ACC Tournament 2019: TV Schedule and Early Bracket Predictions
March 5, 2019
The Virginia Cavaliers, North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils are once again expected to dominate the 2019 ACC tournament.
The three programs have combined to win each of the last three conference tournaments, while Duke and North Carolina are the most successful programs in tournament history.
After spending the last two seasons at Barclays Center, the ACC tournament moves back to North Carolina, as it'll take place at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte from March 12-16.
Virginia is in line to be the No. 1 seed, while UNC and Duke are expected to be in the bottom half of the bracket as the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds.
ACC Tournament Schedule
All Times ET.
Tuesday, March 12
No. 12 seed vs. No. 13 seed (Noon, ESPN2)
No. 10 seed vs. No. 15 seed (approximately 2 p.m., ESPN2)
No. 11 seed vs. No. 14 seed (7 p.m., ESPNU)
Wednesday, March 13
No. 8 seed vs. No. 9 seed (Noon, ESPN)
No. 5 seed vs. Winner of No. 12 vs. No. 13 (approx. 2 p.m., ESPN)
No. 7 seed vs. Winner of No. 10 vs. No. 15 (7 p.m., ESPN2)
No. 6 seed vs. Winner of No. 11 vs. No. 14 (approx. 9 p.m., ESPN2)
Thursday, March 14
No. 1 seed vs. No. 8 vs. No. 9 winner (12:30 p.m., ESPN)
No. 4 seed vs. Winner of No. 5 vs. No. 12/No.13 (approx. 2:30 p.m., ESPN)
No. 2 seed vs. Winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10/No. 15 (7 p.m., ESPN)
No. 3 seed vs. Winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11/No. 14 (approx. 9 p.m., ESPN)
Friday, March 15
Semifinal No. 1 (7 p.m., ESPN)
Semifinal No. 2 (approx. 9 p.m., ESPN)
Saturday, March 16
Championship (8:30 p.m., ESPN)
Projected Bracket
1. Virginia
2. North Carolina
3. Duke
4. Florida State
5. Virginia Tech
6. Syracuse
7. Louisville
8. NC State
9. Clemson
10. Boston College
11. Miami
12. Georgia Tech
13. Notre Dame
14. Wake Forest
15. Pittsburgh
In order to win the ACC tournament and secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament, Duke is going to have to beat both Virginia and North Carolina if form holds.
Beating North Carolina in the semifinals and then coming back the next day to defeat Virginia is a tough task for the Blue Devils, even if Zion Williamson works his way back from injury.
Although the Blue Devils should receive the bulk of the attention heading into Charlotte, Virginia and North Carolina are both more than capable of capturing the title.
The Cavaliers are on a seven-game winning streak, and they'll reside in the weaker part of the bracket as the No. 1 seed.
Outside of their loss to Virginia on February 11, the Tar Heels are 5-0 versus ranked teams in ACC play, and they'll have a chance to extend that mark to six wins in the regular-season finale against Duke.
Beneath the top three in the ACC sits a collection of solid teams who will be fighting to improve their NCAA tournament seed in Charlotte.
Florida State's won 10 of its last 11 games, Virginia Tech has victories in four of its last five games, Syracuse's zone defense can give anyone trouble and Louisville will be motivated to enter March Madness on a positive note after losing five of seven before beating Notre Dame on Sunday.
Each of the second-tier teams in the ACC is capable of beating one of the top three if they play a perfect game, but Virginia, UNC and Duke are the favorites to win the title.
Virginia will cruise into the final from its part of the bracket and end up facing Duke for the third time this season.
Unlike the first two meetings, the Cavaliers have an answer for Duke's talented freshmen and repeat as ACC tournament champions.
Prediction: Virginia over Duke
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.