ACC Basketball Tournament Predictions 2008
June 6, 2008
The 2008 ACC Tournament has now been set following the end of the regular season Saturday. North Carolina beat Duke to claim the ACC regular season title and there is a good chance these teams could meet again as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively. Below are Larry Cook’s 2008 ACC Tournament predictions along with an overall preview.
Location: Charlotte Bobcats Arena
Date: March 13th - March 16th
Television: All games will be broadcasted on Raycom Lincoln Financial Sports Network. The Quarterfinals round through the Championship game will be either televised on ESPN or ESPN 2. The ACC gets their fair share of time on the ESPN family of networks.
2008 ACC Tournament Preview: The opening round match-ups have now been set. The No. 1-4 seeds will get a bye with North Carolina, Duke, Clemson and Virginia Tech respectively. The only team in that set of squads that might not earn a trip to the Big Dance would be Virginia Tech. The Hokies will most certainly have to win their quarterfinal match-up against either Miami or NC State to get in. Other bubble teams in this conference are Florida State, Maryland and the aforementioned Miami Hurricanes. It looks as though Miami has the best shot to get in if the season was to end today. But each of theses teams must at least win a single game in the 2008 ACC Tournament to get into the NCAA Tournament this season. There is no question about it. Duke and North Carolina are the clear favorites to win the ACC Tournament as they should be. Clemson is a team that gives max effort with their pressing style every time they hit the floor. The Tigers took North Carolina into overtime this season in a game they really should have won. Clemson would not be a surprise if they were to go on and win this tournament with their ability to dominate inside while keeping constant pressure on their opponents.
2007 ACC Tournament Winner: NC State made it all the way to the finals of the ACC Tournament last season as the No. 10 seed. This valiant effort from the Wolfpack produced one of the most exciting conference tournament ever as they took down defending champion Duke in the first round, then passed by No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 Virginia Tech in the quarters and semis. North Carolina was led by 5 future NBA prospects and the Wolpack gave the Tar Heels every ounce of energy they had left. The final of 89-80 in favor of UNC was not an indication of how close this game really was. North Carolina just held on in the last 5 minutes as NC State had nothing in the tank left to give. Let’s just hope there is a surprise team this season that can make the ACC Tournament as much of a joy as it was last season.
Larry’s 2008 ACC Tournament Predictions: 5 of the last 6 years that North Carolina has won the regular season title, they have lost the ACC Tournament at the end of the year. The Tar Heels finally got over the hump as the No. 1 seed last season as Roy Williams coached his UNC team to his first ACC Tournament championship. Williams is such a great coach and the Tar Heels are so great defensively that we would be foolish pick against this team in 2008. Plus, Ty Lawson is finally healthy and his presence has been felt over the last few games. Duke beat UNC in Lawson’s first full game out of the line-up. Lawson came back for 10 points in the rematch just last Saturday and his ability to direct this offense makes UNC one of the best, if not, the best team in the country. Clemson is a sleeper pick as well as Maryland in this tournament. Head coach Gary Williams knows what it takes to win a National Championship and he has a team that is capable of running the table in the 2008 ACC Tournament.
2008 ACC Tournament Odds:
Boston College
50/1
Clemson 5/1
Duke 2/1
Florida State 30/1
Georgia Tech 12/1
Maryland 15/1
Miami Florida 12/1
NC State 50/1
North Carolina 1/1
Virginia 25/1
Virginia Tech 8/1
Wake Forest 20/1
