ACC Tournament 2018: Bracket, TV Schedule, Dates and Predictions

Can anyone stop the Virginia Cavaliers from dominating the ACC tournament the way they did in the regular season?

That question will be answered this week at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the site of this year's conference championship event.

The tournament will open with No. 12 seed Boston College meeting 13th-seeded Georgia Tech at noon ET Tuesday. Tenth-seeded Notre Dame will play 15th-seeded Pittsburgh in the second game and 11th-seeded Syracuse will take on No. 14 Wake Forest in the third and final game of the tournament's opening day.

Here's a look at the full tournament bracket, per the Atlantic Coast's Conference website, along with the television schedule.

Tuesday, March 6

First round

No. 12 Boston College vs. No. 13 Georgia Tech (ESPN2/ACC Network), noon.

No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh (ESPN2/ACC Network), 2 p.m.

No. 11 Syracuse vs. No. 14 Wake Forest (ESPNU/ACC Network), 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 7

Second round

No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 9 Louisville (ESPN/ACC Network), noon.

No. 5 NC State vs. Tuesday noon winner (ESPN/ACC Network), 2 p.m.

No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. Tuesday 2 p.m. winner (ESPN2/ACC Network), 7 p.m.

No. 6 North Carolina vs. Tuesday 7 p.m. winner (ESPN2/ACC Network), 9 p.m.

Thursday, March 8

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Virginia vs. Wednesday noon winner (ESPN/ACC Network), noon.

No. 4 Clemson vs. Wednesday 2 p.m. winner (ESPN/ACC Network), 2 p.m.

No. 2 Duke vs. Wednesday 7 p.m. winner (ESPN/ACC Network), 7 p.m.

No. 3 Miami vs. Wednesday 9 p.m. winner (ESPN/ACC Network), 9 p.m.

Friday, March 9

Semifinals

Thursday afternoon winners (ESPN or ESPN2/ACC Network), 7 p.m.

Thursday evening winners (ESPN or ESPN2/ACC Network), 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 10

Championship

Friday evening winners (ESPN/ACC Network), 8:30 p.m.

Virginia finished the season with a 17-1 conference record after beating Notre Dame 62-57 Saturday. The Cavaliers have been the most consistent team in the ACC all season, and they should be at their best when they play their quarterfinal game Thursday at noon.

Head coach Tony Bennett has built a team that is remarkably strong defensively—and that has been the Cavaliers' signature for years. However, Virginia has shown the ability to make big shots at key moments this year and are a better offensive team than they have been in the past.

Devon Hall scored 17 points to lead Virginia against the Irish, but Kyle Guy is leading the team in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game.

Hall is averaging 11.7 points per night, while Ty Jerome is also in double figures with an average of 10.5 points per game.

Jerome believes the key for Virginia is to keep improving. "I think it's most important just not to overcomplicate things," he said, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "Keep trying to get better and keep knocking."

The Duke Blue Devils are the No. 2 seed in the conference, and they came through with a 74-64 victory over archrival North Carolina. The Devils were down by 10 at halftime but outscored the Tar Heels 49-29 in the second half.

Duke will play its quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Blue Devils are led by powerful freshman big man Marvin Bagley III. He scored 21 points and had 15 rebounds against the Tar Heels, and he is averaging 20.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game while shooting 60.3 percent from the field. Senior Grayson Allen is averaging 15.5 points per game and connecting on 86.3 percent of his free throws.

Miami moved into the No. 3 seed in the ACC tournament, as the Hurricanes came up with a 69-68 victory over Virginia Tech in its regular-season finale. Chris Lykes hit the game-winning free throw with three seconds left to give the Hurricanes the victory.

Miami will play its first ACC tournament game Thursday night at 9 p.m. Forward Dewan Huell is averaging 11.7 points per game to lead the Hurricanes, while Lonnie Walker IV and Bruce Brown Jr. are both averaging in double figures.

The Hurricanes closed the season with a four-game winning streak, while fourth-seeded Clemson is going in the opposite direction.

The Tigers closed the season with a 55-52 loss at Syracuse, and they have lost four of their last six games. Clemson will open their ACC tournament at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Clemson is led by guard Marcquise Reed, who is averaging 16.2 points per game. He is getting a big assist from guard Gabe DeVoe, who is third on the team—behind the injured Donte Grantham—with a mark of 13.3 points per game.

While it seems likely Virginia, Duke, Miami and Clemson have the best chance of reaching the finals, don't count out fifth-seeded North Carolina State or sixth-seeded North Carolina. The Tar Heels may be angry after their loss to Duke and could be prepared for a championship-type run.

Predictions

Virginia simply always finds a way to win this season. They should easily come out on top in the quarterfinal game, and if there are no major upsets in that round, the Cavs will face Clemson in the semifinals. Since the Tigers are slumping, we don't see coach Brad Brownell's team coming up with the upset.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski is not used to letting up in the ACC tournament, but if the Blue Devils can avoid a confrontation with the Cavaliers, they might be better off in the NCAA tournament. Duke will almost certainly make it to the semifinal round, and if they play the Hurricanes, Miami will find a way to win that game.

Look for Miami to push Virginia hard in the championship game, but the second half will belong to the Cavaliers. They will go into the NCAA tournament with the ACC regular-season title, the conference tournament title and the No. 1 ranking in the nation.