ACC Tournament 2015: Dates, Bracket and Dark-Horse Contenders to Watch

Only one conference tournament features blue-blood programs like Duke, North Carolina and Louisville, a serious candidate for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament in Virginia (and Duke) and a dangerous squad that could get hot in March and reach the Final Four in Notre Dame.

The ACC tournament will be one of the most exciting in the entire country, and it will also have a direct impact on the top seeding lines in the NCAA tournament.

The Cavaliers have one of the best defenses in the nation, the Blue Devils have superstar and potential No. 1 pick Jahlil Okafor, and the Tar Heels and Fighting Irish have two must-see guards in Marcus Paige and Jerian Grant.

However, there are also some dangerous dark horses in this league that could challenge these favorites.

With that in mind, here is a look at the dates for the ACC tournament as well as some teams that could pull off some upsets in Greensboro. A full bracket and schedule can be found here, courtesy of Raycom Sports.

2015 ACC Tournament 

Dates: Tuesday, March 10 – Saturday, March 14

Location: Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina

TV: ESPN and ESPN2

Dark-Horse Teams

Miami

Timothy D. Easley/Associated Press

It has been an up-and-down season for Miami, but fans have to look no further than its January stretch to tell how dangerous it can be in the ACC tournament (and potentially beyond).

The Hurricanes took No. 2 Virginia to double overtime, handled business against Boston College and then shocked Duke. Not only did they beat the Blue Devils, they destroyed them by 16 points in Cameron Indoor Stadium by dropping a cool 90 points on Mike Krzyzewski's defense.

In the next three games, Miami lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame and knocked off North Carolina State and Syracuse (in the Carrier Dome). In sum, January featured two road victories in some of the most hostile arenas in the nation and a couple of narrow losses to some of the best teams in the country.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Yes, February (and a Jan. 28 loss to Georgia Tech) has been more inconsistent, but it takes a formidable team to pull off that January stretch. Throw in the threesome of Sheldon McClellan, Tonye Jekiri and Angel Rodriguez, and the Hurricanes could once again shock some of the top squads in the ACC.

McClellan is a formidable wing scorer, Jekiri is a walking double-double and dominant on the boards (10.6 per game), and Rodriguez runs the show with impressive passing and solid scoring ability.

Jekiri actually used to play soccer and didn't start really playing basketball until 2010. He discussed his transformation, via Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald: "I was playing basketball because of my size but just running around out there, still thinking soccer. I didn't really understand the rules or the tactics of basketball. This season, for the first time, I am enjoying the game as a spectator and a player."

Miami fans have certainly enjoyed what they have seen from Jekiri and the rest of his teammates at times this season. If the Hurricanes can replicate the way they played in Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this year, there is no team at the top of the ACC safe from a potential upset bid. That makes them a dangerous dark horse in Greensboro.

North Carolina State

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Sometimes, getting hot at the right time is all it takes to succeed in the one-and-done nature of March in college basketball.

North Carolina State seems to be hitting its stride just in time to secure an NCAA tournament bid, but picking up a couple of wins in Greensboro would go a long way. That means the talented Wolfpack will be playing with extra motivation as well, which makes them an even more dangerous team for some of the top ACC seeds.

The Wolfpack followed a narrow four-point loss to Virginia on Feb. 11 with an impressive upset at Louisville, a must-have victory over Virginia Tech and a monumentally important win over archrival North Carolina in Chapel Hill. It made up for the earlier loss to the Tar Heels, which came by two points in heartbreaking fashion, and put this year's team in rare company, via ESPN Stats & Info:

Remember, this is the same North Carolina State team that beat Duke and took Notre Dame to overtime. It has either beaten or played every team near the top of the ACC standings very close and has a budding star in Trevor Lacey leading the way. 

Don't be surprised if the Wolfpack are the ones from the state of North Carolina making the most noise in the ACC tournament.

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