ACC tournament Round 2 odds, predictions and NCAA basketball best bets
Andrew Caley
The ACC tournament rolls into the Second Round with four games on tap Wednesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, which includes a pair of bubble teams doing battle and some blue bloods getting into the mix. We deliver you the must-read betting notes to help you crack the odds for the ACC tourney.
Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina State Wolfpack
Odds: NC State +1.5, 140.5 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 12:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: NCST 1-0 SU, CLEM 1-0 ATS, 0-1 O/U
The opening game of the second round of the ACC tournament might serve as a play-in game to the Big Dance when eighth-seeded North Carolina State takes on No. 9 seed Clemson in a battle of bubble teams.
The Wolfpack and Tigers both figure to be among the teams the selection committee is debating down to the wire Sunday, so a victory could make the difference in who makes the cut. The head-to-head meeting might carry extra weight for the Tigers, who suffered a terrible 69-67 road loss, but covered as 4.5-point pups to the Wolfpack on Jan. 26. A game in which they led 67-61 with 26 seconds to go, but Tigers’ senior and guard and leading scorer missed four straight free throws to aide the Wolfpack’s stunning comeback.
In that matchup, NC State got out to an early 30-24 lead and that should come as no surprise to Wolfpack backers. North Carolina State is one of the best first half scoring teams in the country, ranking 14th with an average of 39 per contest and a still impressive 38 away from home. Clemson on the other hand, is more of a second half team. They rank 202nd at 33.2 first half points per game.
NC State is a high scoring squad (3rd in the ACC at 81 ppg) but its true shooting percentage is more middle of the pack (no pun intended) and can make them an iffy full game wager. So, ride the Wolfpack’s early game edge and take them on the first half moneyline at +100.
Miami Hurricanes vs Virginia Tech Hokies
Odds: Virgina Tech -7.5, 137.5 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 2:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: VT 2-0 SU/ATS, 2-0 O/U
Virginia Tech matched the program record with 23 regular-season victories and the fifth-seeded Hokies hope there are more milestones to come as they start play in the second round of ACC tournament against No. 12 seed Miami on Wednesday.
Virginia Tech won six of 10 and five of the past seven without injured senior point guard Justin Robinson (foot), capped by an 84-70 triumph against Miami on Friday to finish with a team-record 12 ACC wins. Robinson returns for this matchup and rejoins a Hokies’ starting lineup that features four players averaging 13-plus points per game. They also shoot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range as a team, seventh best in the nation.
That could spell trouble for, Miami which went just 4-10-1 ATS away from its home court. The Hurricanes are a streaky shooting team and are one of the worst perimeter defending teams in not just the ACC, but the country, allowing opponents to shoot 34.5 percent from deep.
Virginia Tech swept the season series against Miami SU and ATS, shooting 50.6 percent from downtown while limiting Miami to 28.6 percent. There’s no reason to think anything will change this time around. Back the Hokies to make it a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS after tomorrow.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Louisville Cardinals
Odds: Louisville -7.5, 134 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: LOU 1-0 SU/ATS, 0-1 O/U
Notre Dame snapped a seven-game losing streak Tuesday by shooting the lights out in the first half against Georgia Tech, to advance to the second round of the ACC tournament, where they'll face Louisville Wednesday.
The Irish shot an incredible 58 percent from the field in opening up a 52-32 lead at the break and managed to hold off a late surge by the Yellow Jackets to secure the date with the Cardinals. Louisville and Notre Dame will be playing for the second time this season and the second time in 11 days. The Cardinals easily won the previous matchup 75-61 at home March 3 as Jordan Nwora recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Louisville held Notre Dame to 34.6 percent shooting in that game, which is its calling card this season. The Cardinals rank 37th in the country and seventh in the ACC in opponents field goal percentage at 20.8 percent. Yesterday’s crazy outburst aside, Notre Dame ranks second to last in shooting percentage in the ACC at 39.8.
Look for Louisville to jump out to an early lead as it averages 34.4 first half points per game away from home, while Notre Dame sits at 29.4 in the same category. The Irish’s scoring outburst was very out of character and it will be very difficult for them to repeat that performance on back-to-back days against a superior Cardinals team. Look hard to Louisville on the first half spread at -4.
Pitt Panthers vs Syracuse Orange
Odds: Syracuse -7, 132.5 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 9:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: CUSE 2-0 SU/ATS, 1-1 O/U
No. 14 Pitt snapped a 13-game losing streak Saturday with a win over Notre Dame and made it two straight Tuesday evening by jumping out to a 15-point halftime lead and holding on for an 80-70 victory over BC. It's reward? A date with a sixth-seeded Syracuse team that won and covered two previous meetings this season.
Wednesday’s contest will be the third meeting of the season with Syracuse winning 74-63 as 7.5-point favorites at home Jan. 19 and 65-56 at Pitt as 3.5-point road faves on Feb. 2. Pitt's freshmen guards Trey McGowens and Xavier Johnson were the big reason for the win over the Eagles, leading the Panthers in scoring against the Eagles with 26 and 23 points, respectively. However, the young Panthers struggled with the Orange’s 2-3 zone defense, shooting 33.8 percent and 31.6 percent from the field while turning the ball over a combined 28 times in the two previous meetings.
You need to be able to hit shots to defeat the Syracuse zone, and Pitt is just too inconsistent in that regard. Fatigue will set in for Pitt and Cuse will pull away late. Lay the points with favorite in this one.
