ACC Tournament 2015: TV Schedule and Early Bracket Predictions

The month of March holds a special place in the sports world for one reason: March Madness. Before the NCAA bracket is set, programs around the country will look to secure a berth by winning their conference tournaments.

One special bracket every season resides in the ACC, where top teams like Virginia and Duke reside. With potential No. 1 seeds hanging in the balance, both programs will have to make their way through a grueling bracket with byes only through the quarterfinals.

Despite a decent season that currently has it in as one of the top six seeds, Syracuse's self-imposed postseason ban leaves just 14 teams. Taking out the Orange, here's a look at the full schedule and early seed predictions ahead of the final week.

ACC Tournament Information

First Round: Tuesday, March 10

No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed: 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ACC Network

No. 11 vs. No. 14 seed: 3 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ACC Network

Second Round: Wednesday, March 11

No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed: 12 p.m. ET on ESPN/ACC Network

No. 5 seed vs. No. 12/No. 13 winner: 2 p.m. ET on ESPN/ACC Network

No. 7 seed vs. No. 10 seed: 7 p.m. on ESPN/ACC Network

No. 6 seed vs. No. 11/14 winner -- 9 p.m., ESPN / ACC Network

Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 12

No. 1 seed vs. No. 8/9 winner: 12 p.m. ET ESPN2/ACC Network

No. 4 seed vs. No. 5 vs. No 12/13 winner: 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2/ACC Network

No. 2 seed vs. No. 7/10 seed winner: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN/ACC Network

No. 3 seed vs. No. 6 vs. No. 11/14 winner: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ACC Network

Semifinals: Friday, March 13

Semfinal No. 1: 7 p.m ET on ESPN/ESPN2/ACC Network

Semfinal No. 2: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN2/ACC Network

Championship Game: Saturday, March 14 - 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ACC Network

Seed	Team	Seed	Team
1	Virginia	8	Pittsburgh
2	Duke	9	Clemson
3	Louisville	10	Florida State
4	Notre Dame	11	Wake Forest
5	North Carolina	12	Georgia Tech
6	Miami	13	Boston College
7	N.C. State	14	Virginia Tech

Preview

Last season, the Cavaliers took down the Blue Devils to claim their first ACC tournament crown since 1976. Ironically enough, the two programs will head into this year's bracket as the top two seeds.

That is, of course, if Duke can take down Wake Forest on Wednesday in Cameron.

Gonzaga's loss against BYU on Saturday completely shook up the top of the rankings, putting both the Devils and Hoos inside the Top Three of the Associated Press poll. NCAA March Madness passed along the latest release:

The lone blemish for Virginia on their record? Yeah, that came at the hands of Duke in Charlottesville. With just one matchup between the two for now, another showdown in the championship seems like destiny.

Not so fast, my friend.

The ACC is one of the deepest conferences in the country, and that will be proven again next week. Some of the newest members like Louisville and Notre Dame will look to make some noise along with familiar foes like North Carolina and NC State.

Equipped with Jerian Grant, the Irish have a true superstar who can lead them to a late run in the conference tourney. Grant was dismissed from the team last season, but Irish coach Mike Brey noted his comeback story has been a phenomenal one to watch, via David Gardner of Sports Illustrated:

"

I think it’s the great story of college basketball this season. It’s a redemption story. He didn’t live up to the standards of being a true student-athlete. And now I think he’s refreshing figure in college basketball. You watched him grow. You went through a crisis with him and you saw him get off the mat and redeem himself.

"

One team going through a similar trial this season is Louisville. But even with the dismissal of Chris Jones, the Cards still have star power. 

Louisville may have cooled off since a fast start, they still possess one of the most dominant big men in the ACC. Montrezl Harrell has averaged 15.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game thus far.

Harrell showed off his power in the lane against Florida State, via CBS Sports:

Regardless of who comes out on top, the entire conference has a wealth of talent to make this a riveting tournament. With five teams currently ranked inside the AP Top 25 and myriad programs that can knock them off, the ACC promises to be one of the best conference brackets to watch.

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