If you came to this page looking for picks and predictions for the 2009 NCAA Tournament, we’ve got you covered.
Follow the link to our 2009 NCAA Tournament Game-by-Game Picks all the way through the Final Four.
Or, you can view them by region:
And if you actually came to this page to review our 2009 ACC Tournament predictions, pardon the interruption and continue reading below.
Last week, well before the final seedings were final, I previewed the 2009 ACC Tournament and broke down the storied history of perhaps the greatest conference tournament in all of college basketball. It is certainly the longest and most consistent, having been played every year since 1954.
Either Duke or North Carolina has won every ACC Tournament except for one (2004, Maryland) since 1997. North Carolina has won four times during that span, the first two and the last two, while Duke has won the six other ACC titles during that time frame.
Will the Dookies or Tar Heels come away with the title this year? Let’s…break it down. (After we give you a helpful link to buy tickets, should you be planning on attending any of the games in the 2009 ACC Tournament bracket.)
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 ACC Basketball Tournament Tickets
- StubHub Tickets: 2009 NCAA Tournament Tickets
First, let’s take a look at the bracket, which you can see below:
ACC Mens Basketball Tournament Schedule: Bracket, Times, TV
| Game | Date | Matchup | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, March 12 | #8 Virginia Tech def. #9 Miami 47 | 12:00 ET | RAYCOM |
| 2 | Thu, March 12 | #12 Georgia Tech v #5 Clemson 86-81 | 2:00 ET | RAYCOM |
| 3 | Thu, March 12 | #7 Maryland def. #10 NC State 74-69 | 7:00 ET | ESPN2 |
| 4 | Thu, March 12 | #6 Boston College def. #11 Virginia 76-63 | 9:00 ET | RAYCOM |
| 5 | Fri, March 13 | #1 North Carolina def. #8 Virginia Tech 79-76 | 12:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 6 | Fri, March 13 | #4 Florida State def. #12 Georgia Tech 64-62 | 2:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 7 | Fri, March 13 | #7 Maryland def. #2 Wake Forest 75-64 | 7:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 8 | Fri, March 13 | #3 Duke def. #6 Boston College 66-65 | 9:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN2 |
| 9 | Sat, March 14 | #4 Florida State def. #1 North Carolina 73-70 | 1:30 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN |
| 10 | Sat, March 14 | #3 Duke def. #7 Maryland 67-61 | 3:30 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN |
| 11 | Sun, March 15 | #3 Duke def. #4 Florida State 79-69 | 1:00 ET | RAYCOM/ESPN |
And quickly, here are the ACC Tournament Odds (from OffShoreInsiders.com):
- North Carolina odds: -275
- Duke odds: +325
- Wake Forest odds: +500
- Clemson odds: +1000
- Florida State odds: +1500
- Boston College odds: +2000
- Virginia Tech odds: +3000
- Miami odds: +3000
- Maryland odds: +3000
- Field odds (any other team): +5000
The fun begins on Thursday when Virginia Tech and Miami kick off the bracket for the 2009 ACC Tournament. I’ll start there and then give you my best educated guesses all the way through the championship game.
ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Thursday Games
Virginia Tech beat Miami 88-83 in their only meeting this year, but I still like the ‘Canes and Jack McClinton to win this one. Miami has won 3 out of 4 after losing three tough games to the upper division t
eams in the ACC. Two of those were close losses at Duke (78-75) and at home to North Carolina (69-65). The recent road loss to Georgia Tech doesn’t look great, but Virginia Tech is reeling from 6 losses in their last 7 games. Miami wins.
Like almost everyone else in the ACC, Clemson beat Georgia Tech twice this season. There is really nothing that leads me to believe they won’t beat them a third time. Clemson has lost three out of four heading into this game, but is just a better team overall. Clemson wins.
Maryland is perhaps the hardest team to figure out in the ACC. Earlier this year they got waxed by Clemson 93-64 and then beat North Carolina their next time out. Since that victory over the Tar Heels, Maryland has lost three out of four, with the only win coming on the road at NC State in the teams’ only meeting of the year. The Wolfpack have also lost three out of four coming in, and based on that one earlier meeting I have to give the edge to Maryland. Maryland wins.
Boston College won on the road at Virginia in the teams’ only meeting this season, and two out of their last three victories are over top 25 teams Duke and Florida State. Virginia has lost four out of five coming in and dropped 8 out of their first 9 conference games. Boston College wins.
ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Friday Games
Based on my first round predictions, North Carolina and Miami will be matching up in round two. I like the fact that Miami has a superb individual player like McClinton, but the Tar Heels are the #1 team in the 
country for a reason. Tyler Hansbrough isn’t going out in the first game of his last ACC Tournament. Sorry Miami, but North Carolina wins.
In my hypothetical bracket, Florida State will take on Clemson, which should be a great matchup. Florida State beat Clemson both times they played this season, but the games were close. And the Tigers proved they can play with the top teams in the ACC by beating Duke earlier this year. I like Clemson coming off the momentum of their first round victory to pull the mini-upset, at least according to the seeds (but not according to the top 25 rankings, where Clemson is ranked higher). Clemson wins.
Maryland versus Wake Forest could be an outstanding game…depending on which Maryland team shows up. They played once this year, at Maryland, and Wake Forest won 65-63. The Demon Deacons are on a roll, having won four in a row and six out of seven. Maryland is capable of winning this game, but they have just been too inconsistent this year. Wake Forest wins.
And the final Friday game would be Boston College and Duke. BC beat Duke in their only meeting of the season, but the Dookies have won five out of six coming into the tournament. I really want to pick BC, and I would not be surprised if they won; but I think Duke eeks out the victory. Duke wins.
ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Semi-Final Saturday Games
North Carolina would play Clemson while Wake Forest would play Duke in my hypothetical bracket. We’ll get the UNC-Clemson game out of the way real quick: I think North Carolina wins. UNC already spanked Clemson once this season and they’re on a big time roll, winning 12 out of 13. Clemson might make a game of it, but North Carolina is too good and is playing for a #1 seed.
In the other game, the road team won both Duke-Wake Forest meetings this season. In a game between two teams that are this close, the team with the best player usually wins. I think Jeff Teague will be the best player on floor, so the edge goes to Wake Forest.
ACC Tournament Bracket & Predictions: Championship Sunday
North Carolina versus Wake Forest for the ACC Championship. I realize I didn’t really step out onto a limb picking the #1 and #2 seeds to make it all the way to the finals. However, I am stepping out on a limb right here: Wake Forest wins to put a partial stop to the Duke-UNC domination of the ACC Tournament. Wake beat UNC earlier this year in Winston-Salem, and I think they can do it again.
If North Carolina plays D, they are the best team in the country; however, they have been inconsistent. Sorry Tyler Hansbrough, but your ACC career will end with a loss.
(Now, take note of these predictions and go out and bet the complete opposite. It is a proven money maker!)
About Jerod Morris