Andrew Caley
The ACC tournament rolls into the Second Round with four games on tap Wednesday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, which includes a pair of bubble teams doing battle and some blue bloods getting into the mix. We deliver you the must-read betting notes to help you crack the odds for the ACC tourney.
Clemson Tigers vs North Carolina State Wolfpack
Odds: NC State +1.5, 140.5 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 12:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: NCST 1-0 SU, CLEM 1-0 ATS, 0-1 O/U
The opening game of the second round of the ACC tournament might serve as a play-in game to the Big Dance when eighth-seeded North Carolina State takes on No. 9 seed Clemson in a battle of bubble teams.
The Wolfpack and Tigers both figure to be among the teams the selection committee is debating down to the wire Sunday, so a victory could make the difference in who makes the cut. The head-to-head meeting might carry extra weight for the Tigers, who suffered a terrible 69-67 road loss, but covered as 4.5-point pups to the Wolfpack on Jan. 26. A game in which they led 67-61 with 26 seconds to go, but Tigers’ senior and guard and leading scorer missed four straight free throws to aide the Wolfpack’s stunning comeback.
In that matchup, NC State got out to an early 30-24 lead and that should come as no surprise to Wolfpack backers. North Carolina State is one of the best first half scoring teams in the country, ranking 14th with an average of 39 per contest and a still impressive 38 away from home. Clemson on the other hand, is more of a second half team. They rank 202nd at 33.2 first half points per game.
NC State is a high scoring squad (3rd in the ACC at 81 ppg) but its true shooting percentage is more middle of the pack (no pun intended) and can make them an iffy full game wager. So, ride the Wolfpack’s early game edge and take them on the first half moneyline at +100.
Miami Hurricanes vs Virginia Tech Hokies
Odds: Virgina Tech -7.5, 137.5 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 2:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: VT 2-0 SU/ATS, 2-0 O/U
Virginia Tech matched the program record with 23 regular-season victories and the fifth-seeded Hokies hope there are more milestones to come as they start play in the second round of ACC tournament against No. 12 seed Miami on Wednesday.
Virginia Tech won six of 10 and five of the past seven without injured senior point guard Justin Robinson (foot), capped by an 84-70 triumph against Miami on Friday to finish with a team-record 12 ACC wins. Robinson returns for this matchup and rejoins a Hokies’ starting lineup that features four players averaging 13-plus points per game. They also shoot nearly 40 percent from 3-point range as a team, seventh best in the nation.
That could spell trouble for, Miami which went just 4-10-1 ATS away from its home court. The Hurricanes are a streaky shooting team and are one of the worst perimeter defending teams in not just the ACC, but the country, allowing opponents to shoot 34.5 percent from deep.
Virginia Tech swept the season series against Miami SU and ATS, shooting 50.6 percent from downtown while limiting Miami to 28.6 percent. There’s no reason to think anything will change this time around. Back the Hokies to make it a perfect 3-0 SU/ATS after tomorrow.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs Louisville Cardinals
Odds: Louisville -7.5, 134 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 7:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: LOU 1-0 SU/ATS, 0-1 O/U
Notre Dame snapped a seven-game losing streak Tuesday by shooting the lights out in the first half against Georgia Tech, to advance to the second round of the ACC tournament, where they'll face Louisville Wednesday.
The Irish shot an incredible 58 percent from the field in opening up a 52-32 lead at the break and managed to hold off a late surge by the Yellow Jackets to secure the date with the Cardinals. Louisville and Notre Dame will be playing for the second time this season and the second time in 11 days. The Cardinals easily won the previous matchup 75-61 at home March 3 as Jordan Nwora recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Louisville held Notre Dame to 34.6 percent shooting in that game, which is its calling card this season. The Cardinals rank 37th in the country and seventh in the ACC in opponents field goal percentage at 20.8 percent. Yesterday’s crazy outburst aside, Notre Dame ranks second to last in shooting percentage in the ACC at 39.8.
Look for Louisville to jump out to an early lead as it averages 34.4 first half points per game away from home, while Notre Dame sits at 29.4 in the same category. The Irish’s scoring outburst was very out of character and it will be very difficult for them to repeat that performance on back-to-back days against a superior Cardinals team. Look hard to Louisville on the first half spread at -4.
Pitt Panthers vs Syracuse Orange
Odds: Syracuse -7, 132.5 O/U @ Points Bet
Start Time: 9:00 p.m. ET Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Season Series: CUSE 2-0 SU/ATS, 1-1 O/U
No. 14 Pitt snapped a 13-game losing streak Saturday with a win over Notre Dame and made it two straight Tuesday evening by jumping out to a 15-point halftime lead and holding on for an 80-70 victory over BC. It's reward? A date with a sixth-seeded Syracuse team that won and covered two previous meetings this season.
Wednesday’s contest will be the third meeting of the season with Syracuse winning 74-63 as 7.5-point favorites at home Jan. 19 and 65-56 at Pitt as 3.5-point road faves on Feb. 2. Pitt's freshmen guards Trey McGowens and Xavier Johnson were the big reason for the win over the Eagles, leading the Panthers in scoring against the Eagles with 26 and 23 points, respectively. However, the young Panthers struggled with the Orange’s 2-3 zone defense, shooting 33.8 percent and 31.6 percent from the field while turning the ball over a combined 28 times in the two previous meetings.
You need to be able to hit shots to defeat the Syracuse zone, and Pitt is just too inconsistent in that regard. Fatigue will set in for Pitt and Cuse will pull away late. Lay the points with favorite in this one.

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