ACC Tournament 2015: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Predictions

The Atlantic Coast Conference features several teams with a chance to make serious noise during the NCAA tournament. First, they will compete in the conference tournament in an attempt to bolster their resumes before Selection Sunday.

Pretty clear tiers developed during the regular season. Entering the tourney, the ACC features five clear contenders, six middle-ground teams and then four long shots. Now, the question is which one can put together the strong string of games necessary to win the event.

Given the amount of parity at the top, there should be some tremendous games en route to crowning an ACC champion. So let's check out all of the important details for the event, including the bracket, and then make some predictions.

Key Information

Where: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina

When: Tuesday, March 10 – Saturday, March 14

Watch: ESPN, ESPN2 and ACC Network

Live Stream: WatchESPN

TV Schedule

Game	Team	Team	Date	Time (ET)	TV
1	Boston College	Georgia Tech	March 10	1 p.m.	ESPN2/ACCN
2	Wake Forest	Virginia Tech	March 10	3 p.m.	ESPN2/ACCN
3	Clemson	Florida State	March 11	12 p.m.	ESPN/ACCN
4	North Carolina	Game 1 Winner	March 11	2 p.m.	ESPN/ACCN
5	NC State	Pittsburgh	March 11	7 p.m.	ESPN2/ACCN
6	Miami	Game 2 Winner	March 11	9 p.m.	ESPN2/ACCN
7	Virginia	Game 3 Winner	March 12	12 p.m.	ESPN/2/ACCN
8	Louisville	Game 4 Winner	March 12	2 p.m.	ESPN/2/ACCN
9	Duke	Game 5 Winner	March 12	7 p.m.	ESPN/ACCN
10	Notre Dame	Game 6 Winner	March 12	9 p.m.	ESPN/ACCN
11	Game 7 Winner	Game 8 Winner	March 13	7 p.m.	ESPN/2/ACCN
12	Game 9 Winner	Game 10 Winner	March 13	9 p.m.	ESPN/2/ACCN
13	Game 11 Winner	Game 12 Winner	March 14	8:30 p.m.	ESPN/ACCN

Bracket

You can view the full bracket on the ACC's official site.

Predictions

Sleeper: NC State

The Wolfpack are the team from outside the top five seeds with the best chance to steal the spotlight. They have victories over Duke, Louisville and North Carolina while also playing Virginia tough twice. Getting hot at the right time is crucial.

They certainly don't lack motivation. While a deep run in the ACC tournament would make them a lock for the Big Dance, an early exit could leave them on the outside looking in. Jeff Borzello of ESPN sums up how things have gone:

NC State is a well-rounded team that can win games in different ways. That always comes in handy at this point in the season. It might have to win a defensive battle against Virginia or an offensive shootout with Duke, and it has the talent to make it happen.

The Wolfpack have three players averaging double-digit points, led by Trevor Lacey and Ralston Turner, who can catch fire from beyond the arc. They also have a defensive stopper in Beejay Anya. It's enough to make them a threat to the top squads.

Favorite: Virginia

The Cavaliers have been nothing short of outstanding this season. After their loss against Duke, they rebounded with consecutive wins over North Carolina and Louisville. They force teams to play at their slow pace and excel in close, low-scoring games that tends to create.

It all starts on the defensive end for Virginia. It is second in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. Dick Vitale of ESPN also praised the team's effort at that end of the floor following a recent win over Syracuse:

That game against the Orange was a perfect illustration of why the Cavaliers are so tough to beat. They got off to a sluggish start on the offensive end. But they were able to scrap and claw to keep it close until the shooters came alive and they pulled away.

A strong regular season should put them in line for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Reaching the finals of the conference tournament would eliminate any questions about their viability as a legitimate national championship contender. They should accomplish that.

Champion: Duke

Duke has the high-end talent necessary to win both the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and Tyus Jones are a terrific freshman trio. Quinn Cook often gets overlook, but he provides valuable contributions on the offensive end and key senior leadership.

The biggest unknown is whether the Blue Devils have enough secondary options—role players capable of stepping up in key moments. Despite leaning heavily on the stars, Chris Carlson of Syracuse.con notes Mike Krzyzewski doesn't think fatigue will be a major factor.

"Our practice is amazingly short and no contact," Krzyzewski said. "They've been interesting, let's put it that way. We don't tire them out. You worry about being in shape and how you run without contact or change surfaces and stuff like that. They all want to play 40 minutes."

How his team performs during a conference tournament without rest days built in should test that theory. That said, the legendary coach obviously knows his players and how to handle the rotation heading into the key part of the season.

Duke's offense is good enough to win the title. The question is whether it can get the necessary stops in crucial moments. Its overtime win over UNC on Feb. 19 was a perfect example. The Blue Devils struggled on defense for most of the game, but they came up with some clutch possessions to get the victory.

A similar effort in the ACC tournament will lead to the program's 25th conference tourney title.