ACC Tournament 2015: Latest Championship Odds and Predictions on Day 1

Fans pining for the big-name programs like Duke, Virginia or Louisville will have to wait a few more days. Instead, Tuesday's slate of games in the ACC tournament features such teams as Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and Boston College.

Nope, that's not as exciting. It is, however, a meaningful conference tournament going up on a Tuesday. I will not apologize for that.

The four teams might not have name recognition like the aforementioned powerhouses, but they have plenty of star power. Olivier Hanlan will provide the offensive fireworks in the opener. Codi Miller-McIntyre will look to do the same against a Virginia Tech team that he went off against earlier this season.

Before the opening tip takes place, here's a look at the full championship odds and predictions for Day 1 of the ACC tournament.

Matchup	Date	Time (ET)	TV	Live Stream
Boston College vs. Georgia Tech	March 10	1 p.m.	ESPN2/ACCN	WatchESPN
Wake Forest vs. Virginia Tech	March 10	3 p.m.	ESPN2/ACCN	WatchESPN

Team	Odds
Duke	5-4
Virginia	19-10
Louisville	25-4
North Carolina	25-4
Notre Dame	13-2
N.C. State	30-1
Miami	35-1
Pittsburgh	150-1
Clemson	200-1
Florida State	300-1
Wake Forest	500-1
Georgia Tech	500-1
Boston College	1000-1
Virginia Tech	1500-1

Day 1 Predictions

Despite a trying season overall, Boston College surged down the stretch. The program's three-game winning streak started with a home win over N.C. State, giving it confidence heading into the tourney.

Their run likely won't make it past the second round of the tournament, but the Eagles have a true star that can lead the way. Hanlan, who was voted to the All-ACC first team, is averaging 19.4 points, 4.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds this season.

ACC Network analyst and Wolfpack legend Julius Hodge noted why Hanlan was deserving of the honor:

In order for BC to pull out a first-round victory, Hanlan will need help. Luckily, both Aaron Brown and Patrick Heckmann have been performing well lately, giving the Eagles a full repertoire of weapons against lowly Georgia Tech. Hanlan and Co. will advance with a convincing win.

The second matchup of the day pits two more cellar-dwelling teams against each other.

Wake Forest was a team that looked promising at the midway point of the season, but it struggled closing out the year. Wins over N.C. State and Miami are all but forgotten after blowout losses to Virginia, Duke and Boston College in the final four games.

Junior Devin Thomas spoke about the team's effort at the end of the year, via Dan Collins of the Winston-Salem Journal:

"

We weren’t competing those last three games. That’s why we lost by those types of margins. We weren’t playing hard. We weren’t playing together as a team on defense. And we were just taking unnecessary shots. So you’re not going to beat the No. 3 team, the No. 2 team—and we didn’t play together at Boston College with that type of offense that they run.

"

Miller-McIntyre was named an honorable mention on the All-ACC teams, but it's Thomas that creates down low. Thomas, the second-leading scorer (11.7 ppg) and leading rebounder (8.8 rpg), nearly turned in a double-double earlier this year against the Hokies.

That sparked some interesting comments from VT coach Buzz Williams, via Mike Barber of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Oh, there will be desperation. The entire season is on the line for both teams and there is no tournament bid without winning the ACC title. However, Wake has too much talent to lie down and not finish the season with a tournament win.

Danny Manning might not have been able to motivate his players during the final conference games, but this is different. Claiming a win in the ACC tournament means something. With that said, the Demon Deacons come away with another close one to get another crack at Miami.

 

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