2020 ACC Tournament Odds, Preview and Picks – FSU, Duke made favorites

Florida State, Duke, and Louisville are the Favorites to Win the ACC Tournament

The ACC has been the top conference in basketball for much of the last two decades, but this has been a down year. The conference might only send four teams to the NCAA Tournament next week, and traditional powerhouse North Carolina finished at the bottom of the ACC with a 6-14 record in conference play.

Florida State won the conference title in the regular season for the first time in program history, and the Seminoles are the favorites to win the conference tournament. It would be FSU’s second ACC Tournament title in school history, but other schools are looking to knock off the Noles in order to add a banner to their home stadium and boost their profile before Selection Sunday.

2020 ACC Tournament Odds at FanDuel

Florida State +200
Duke +250
Louisville +300
Virginia +750
North Carolina +2300
Clemson +3000
North Carolina State +3500
Syracuse +3500
Notre Dame +4000
Georgia Tech +10000
Miami (FL) +10000
Pittsburgh +10000
Virginia Tech +10000
Wake Forest +10000
Boston College +15000

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

2020 ACC Tournament Odds Overview

There is clear separation between the top four teams in the ACC and everyone else. FSU won the conference with a 16-4 record in ACC play this season, while Virginia, Louisville, and Duke were right behind the Seminoles at 15-5. No other school finished over .500 in conference play, so the other 10 teams taking part in the competition are 20-1 or more to win per the ACC Tournament odds at FanDuel.

Those four teams have a major advantage given the structure of the conference tournament. The top four seeds receive a double bye into the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday, while the other schools start play on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Favorites

FSU was not expected to compete for the ACC title in 2019-20. The Seminoles were predicted to finish in the middle of the pack by every prognosticator, but they seized on the opportunity to take advantage of a weak ACC to win the conference for the first time ever.

Size was the Seminoles’ calling card in previous seasons, but FSU is led by its guards this year. Devin Vassell, Trent Forrest, and M.J. Walker are all averaging at least 10 PPG, and they all bring something different to the table. Leonard Hamilton always has this team playing tough defense, so it won’t be easy to send the Seminoles out.

Duke is 3-3 in its last three games, and the Blue Devils are not the overpowering juggernaut of old. However, they do have two stars in Vernon Carey Jr. and Tre Jones, and that makes Duke dangerous in this tournament. Carey is a double-double machine that is hitting 57.7 percent of his field goals, while Jones is the best perimeter defender in college basketball. The Blue Devils will likely face the Seminoles in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament if they win in the quarterfinals, and they will have two advantages as they beat the Seminoles earlier in the season and they are playing a virtual home game in Greensboro.

Jordan Nwora gives Louisville a chance to win any game. He has been one of the top forwards in the nation this season, but the Cardinals fell apart down the stretch. They lost their last four road games, and their inability to beat FSU is worrisome. This offense is one of the best at hitting the three, but if Louisville’s perimeter shooters go cold, this team is in trouble.

Next Up

The defending national champions were a bubble team early last month, but Virginia is the hottest team in the ACC heading into the conference tournament. The Cavaliers have won eight straight games, and the Pack Line defense is looking sharp as new players are more experienced playing in Tony Bennett’s system. Mamadi Diakite has played very well in recent weeks, yet there is an Achilles’ heel. UVA is making just 30.4 percent of its threes on the season.

The Longshots

North Carolina’s ACC Tournament odds are a testament to their popularity and their status as a public team. The Tar Heels have been abysmal this season, and they have almost zero chance to win this tournament as they would have to win five games in five days.

Clemson’s status as a giant killer is well established after a regular season in which the Tigers beat NC State, Duke, Syracuse, Louisville, and FSU, but the Tigers are too inconsistent to trust even at 30-1.

Every team to win the ACC Tournament since the league’s expansion has been seeded somewhere between No. 1 and No. 5, so don’t dig too deep with the longshots. There’s a reason every team outside the top four has lengthy odds.

2020 ACC Tournament Free Picks
Duke +250; Virginia +750


Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

Championship Week Predictions