral Gables (Fla.), and the Orange have improved since its 85-68 loss to the home-standing Tar Heels on January 16. An upset in the first game of Thursday’s conference quarterfinals isn’t out of the question for either the Miami Hurricanes or the Syracuse Orange.
2. Duke won’t play for the tournament title, either. Since 1997, all 20 tournament championship games have featured either Duke or North Carolina as one of the participants. However, this year’s league is as deep as ever, evidenced by the fact that a league-record seven ACC teams were ranked in the AP Top 25 just a week before the conference tournament was scheduled to kick off. While the Duke Blue Devils have a talented squad led by junior Grayson Allen, the team has been too streaky to predict a deep run in this year’s tournament. The Blue Devils sandwiched a seven-game ACC winning streak in between a pair of streaks where Duke lost three of its four games against conference foes. Among its potential first two opponents, both North Carolina State and Louisville have already defeated the Blue Devils this season.
3. Wake Forest poised to make a run. Wake Forest looked like a team readying for the NIT less than two weeks ago, but a three-game winning — including a surprise upset of fourth-seeded Louisville — has the Demon Deacons on the verge of a NCAA tournament bid. A deep run in the ACC tournament would greatly enhance Wake Forest’s chances at a post-season bid, and the schedule lines up well for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest dispatched Boston College twice this season, and Virginia Tech lost in the final game of the regular season to the Demon Deacons. A quarterfinal match-up against Florida State would be interesting as Wake Forest has progressed significantly since the Demon Deacons suffered an 88-72 loss in both team’s ACC conference opener.
What bold predictions would you make for the 2017 New York Life ACC Tournament? Follow the Inquisitr on Twitter (@InquisitrSports) to join in on the conversation.
[Featured Image by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images]
