ACC Tournament 2022: Bracket Predictions Before Final Regular-Season Games

When Mike Krzyzewski leads the Duke men's basketball team into action on Saturday, it will be the final time he coaches a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium. However, there won't be much at stake for the Blue Devils in their regular-season finale against North Carolina.

Duke has already secured the No. 1 seed for the ACC tournament, which is set to take place next week at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. So the Blue Devils are just looking to keep their momentum going, as they enter their matchup with the Tar Heels on a seven-game winning streak.

Not every ACC team is locked into a seed for the conference tournament yet. Saturday's slate of seven games has some important matchups that will help determine the bracket for the tourney.

The 2022 ACC tournament is set to begin Tuesday and will conclude with the championship game on March 12. The full schedule for the event is available at the ACC's official website.

Here are predictions for how the bracket for the ACC tournament will shake out following Saturday's action.

ACC Tournament Bracket Predictions

1. Duke

2. Notre Dame

3. North Carolina

4. Miami

5. Wake Forest

6. Virginia Tech

7. Virginia

8. Florida State

9. Syracuse

10. Boston College

11. Clemson

12. Pittsburgh

13. Louisville

14. NC State

15. Georgia Tech

Although Saturday's Duke-North Carolina matchup doesn't carry much importance for the Blue Devils, it could for the Tar Heels, who could potentially move up to the No. 2 seed with a win. However, they'll need some help in order for that to happen.

For North Carolina to move up, Notre Dame would have to lose at home to Pittsburgh. That seems unlikely to happen, though, considering the Panthers have had some struggles this season and already lost to the Fighting Irish once. And this time, the game will be on Notre Dame's home court.

So the Fighting Irish will secure the No. 2 seed with a win. But even that won't lock North Carolina into the No. 3 seed.

It's also possible that the Tar Heels could fall to the No. 4 seed if they lose to Duke and Miami wins on the road at Syracuse. But even if North Carolina loses, it may not have to worry about dropping a spot.

When Miami and Syracuse played on Jan. 5, the Hurricanes pulled out an 88-87 win at home. This time, the Orange will be hosting the matchup, and it's quite possible the game will go the other way. The prediction here is that Syracuse will notch the win, keeping Miami as the No. 4 seed for the ACC tourney.

There's unlikely to be much movement in the standings on Saturday, so the bracket for the conference tournament will likely look similar to the current seedings. But one team that could move up a couple spots is Boston College.

The Golden Eagles conclude the regular season with a road matchup at Georgia Tech, the last-place team in the ACC. If they're victorious, they could move up from the No. 12 seed to the No. 10 seed. For that to happen, Clemson (vs. Virginia Tech), Louisville (vs. Virginia) and Pittsburgh (at Notre Dame) would need to all lose.

But that's a probable scenario that could unfold, so don't be surprised if Boston College ends up at No. 10. Still, that won't be a huge movement, as the Nos. 10-15 seeds have to play in the first round of the ACC tournament on Tuesday.

The seeding will likely be important for the tourney, though, especially for teams that end up on the bottom half of the bracket. That's because those schools won't have to go up against No. 1-seeded Duke, which is entering the tournament as the favorite to win the title.

The Blue Devils are the only ACC team ranked in the AP Top 25 poll, and they've been difficult to beat this season. They've lost only three conference games, the most recent of which was a Feb. 7 defeat against Virginia. But they've re-established their momentum and will be a tough opponent throughout the ACC tournament.

It's always possible that Duke will get knocked off by another team in the conference tourney, particularly if it gets into the later rounds. But the Blue Devils will be heading to March Madness regardless, even if they don't secure the automatic bid for winning the ACC Tournament, which will be the case for several other teams as well.