ACC Tournament 2018: Bracket Predictions Before Final Regular-Season Games
College basketball has a New York state of mind for several of its conference basketball tournaments.
The Big Ten is playing its end-of-season tournament at Madison Square Garden, and the Big East will play its conference tournament there next week.
The ACC tournament, which is often played somewhere along Tobacco Road or in the Washington D.C. area, is also going to New York. However, instead of playing in Manhattan, the ACC will conduct its conference tournament across the Brooklyn Bridge at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
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It may not make the most sense to long-time ACC fans, but that's where the ACC will decide its conference championship.
The ACC tournament is a five-day event that starts Tuesday and will conclude with its championship game March 10.
The ACC will conclude its regular season Saturday, and here's a look at the tournament matchups as they stand now.
March 6th: 1st Round
Game 1: 12 Syracuse vs. 13 Georgia Tech
Game 2: 10 Florida State vs. 15 Pittsburgh
Game 3: 11 Boston College vs. 14 Wake Forest
March 7th: 2nd Round
Game 4: 8 Louisville vs. 9 Notre Dame
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. 5 Miami
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. 7 N.C. State
Game 7: Game 3 winner vs. 6 Virginia Tech
March 8th: Quarterfinals
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. 1 UVA
Game 9: Game 5 winner vs. 4 Clemson
Game 10: Game 6 winner vs. 2 Duke
Game 11: Game 7 winner vs. 3 North Carolina
March 9th: Semifinals
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner
March 10th: Championship
Championship: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner
The matchups may not play out exactly as they look now. Duke hosts state rivals North Carolina Saturday, and the Blue Devils should win at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham.
That should open things up for Clemson to move into the No. 3 spot as long as the Tigers beat Syracuse on the road. Expect the Orange to provide a great battle, but Clemson will prevail and switch spots with the Tar Heels.
We also see a change between the No. 10 and 11 teams. Boston College plays at Florida State on Saturday, and while the Seminoles have the home court, the Eagles won the last meeting between the two teams and Florida State has lost two in a row.
A Boston College win would give the Eagles a first-round matchup with No. 15 Pittsburgh, while Florida State would play No. 14 Wake Forest.
Virginia is the No. 1 team in the nation and the top team in the ACC. If the Cavaliers don't win the tournament, it will be something of a surprise, but teams like Duke, North Carolina and Clemson have the pedigree to come out on top as well.
Virginia comes into its season finale against Notre Dame with a four-game winning streak, and the Cavaliers' 67-66 victory over Louisville on Thursday was remarkable. DeAndre Hunter's three-point shot at the buzzer gave Virginia the win.
Kyle Guy leads Virginia with an average of 14.3 points per game, but his 40.5 shooting percentage is somewhat concerning. Devon Hall and Ty Jerome are averaging 11.7 and 10.5 points, respectively.
The backbone of Virginia's success is its hard-nosed defense. That has been the case for years, but the team has shown the ability to come through in the clutch offensively, and that's why it sits in top spot in the national rankings.
The Blue Devils are once again a strong team, but they may not be at the same level that Mike Krzyzewski has had his team at in the past. Duke does not have the kind of consistent offense that Blue Devils fans are used to seeing.
Freshman Marvin Bagley III is leading the Blue Devils with 20.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per night. Bagley is also shooting 60.3 percent from the field. Senior Grayson Allen is second on the team in scoring with 15.5 points per game.
Clemson is not hot coming into its season finale at Syracuse, as the Tigers have lost three of their last five games.
However, they can turn it around behind guard Marcquise Reed and forward Donte Grantham. Reed is averaging 16.2 points per night and shooting 85.5 percent from the free throw line, while Grantham is averaging 14.2 points and shooting 56.0 percent from the field.
North Carolina won the NCAA title last year, but this year's team has struggled on defense in several of its games. The Tar Heels allowed the Miami Hurricanes to shoot 54.8 percent from the field, and they have had other disappointing games as well.
If the Tar Heels are going to make a run in the ACC and the NCAA tournaments, expect Joel Berry II and Luke Maye to come up big. Berry is averaging 18.2 points per game and Maye is scoring 17.9 points per night.
