ACC Tournament 2024: Bracket Predictions Before Final Men's Regular-Season Games

The final day of regular season games is here, and with it comes plenty of implications for the ACC regular season title and tournament seeding.

After a few years away from being at the top of the conference, North Carolina heads into the final day of the regular season having already clinched a share of the ACC regular season title. The Tar Heels are a win over rival Duke away from clinching the outright title for the first time since 2017.

Meanwhile, Duke is looking to clinch a share of the regular season title and potentially earn the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament with a win over North Carolina plus some other pieces falling into place around the league.

Other teams like Clemson and Pittsburgh are looking for wins to earn an ever-important double-bye for the ACC Tournament, but it won't be easy given the many different scenarios—some far out of their control.

Virginia, which won a share of the ACC regular season a title a year ago, finds itself already locked into a double-bye in the ACC Tournament, but searching for an NCAA Tournament bid. A win for the Cavaliers plus a strong showing in the ACC Tournament could help them ensure they go dancing later this month.

Here's everything you need to know about next week's ACC Tournament heading into a fun final slate of games to close out the regular season.

2024 ACC Tournament Schedule

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GREENSBORO, NC - MARCH 08: ACC logos adorn the benches during the first round of the Women's ACC Tournament between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Louisville Cardinals on March 8, 2024 at Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC. (Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Tuesday, March 12

Game 1: No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed (2 p.m. ET)

Game 2: No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed (4:30 p.m. ET)

Game 3: No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed (7 p.m. ET)

Wednesday, March 13

Game 4: No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed (noon ET)

Game 5: No. 5 seed vs. Game 1 winner (2:30 p.m. ET)

Game 6: No. 7 seed vs. Game 2 winner (7 p.m. ET)

Game 7: No. 6 seed vs. Game 3 winner (9:30 p.m. ET)

Thursday, March 14

Game 8: No. 1 seed vs. Game 4 winner (noon ET)

Game 9: No. 4 seed vs. Game 5 winner (2:30 p.m. ET)

Game 10: No. 2 seed vs. Game 6 winner (7 p.m. ET)

Game 11: No. 3 seed vs. Game 7 winner (9:30 p.m. ET)

Friday, March 15

Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner (7 p.m. ET)

Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner (9:30 p.m. ET)

Saturday, March 16

Championship Game (8:30 p.m. ET)

All games to be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ACC Network

Saturday's Slate of ACC Regular-Season Finales

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 03: Kyle Filipowski #30 of the Duke Blue Devils defends s #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the game at the Dean E. Smith Center on February 03, 2024 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels won 93-84. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Notre Dame at Virginia Tech, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU

Miami at Florida State, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2

Boston College at Louisville, 5:30 p.m. ET, CW Network

Clemson at Wake Forest, 6 p.m. ET, ACC Network

No. 7 North Carolina at No. 9 Duke, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

NC State at Pittsburgh, 7:45 p.m. ET, CW Network

Georgia Tech at Virginia, 8 p.m. ET, ACC Network

ACC Tournament Bracket Prediction

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 05: North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis calls out the play during the college basketball game between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on March 5, 2024 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC. (Photo by Nicholas Faulkner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

1. North Carolina

2. Duke

3. Virginia

4. Clemson

5. Pittsburgh

6. Syracuse

7. Florida State

8. Virginia Tech

9. Wake Forest

10. NC State

11. Boston College

12. Notre Dame

13. Georgia Tech

14. Miami

15. Louisville

North Carolina knows heading into Saturday that it will clinch at least a share of the ACC regular season title for the first time since 2019, but a win over Duke would mean the Tar Heels win their first outright title since 2017 when they went on to win the national championship.

In the last meeting between North Carolina and Duke, the Tar Heels won 93-84 behind veteran Armando Bacot's 25 points. Since that win, the Tar Heels have lost a pair of games to Clemson and Syracuse but come into Saturday having won five straight. Duke has gone 8-1 since the North Carolina loss and has hopes of clinching a share of the title for the first time under head coach Jon Scheyer.

While the Tar Heels have lost a couple of winnable games recently, they've proven themselves in an early-season matchup with Tennessee and a win over Duke a few weeks ago. Expect North Carolina to rise to the occasion on the road to sweep the Blue Devils and earn the top seed and the ACC regular season title.

If Pitt beats NC State and Clemson beats Wake Forest, Duke can win the ACC regular season title outright with a win over North Carolina. North Carolina will be the No. 1 seed if Pitt wins and Clemson loses, regardless if the Tar Heels win on Saturday.

If North Carolina beats the Blue Devils on Saturday, it will win the ACC title outright and earn the No. 1 seed no matter which teams win or lose around the league.

Virginia can clinch the No. 3 seed with a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, and with the game being at home that should be a manageable task for the Cavaliers. Even with a loss, Virginia will be the No. 3 seed if Pitt loses to NC State. Regardless, Virginia will earn a double-bye as it can't finish lower than the No. 4 seed.

Clemson and Pitt have plenty riding on their respective games on Saturday. The Tigers could lose a double-bye in the ACC Tournament if they lose to Wake Forest, but would clinch the No. 3 seed with a win and a Virginia loss. Pitt could earn as high as the No. 3 seed with a win over NC State plus a few losses around the league, but the Panthers could slip all the way to No. 7 if they lose and Wake Forest beats Clemson. A loss for Pitt and Clemson would result in a four-way tie between Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Clemson, and Syracuse.

A full list of the 128 scenarios for the ACC Tournament seeding can be found here.

Regardless of how seeding shakes out, North Carolina and Duke are by far the early favorites to win the ACC Tournament. A relatively down year for the ACC, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils head into the final week of play as the only ranked teams in the conference. The only two teams besides Duke and North Carolina featured in ESPN's Joe Lunardi's most recent Bracketology are Clemson and Virginia.

While Virginia has mustered a solid conference record, the Cavaliers lack any signature wins and have struggled against the league's top teams. Virginia could head into the tournament with a double-bye, but the Cavaliers seem to lack what would be needed for a win in a potential meeting with North Carolina or Duke.

Aside from Duke and North Carolina, the team that likely has the best shot of winning the ACC Tournament is Clemson. The Tigers have signature wins over South Carolina and Alabama, both of whom fell just short of winning the SEC regular season title, as well as a big win over the Tar Heels just a few weeks ago. If Clemson can handle business on Saturday and earn a double-bye, it could be in good position to win its first ACC tournament in program history.