The ACC basketball postseason kicked off March 6 with the women’s tournament in Greensboro, while the men’s action begins today in Washington, DC.
With yesterday’s launch of NC online sports betting, NC bettors have plenty of time to place wagers on the men’s ACC tournament games and prepare for March Madness.
Betting on in-state college teams is allowed, including props-style bets.
ACC tournament details
Schedule and broadcasts
The ACC women’s tournament concluded on Sunday with Notre Dame (#4) taking down NC State (#2). The Irish rolled over top-seeded Virginia Tech in the semifinals to advance to the ACC Championship and concluded tournament play with a four-point win over the Wolf Pack Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The men’s tournament begins today with three games.
- First round, March 12, ACC Network; games begin at 2 p.m.
- Second round, March 13, ESPN and ESPN2 (the last game of the day will also be on ESPNU); games begin at noon
- Quarterfinals, March 14, ESPN and ESPN2; games begin at noon
- Semifinals, March 15, ESPN and ESPN2; game 1 at 7 p.m., game 2 at 9:30 p.m.
- Championship, March 16, ESPN; 8:30 p.m.
North Carolina, Duke, Pitt, and Virginia earned double byes for the men’s tournament. Action for NC teams begins this evening with NC State taking on Louisville. Here is the men’s bracket
Final regular season standings
Women
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Players and teams to watch
The ACC announced the postseason awards for the women’s side last week. Duke freshman Oluchi Okananwa earned the ACC Sixth Player of the Year award. She is the first-ever Blue Devil to earn that honor. She came off the bench in every regular-season game and led the team in rebounds at 6.1 per contest. Four players from NC schools landed on the All-ACC First Team. In addition to Okananwa, they are:
- Deja Kelly, Sr., G, North Carolina
- Aziaha James, Jr., G, NC State
- Saniya Rivers, Jr., G, NC State
Rivers made the All-Defensive Team. NC State guard Zoe Brooks joined Okananwa on the All-Freshman Team. The rest of the top women’s postseason honors are:
- Player of the Year: Elizabeth Kitley, Gr., C, Virginia Tech
- Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, Fr., G, Notre Dame
- Rookie of the Year: Hannah Hidalgo, G, Notre Dame
- Sixth Player of the Year: Oluchi Okananwa, Fr., G, Duke
- Most Improved Player: Liatu King, Sr., F, Pitt
- Coach of the Year: Felisha Legette-Jack, Syracuse
The men’s postseason awards were announced Tuesday. North Carolina senior guard RJ Davis earned ACC Player of the Year honors and made the All-ACC First Team. Davis led the league in scoring at 21.47 points per game. He is also second in made three-pointers. Davis is in the running for the John R. Wooden Award, given to the top player in the country.
Other top performers from NC schools:
- Kyle Filipowski (Duke) – ACC First Team
- Hunter Sallis (Wake Forest) – ACC First Team
- Armando Bacot (UNC) – ACC Second Team; All-Defensive Team
- Jared McCain (Duke) – All-Rookie Team
- Elliott Cadeau (UNC) – All-Rookie Team
Along with top ACC honors, most of these players are among the top NIL earners in the ACC as well.
Getting ready for the Big Dance
Both the women’s and men’s sides feature nationally ranked teams. It’s possible that we’ll see at least four or five teams from both sides in the NCAA tournament bracket.
Five women’s teams are ranked, led by NC State and Virginia Tech at No. 10 and No. 11, respectively. The conference also has nine teams in the top 50 of the NCAA NET women’s rankings.
On the men’s side, the ACC has six teams in the top 50 of the current NCAA NET ratings: North Carolina (9), Duke (10), Clemson (25), Wake Forest (31), Pitt (44) and Virginia (49). North Carolina (No. 7) and Duke (No. 9) remain nationally ranked. Clemson and Wake Forest received votes in national polls this week.
The fields for the NCAA Tournament will be announced Sunday, March 17. The men’s bracket will be revealed at 6 p.m. on CBS. The women’s announcement is at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
While bettors can place a wide variety of traditional wagers, the following types are prohibited by NC law:
- The occurrence of injuries.
- The occurrence of penalties.
- The outcome of disciplinary proceedings against a participant.
- The outcome of replay reviews.
Image Credit: Alex Brandon / AP Images