A year ago at this time, an air of defeatism pervaded most teams heading to the ACC Tournament, with the league enduring an uncharacteristically down season and only one program having reasonable expectations of making significant progress in the ensuing NCAA Tournament.
While there are clear favorites again this year, the league has returned to a more typical number of teams whose names are expected to appear in Sunday’s draft. This will generate greater interest in the early festivities in Charlotte, North Carolina, which will hopefully translate into a more exciting week overall.
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ACC game schedule, brackets, scores
first round
Tuesday, March 10
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Game one: No. 10 Stanford vs. No. 15 Pittsburgh, 2 p.m., ACCN
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Game 2: No. 11 SMU vs. No. 14 Syracuse, 4:30 p.m., ACCN
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Game 3: No. 12 Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ACCN
second round
Wednesday, March 11
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Game 4: No. 7 NC State vs. Stanford-Pittsburgh winner, noon, ESPN/ESPN2
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Game 5: No. 6 Louisville vs. SMU-Syracuse winner, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPNU
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Game six: No. 8 Florida vs. No. 9 California, 7 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
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Game 7: No. 5 Clemson vs. Virginia Tech-Wake Forest champion, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU
quarterfinals
Thursday, March 12
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Game 8: No. 2 Virginia vs. Game 4 winner, noon, ESPN/ESPN2
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Game 9: No. 3 Miami (Fla.) vs. Game 5 winner, 2:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
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Game 10: No. 1 Duke vs. Game 6 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
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Game 11: No. 4 North Carolina vs. Game 7 winner, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
semifinals
Friday, March 13
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Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 7 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
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Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner, 9:30 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2
championship
Saturday, March 14
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Semifinal winner, 8:30 p.m., ESPN
How to watch the ACC Tournament
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television: ESPN/ESPN2 | ESPNU | ACC Network
The first round of the ACC Tournament will be broadcast live on the ACC Network. Subsequent games will be broadcast on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU. The championship game will be broadcast on ESPN. All games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
ACC favorite
top seed DukeAs with last season, expect to fly the league flag high in March Madness. However, the Blue Devils, who had starters Patrick Ngomba and Kaleb Foster on the bench in walking boots in their final regular-season win over their old rivals, may not be at full strength entering this game. North Carolina. The Tar Heels will be shorthanded, with standout freshman Caleb Wilson missing the remainder of the season. This is good news for these two teams and other teams with double byes. virginia and Miamithey will continue until Thursday’s quarterfinals.
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ACC top players
Cameron Boozer, forward, Duke – The Blue Devils’ newest freshman star is living up to his lofty expectations. Given health concerns, the team leader in points (22.7), rebounds (10.2) and assists (4.1) may actually be asked to do more.
Thijs De Rider, forward, Virginia – The Belgian standout is the cornerstone of first-year Cavaliers coach Ryan Odom’s revamped roster. Virginia’s leading scorer (15.9) and rebounder (6.3) shoots 51.3 percent from the field with excellent touch around the rim.
Malik Reneau, forward, Miami – The Miami native returns to his hometown after starting his college career at Indiana. Averaging 19 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, he quickly became a key figure in the Hurricanes’ rapid resurgence under new coach Jai Lucas.
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Henri Veesaar, center, North Carolina – The Estonian native and former Arizona State transfer will have to shoulder more of the load on both ends of the floor in Wilson’s absence. The seven-footer averaged 16.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game for the Tar Heels.
Ryan Conwell, G, Louisville – With flashy rookie point guard Mikel Brown in and out of the lineup due to back issues, the Cardinals will need Cornwell to provide another consistent scoring presence on the perimeter. He averaged 18.7 points per game and made 102 three-pointers.
ACC’s NCAA Tournament Bubble Storylines
While several teams playing Tuesday still hold on to faint bubble hopes, the real drama will unfold the next day. North Carolina and Clemson Probably safe, but the seventh-seeded Wolf Pack is advised not to tempt fate with an early loss. singapore management university Struggling in the final stages and needing a win or two to catch its breath. california and Virginia TechWe need to look from the outside and look within. It may be necessary to reach the finals to get a general seat.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC Basketball Tournament Brackets, Scores, Schedule, TV Channels
