LOOK: 2022 ACC Men's Basketball Tournament Bracket revealed
The 2021-2022 college basketball regular season has finished and many teams across the country have already begun their conference tournaments as we get one step closer to March Madness. The 2022 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament is slated to be played in the Brooklyn Nets arena in Brooklyn, New York. After the Duke Blue Devils lost to the North Carolina Tar Heels tonight in Durham, 94-81, the bracket is officially set for one of the most anticipated tournaments in all of college basketball.
Check out the 2022 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament bracket below.
There are a couple of interesting scenarios that could play out in the tournament. One thing is for certain, ticket scalpers will be happy with the layout of the tournament, because with North Carolina and Duke on separate sides of the bracket, there is the potential of a Duke-UNC rematch in the ACC Tournament Championship. That would mean big money for ticket scalpers.
While the Duke Blue Devils are the No. 1 seed in the upcoming ACC Tournament, both North Carolina and the Virginia Cavaliers have proven Coach K’s squad is beatable this season. There’s no question Duke has the most NBA talent on their roster, but that doesn’t always translate to conference tournament championships.
It’s important to the note that the top four seeds of the tournament, Duke, Notre Dame, North Carolina, and Miami all have the luxury of a double-bye. That means they’ll get a few days rest and their first game won’t be until the quarterfinals of the tournament, which is on Thursday. The first round will be played on Tuesday, March 8. You can see the full TV schedule below.
2022 Men’s ACC Basketball Tournament Schedule
All times Eastern; some start times approximated
First round — Tuesday, March 8
Game 1: No. 12 Pittsburgh vs. No. 13 Boston College | 2 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 2: No. 10 Clemson vs. No. 15 NC State | 4:30 p.m. on ACC Network
Game 3: No. 11 Louisville vs. No. 14 Georgia Tech | 7 p.m. on ACC Network
Second round — Wednesday, March 9
Game 4: No. 8 Florida State vs. No. 9 Syracuse | Noon on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 5: No. 5 Wake Forest vs. Game 1 winner | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 6: No. 7 Virginia Tech vs. Game 2 winner | 7 p.m. on ESPN2/U
Game 7: No. 6 Virginia vs. Game 3 winner | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 10
Game 8: No. 1 Duke vs. Game 4 winner | Noon on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 9: No. 4 Miami vs. Game 5 winner | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 10: No. 2 Notre Dame vs. Game 6 winner | 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 11: No. 3 North Carolina vs. Game 7 winner | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Semifinals — Friday, March 11
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner | 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
ACC Tournament Championship Game — Saturday, March 12
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner | 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
This year’s tournament is important for a number of teams on the bubble in the ACC hoping to get into the NCAA Tournament. Let’s take a look at a few of the teams and their situations heading into Brooklyn.
Bubble Teams
North Carolina likely played themselves back in the NCAA Tournament and off the bubble by beating Duke 94-81 on Saturday night. The Tar Heels have a lot of weapons and they’ll be a very intriguing team to see how far they advance in the NCAA Tournament, if they make the field. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi currently noted that he put the ‘Heels safely above the bubble in his latest Bracketology he posted on Saturday night.
Virginia is currently one of the next four teams out in the latest version of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology, and if the Cavaliers want to make a run to the NCAA Tournament, they’d likely need to make it to the ACC Championship Game or win the tournament. The winner of the Louisville Cardinals and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets game will face the No. 6 seeded Virginia Cavaliers. On Saturday, Louisville just lost to Virginia at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky, 71-61. If the Cardinals want a rematch, they’ll get their chance if they get past Georgia Tech in the first round on Tuesday.
Virginia Tech is currently listed as one of the first four teams out in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology he released on Saturday night. They’ll likely need to win a few games in the ACC Tournament, if they wish to make the NCAA Tournament field.