ACC Tournament 2015: Complete Bracket and Predictions After Regular Season

Saturday marked the conclusion of the regular season for the ACC, and predicting a winner for the impending conference tournament just became increasingly difficult.

Virginia dropped its regular-season finale to a surging Louisville team, while Notre Dame handily defeated Clemson and Duke completed its season sweep of North Carolina. With big wins from NC State and Miami, along with a bad loss by Pittsburgh, the ACC tournament bracket was shaken up.

Here's a look at the final seeds for the 14 competitors, courtesy of The ACC:

So, now that we know the road each team must take to gain a coveted conference title, we can begin the speculation process.

Tournament Predictions

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Let's go ahead and kick this off with the Round 1 matchups. Boston College defeated Georgia Tech on the road earlier this season, and considering the Eagles are currently enjoying a three-game winning streak, expect a similar result this time around. Virginia Tech put up a fight against Wake Forest earlier this year, but the Hokies are on a seven-game losing streak and have zero momentum. That streak will continue.

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In the second round, Florida State will grab a win over Clemson. The Tigers have been in a rut of late, and the Seminoles' big win over Pittsburgh on Saturday will provide some momentum to come away with a tournament victory. Boston College's run will end in Round 2, as North Carolina is simply too talented on the offensive end of the court to handle.

NC State is surging, while Pittsburgh is in a slump. The last time these teams met, the Wolfpack notched an 18-point victory, so another win should be on the horizon. Miami is another team with momentum. The Hurricanes have played very well down the stretch, and that will lead to a victory over Wake Forest in Round 2.

Unfortunately for Florida State, it runs into a reeling Virginia team in the quarterfinals. Don't expect the Cavaliers defense to allow many points in its first tournament showing. A contest between Louisville and North Carolina should provide some early drama. We should be in for a close one here, but the Cardinals will get the win due to a big performance from Montrezl Harrell.

Duke doesn't have a gimme in the quarterfinals, as NC State defeated the Blue Devils earlier this season. That was a great achievement for the Wolfpack, but Duke is riding an 11-game winning streak and won't be denied here. Expect Miami to give Notre Dame a run for its money in the quarterfinals; however, the Fighting Irish shoot the ball too well to drop a game to an average Hurricanes defense.

The first semifinal contest is a rematch of the regular-season finale between Virginia and Louisville. The Cardinals notched an impressive two-point win in that contest, but the Cavaliers were without the services of sharpshooter Justin Anderson. Having him back in the fold in the conference tournament will make a world of difference, as Virginia heads to the final.

Notre Dame and Duke split their regular-season series, as the Fighting Irish notched a win in the first meeting but the Blue Devils stormed back to earn a 30-point victory three games later. Since that contest, both teams have played extremely well, but it's difficult to bet against a Duke team that is rolling.

A Virginia-Duke final is the epitome of compelling college hoops. The only time these teams met, Duke took the Cavaliers down 69-63 after a late rally. The Blue Devils were able to get some penetration against Virginia's stout defense in that contest, and the team shot 50.9 percent from the floor as a result.

The Cavaliers showed a similar weakness in their regular-season finale against Louisville, and that could be a cause for concern against a Duke team that already exposed that flaw. That will lead to yet another win for the Blue Devils, as they take the ACC title and look to do some major damage during March Madness.

Predicted tournament winner: Duke