The college basketball seasonis in full swing, and Nick Makowitz is guiding you through each conference and giving you the best bets to make. Here, we look at a preview of the ACC Conference.
Who is Favored to Win the ACC Basketball Championship?
Virginia is the favorite to win the ACC championship this season. After them, Duke and North Carolina have the best odds to bring home the ACC title. Check out the list below for full 2022-23 ACC Championship odds.
(Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook)
- Virginia +200
- Duke +260
- North Carolina +380
- Miami +500
- Virginia Tech +1400
- Clemson +3100
- Syracuse +4500
- Florida State +4500
- Notre Dame +5000
- Wake Forest +5000
- NC State +7500
- Pittsburgh +7500
- Boston College +21000
- Louisville +25000
- Georgia Tech +25000
Virginia Odds to Win the ACC Basketball Championship
The Virginia Cavaliers have become a mainstay atop the ACC. Luckily for Tony Bennett, the Hoos returned a majority of their important pieces, including fifth-year point guard Kihei Clark. On the back of their unsurprisingly stout defense, Virginia can finish atop the conference, but it will need to maintain the offensive efficiency it had in nonconference play.
The Cavaliers showed they can hang with the big boys in the Continental Tire Main Event earlier this season, where they knocked off Baylor and Illinois on neutral courts in back-to-back nights. However, Virginia also struggled through a four-game stretch in which it won narrowly as big favorites over Florida State and James Madison, then fell to Houston at home and Miami on the road. If the real Virginia team is the team from November, it could run away with the ACC. If it’s the team from December, it could be a different story.
Duke Odds to Win the ACC Basketball Championship
In Jon Scheyer’s first season, Duke lost five players to the NBA but brought in the nation’s top recruiting class with three of the country’s top four players. The Blue Devils are the most talented team in the conference on paper, but two of those three aforementioned freshmen haven’t quite lived up to their billing thus far. Their success this season will largely rely on Scheyer’s ability to get those uber-talented freshmen playing at the highest level possible. Veteran point guard Jeremy Roach has taken a step up and freshman big man Kyle Filipowski has been a great offensive weapon, but Duke needs its other freshmen if it wants to seriously contend for an ACC title.
North Carolina Odds to Win the ACC Basketball Championship
North Carolina began the season ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation, but just about everyone who follows early-season college basketball realized quickly that they were far from the best team in the country. Carolina stumbled out of the gate, winning close games against teams who had no business competing with them, until it finally caught up to them in the form of a four-game losing streak at the end of November.
Still, the Tar Heels are almost every bit as talented as they were a season ago, and this team is following a very similar trajectory to last year’s squad that eventually made it to the national championship game. If Carolina can find more success from beyond the arc on both ends of the court, it would go a long way in a conference that is fairly open at the top.
Past ACC Men’s Basketball Champions
- 2022 – Duke
- 2021 – Virginia
- 2020 – Florida State
- 2019 – Virginia & North Carolina (shared)
- 2018 – Virginia
- 2017 – North Carolina
- 2016 – North Carolina
- 2015 – Virginia
- 2014 – Virginia
- 2013 – Miami
Best Bet to Win the ACC Basketball Championship
Virginia +200
Duke was my preseason pick to win the ACC, and that’s still very much a possibility, but the Blue Devils haven’t impressed so far and their schedule is not nearly as favorable as the Cavaliers’. Virginia has a home-and-home with North Carolina and Virginia Tech, and it hosts Duke, Clemson and Notre Dame.
It’s also worth noting that Tony Bennett has been superb in ACC play over the last decade, and the two biggest threats to UVA’s supremacy are led by coaches in their first or second season, who have never won a regular season ACC title. Bennett is one of the best coaches in college basketball, and while I think Duke has a higher ceiling than Virginia come March Madness, I believe Virginia will be consistent enough and disciplined enough to grind through the long ACC schedule and take home another regular season crown.
Where Can I Bet on the ACC Men’s College Basketball Champion?
There are tons of legal online sportsbooks in the US. DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM are some of the most popular ones, but FTN will help you check out all the signup offers other books have as well. Be sure to check out the FTNBets College Basketball Guide before placing any wagers.
Step 1: Set Up a Sportsbook Account
Download any of the sportsbooks linked above, create an account and provide some basic personal information.
Step 2: Make a Deposit
Link your bank account or debit card to your account, or select an alternative method to make a deposit. Be sure to take advantage of any and all deposit bonuses that your sportsbook offers. It’s a great way for new bettors to build up their bankroll.
Step 3: Place a College Basketball Conference Outright Futures Bet
Within your sportsbook, navigate to the men’s college basketball futures section, find the conference outright or conference winners section and bet on the team you think is going to take home the conference crown.