ACC tournament preview, bracket: Duke, Cooper Flagg look to extend conference dominance with eyes on NCAA title

[ad_1]

The ACC tournament starts on Tuesday with plenty of intrigue.

Can anyone compete with Duke? Will the ACC produce more than three NCAA tournament teams? Can North Carolina salvage a disappointing season and secure an NCAA bid?

Here’s what to know about and what to watch for at the ACC tournament:

3 storylines to watch

Will Duke dominate ACC tournament like it did regular season?

So far, so good for the season of Cooper Flagg. The freshman phenom and presumptive No. 1 NBA Draft pick has lived up to the enormous hype that he arrived with in Durham in a dominant season that will go down as one of the best for a freshman in Duke and ACC history.

And he’s not alone. A supporting cast featuring fellow NBA prospects Khaman Maluach and Kon Knueppel has helped power Duke to a dominant 19-1 run through ACC play and the nation’s largest scoring margin (22.1 points per game). It’s Duke and everyone else in Charlotte.

Can anyone stop Cooper Flagg and Duke? (Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Can Clemson or Louisville challenge Duke?

In a down year for the ACC, Clemson and Louisville are the only NCAA tournament locks outside of Duke. Clemson handed Duke its only ACC defeat of the season in a 77-71 win at home on Feb. 8. Duke beat Louisville on the road, 76-65 in their only meeting on Dec. 8. Can either mount a challenge to the Blue Devils in the ACC tournament?

Will North Carolina play its way into the NCAA tournament?

It’s been a disappointing campaign for North Carolina, which started the season as the nation’s No. 9 team, but enters the ACC tournament on the wrong side of the NCAA tournament bubble. The Tar Heels finished strong by beating up ACC bottom-dwellers in a six game winning streak before Saturday’s loss to Duke. They’ll need to impress this week to advance to the NCAA tournament.

ACC tournament bracket

TWEET WITH BRACKET ONCE RELEASED

How to watch the ACC tournament

All times ET

When: March 11-15

Where: Spectrum Center | Charlotte

TV: ESPN, ESPN2, ACC Network

Game Schedule:

Tuesday March 11:…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/college-basketball/article/acc-tournament-preview-bracket-duke-cooper-flagg-look-to-extend-conference-dominance-with-eyes-on-ncaa-title-025608011.html

Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2025-03-09 02:56:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.