Dane Massey is a second-year Digital Sports Production major and writes for The Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.
This tournament will be the first one in a very long time that we see a different Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in the men’s tournament. Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, one of the game’s most legendary coaches has stepped away from coaching, so this will be the first ACC tournament we see without Coach K on the bench. The powerhouse programs of the ACC like Duke and North Carolina have taken a step backward and this has allowed other teams to take advantage. Pittsburgh, Miami and Virginia have taken their places this year amongst the ACC’s elite and are looking to capitalize.
For the women’s side, there is a power vacuum to fill for the ACC. North Carolina (NC) State has been the team to run the conference for the last three seasons. However, this year NC State has tripped off the mountain and has failed to live up to expectations. Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Duke, among other ACC squads, have been in the Wolfpack’s shadow for the last three years, and this year we find out who will take the reigns.
Where is the tournament taking place?
The country’s largest arena, Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina, will play host to both the men’s and women’s ACC tournaments. It will make the 22nd time (for the women’s tournament) and the 28th time (for the men’s tournament) that the venue will be used.
Who won the Regular Season title and holds the number one seed?
Both tournaments have a combined number of seven ranked teams, and shockingly enough the top seed is not occupied by the highest-ranked team. For the men’s, Pittsburgh, who is No. 25 in the nation, is currently sitting atop the ACC standings. Just a game or less back are No. 16 Miami and No. 13 Virginia who are catching up to the Panthers. Pittsburgh has put together a little bit of a winning streak compared to its competitors, so the Panthers could edge it out and take the ACC regular season crown for the first time in their history.
On the women’s side, Notre Dame swopped right in to claim its first Regular Season Championship since 2019 after NC State fell short. The Irish ended an ACC Regular Season dynasty and look to take the ACC back as they have the number one seed. This tournament is an interesting sight to see as the top three teams all have 24 wins this season.
ACC Tournament Brackets:
Men’s Bracket
Round 1 (March 7):
Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed at 2 p.m.
Game 2: No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed at 4:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed at 7 p.m.
Second Round (March 8):
Game 4: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed at 12 p.m.
Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. Winner of Game 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: No. 7 seed vs. Winner of Game 2 at 7 p.m.
Game 7: No, 6 seed vs. Winner of Game 3 at 9:30 p.m.
Quarterfinals (March 9):
Game 8: No. 1 seed vs. Winner of Game 4 at 12 p.m.
Game 9: No. 4 seed vs. Winner of Game 7 at 9:30 p.m.
Game 10: No. 2 seed vs. Winner of Game 5 at 2:30 p.m.
Game 11: No. 3 seed vs. Winner of Game 6 at 7 p.m.
Semifinals (March 10):
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 at 7 p.m.
Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11 at 9:30 p.m.
Championship (March 11):
Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13 at 8:30 p.m.
Women’s Bracket
Round 1 (March 1):
Game 1: No. 12 Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. No. 13 Virginia Cavaliers at 1 p.m.
Game 2: No. 10 Clemson Tigers vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh Panthers at 3:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 11 Boston College Eagles vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at 6 p.m.
Second Round (March 2):
Game 4: No. 5 Florida State Seminoles vs. Winner of Game 1 at 11 p.m.
Game 5: No. 8 NC State Wolfpack vs. No. 9 Syracuse Orange at 2 p.m.
Game 6: No. 7 North Carolina Tar Heels vs. Winner of Game 2 at 6 p.m.
Game 7: No, 6 Miami Hurricanes vs. Winner of Game 3 at 8 p.m.
Quarterfinals (March 3):
Game 8: No. 4 Louisville Cardinals vs. Winner of Game 7 at 11 p.m.
Game 9: No. 1 Notre Dame vs. Winner of Game 4 at 2 p.m.
Game 10: No. 2 Duke Blue Devils vs. Winner of Game 5 at 6 p.m.
Game 11: No. 3 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Winner of Game 6 at 8 p.m.
Semifinals (March 4):
Game 12: Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 9 at 12 p.m.
Game 13: Winner of Game 10 vs. Winner of Game 11 at 2:30 p.m.
Championship (March 5):
Winner of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 13 at 1 p.m.
Predictions for ACC Tournaments:
Men’s Tournament: Duke Blue Devils
It’s going to be a bold pick here. Duke goes back to the top of the ACC. Not bold enough? Fine! Duke and Miami will be the finalists for the ACC crown this year. Now that is a bold prediction. Duke and Miami just seem like the better overall teams for the ACC, and even though Pittsburgh is atop the conference standings, I do see them losing to a team like these two or even Virginia. It is also interesting to note that the top three-seeded teams have won this tournament since 2017 with the last two being the four and seven seeds. Duke is in between those two seeds right now and they look in a prime position to go on a run for the ACC crown.
Women’s Tournament: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This tournament features five teams in the top 25 with three of them being within that top 10. The Fighting Irish have been on the rise in the ACC ever since a down year in 2020. Notre Dame could be back, however, they do have some competition for the crown. The Fighting Irish sit atop the ACC in offense but their competition in Virginia Tech and Duke sits atop the ACC in defense, but Notre Dame is right behind them in those rankings. Expect the Irish to be rolling in this tournament and get back on top of the ACC.
Contact Dane Massey with comments at dtmassey@bsu.edu or on Twitter @danemassey22.
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