North Carolina showed it was the cream of the crop in the ACC by winning the regular season title outright. But should they also be backed to be crowned tournament champs? Let’s take a look at what some college basketball experts think with their predictions for the upcoming ACC tournament.
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2017 ACC Conference Championship Expert Picks
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Bleacher Report
| Expert | Final | Champion |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Pederson | North Carolina vs. Notre Dame | North Carolina |
| Paul Kasabian | Virginia vs. North Carolina | North Carolina |
A couple of Bleacher Report writers in Brian Pederson and Paul Kasabian took a crack at predicting how each ACC team will do in the tournament. Both came away with North Carolina coming out of the bracket which involves Duke and Louisville.
And while they had different opponents for UNC – Pederson had Notre Dame and Kasabian went with Virginia – they both had the Tar Heels coming out on top. UNC is the +175 favorite to successfully defend its conference tournament title.
FanRag Sports
| Dark Horse | Champion |
|---|---|
| Notre Dame | North Carolina |
Fan Rag Sports writer Joseph Nardone also came away with the same conclusion as the two Bleacher Report scribes as he picked UNC to go all the way. He sees the Tar Heels as probably the most complete team in the league, and it’s hard to argue with him. They can beat opponents inside-out, and their defense is fairly competent.
Nardone also gave out another prediction as he thinks Notre Dame has the potential to be a dark horse champion. His reasoning is simplistic – his exact words were “They are good at the basketball” – but it’s true. The Irish are once again an above average offense, and they have the veteran savvy to deal with the pressures of the tournament. Notre Dame won the ACC tournament back in 2015, and is a sneaky +1,100 sleeper to do so again.
College Basketball Talk
| Final | Champion |
|---|---|
| Duke vs. Notre Dame | Duke |
CBT’s Rob Dauster is also going with a team from Tobacco Road to take home the tournament title, but it’s not the Tar Heels. Instead, he’s gone with +400 contender Duke to come out on top. The Blue Devils are in the same bracket as UNC, and could meet in the semis. Obviously, Dauster sees the Dukies coming out on top in that one despite losing their most recent meeting to the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill. Dauster also picked Notre Dame to be the unfortunate losing finalist.
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