ACC Tournament 2023 predictions: Can Duke, UNC basketball make a run in Greensboro?
The ACC men's basketball tournament tips off Tuesday at Greensboro Coliseum.
North Carolina is in serious danger of missing the NCAA Tournament, Duke is surging into the postseason, NC State is looking to build on its March Madness hopes and Miami and Virginia are among the favorites to cut down the nets.
Duke has won an ACC-best 21 tournament titles, followed by UNC (18) and NC State (10). The last time the tournament was played in Greensboro, it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Florida State was crowned the champion.
Duke (nine) and UNC (eight) have combined to win 17 championships in Greensboro. The Blue Devils or Tar Heels have played in 23 of the 27 ACC title games at the coliseum.
Here are predictions for the 2023 ACC Tournament, starting with Wednesday’s games and ending with Saturday’s championship.
Wednesday
Wake Forest over Syracuse
The teams enter the tournament with losses in four of their last five games, but ‘Cuse is coming off a 72-63 win against the Demon Deacons in the regular-season finale. I’ll take Tyree Appleby and the Deacs to get payback.
Pitt over Georgia Tech/Florida State
Jeff Capel led the Panthers to an incredible turnaround with 21 wins in the regular season. After dropping their final two games ahead of the postseason, I think the Panthers and Jamarius Burton will get back on track with a win.
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UNC over Boston College/Louisville
It’s not a game that will get the Tar Heels to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but it’s sink-or-swim time with their postseason hopes hanging by a thread. UNC beat both teams in the regular season.
NC State over Notre Dame/Virginia Tech
The Wolfpack is limping into the postseason on a two-game losing streak, but it still has one of the best backcourts in the country with Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner. NC State will avoid the upset and advance.
Thursday
Miami over Wake Forest
The top-seeded Hurricanes finished the regular season with wins in eight of their last nine games to claim a share of the ACC title. After dropping 96 on the Demon Deacons in mid-February, Miami could put up similar numbers in this one.
Duke over Pitt
The Blue Devils are the hottest team in the ACC as winners of six straight, including a victory at UNC in the finale. Duke is leaning into its defensive identity and starting to look more comfortable offensively. That’s a scary combo for the Panthers.
UNC over Virginia
The Tar Heels split the season series against the Cavaliers, who earned a share of the regular-season title for the sixth time in 10 seasons. UNC was missing Pete Nance and Armando Bacot in the first meeting. They had both in the rematch and won in Chapel Hill.
NC State over Clemson
The Tigers earned a pair of victories against the Wolfpack in the regular season, winning by an average margin of 19.5 points. NC State has lost five in a row to Clemson, but I’ll take the Wolfpack to snap the skid in Greensboro.
Friday
Miami over Duke
A matchup between arguably the top two teams in the league, the Hurricanes and Blue Devils have split the last four games in the series. After losing to Duke in last season’s ACC Tournament, I think Miami will get revenge this time around.
UNC over NC State
The Tar Heels have won four of the last five against the Wolfpack, but Jarkel Joiner dropped 29 points on UNC to push State to a victory in the last meeting. This time, the Tar Heels will continue their success in Greensboro with a third win in three days.
Saturday
Miami over UNC
The Tar Heels are on the brink of missing the NCAA Tournament and the Hurricanes look like a team capable of making a deep run in the Big Dance. In a rematch of the 2013 title game in Greensboro, I think Miami gets the same result for its second ACC tournament title behind an MVP performance from Jordan Miller.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ACC Tournament 2023: Predictions for UNC, Duke basketball in Greensboro
