Predicting The 2011 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament

[Ed. Note: Bumped from FanPosts.]

Probably won't be much surprise or upsetting during the tournament, with two teams clearly ahead of the rest...but lets give this a shot and see how close I can get.

ACC Tournament First Round

(8) Virginia vs. (9) Miami - March 10th, noon

Two mediocre teams that I can't really figure out this season. It's easy to lean towards picking Miami considering we lost to them twice, but their schedule shows how soft this team is. Two points away from being swept by Georgia Tech, and only a one point win over Wake Forest. A soft out-of-conference schedule gives them a deceiving 18-13 overall mark, and shouldn't favor them over a scrappy Virginia squad. Miami may look better at a quick glance, but I'm giving this one to Virginia.

Prediction - Virginia 63, Miami 60

(5) Boston College vs (12) Wake Forest - March 10th, 2 pm

I'm worried BC may be already looking at the Clemson game on Friday. Wake Forest obviously isn't a real threat, considering they've lost 19 of their last 22 games. But they'll be hungry, and wanting to upset somebody's dance hopes, so BC better not overlook them. Look for this one to be a little too close for comfort.

Prediction - Boston College 74, Wake Forest 65

(7) Maryland vs (10) North Carolina State - March 10th, 7 pm

Maryland was supposed to be the real deal this year, but failed to keep up with those expectations. Although they have losses to 6 ranked opponents, Maryland still finished with 13 losses, and with a less than stellar 7-9 conference record. However, they should have enough firepower to avoid an upset at the hands of NC State. Look for Maryland to pull away at the end for a convincing win.

Prediction - Maryland 80, NC State 63

(6) Virginia Tech vs (11) Georgia Tech - March 10th, 9 pm

Although they are the second worst team in the ACC, Georgia Tech is a scrappy team that already beat Virginia Tech once this season. Pretty badly too. I'm completely rooting for Georgia Tech in this game to pull off the upset, but unfortunately I just don't think it's possible. Virginia Tech is not comfortable with their chances of dancing, and needs this win badly. Look for a closer than expected game.

Prediction - Virginia Tech 77, Georgia Tech 70

ACC Tournament Second Round

(1) North Carolina vs (8) Virginia - March 11th, noon

UNC pulled out the victory over Duke, claimed the number one seed, and absolutely blew everybody's expectations right out of the water this season. Don't look for them to fall now, as they are still thinking people are doubting them, and they are hunting for a number 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Prediction - North Carolina 86, Virginia 67

(4) Clemson vs (5) Boston College - March 11th, 2 pm

Yes. We're doing it.

Prediction - Boston College 67, Clemson 64

(2) Duke vs (7) Maryland - March 11th, 7 pm

I really wish Maryland had what it took to beat this team. They've tried to show they are a team that belongs with the best in this conference, but have got blown out both times they played Duke this season. I really want to see Duke fall, but it's not going to happen here.

Prediction - Duke 87, Maryland 70

(3) Florida State vs (6) Virginia Tech - March 11th, 9 pm

This is going to come down to two very hungry teams battling for what they may feel like is one spot in the dance. However, even if Florida State loses, they will more than likely make the tournament and have a decent seed. Virginia Tech is playing with everything they have, and even though our first hand witnessing of a meltdown against Boston College wouldn't normally give anyone high hopes about this team, Virginia Tech will win this game.

Prediction - Virginia Tech 65, Florida State 63

ACC Tournament Semi Finals

(1) North Carolina vs (5) Boston College - March 12th, 1:30 pm

I think this matchup may be a little more favorable than if we played duke. Coming off that 2 point loss, and knowing if that Reggie Jackson 3 went in, we'd have won, our crew may have a lot of confidence heading into this game. Expect it to be close, but UNC will still pull it out. But if BC is here, we are in.

Prediction - North Carolina 68, Boston College 62

(2) Duke vs (6) Virginia Tech - March 12th, 3:30 pm

How far can VT go? Right about here. Even with this run, don't expect them to keep Boston College out of the dance though. With this result, even with a VT loss, BC and VT will both be in, with Clemson sitting on the outside.

Prediction - Duke 81, Virginia Tech 70

ACC Tournament Championship

(1) North Carolina vs (2) Duke

No real surprise here. Sorry everyone. But I'm pretty sure you can already tell which team I'm leading towards. However, this doesn't just come from my hatred towards the Blue Devils program, but I believe UNC is a more complete team that can get further in the tournament than Duke will.

Prediction - North Carolina 80, Duke 70