2011 ACC Championship Odds

Starting this Thursday from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC., the 58th annual Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament kicks off with first round action starting at 12 p.m. (ET).The ACC has been a two-horse race this season with Duke and North Carolina leading the way. Along with Florida State, these three teams have already done enough to earn a place in the field of 68 for this year’s NCAA Men’s Tournament. Teams like Clemson, Boston College, and Virginia Tech could get in with a deep run this week, but for the rest of the field nothing short of a tournament championship and an automatic bid will punch their ticket to the Big Dance.

The bottom eight seeds make up round one with No.8 Virginia taking on No.9 Miami, No.5 Boston College tangling with No.12 Wake Forest, No. 7 Maryland against No.10 NC State, and No.6 Virginia Tech squaring off with No.11 Georgia Tech.

Friday’s quarterfinals have the remainder of the teams in action with No.1 North Carolina against the 8/9 winner, No.4 Clemson against the 5/12 winner, No.2 Duke against the 7/10 winners, and No.3 Florida State against the 6/11 winner.

The semifinals are set for Saturday, March 12 and the championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 13 at 1 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

North Carolina earned the No.1 seed by virtue of winning the ACC regular season title, but Sportsbook.com has open Duke as an even-money favorite to win the tournament title. The Blue Devils closed out the season with a lopsided 81-67 loss to the Tar Heels as a 1 ½-point road underdog to finish at 27 -4 straight-up overall (16-14 against the spread) and 13-3 SU in conference play.

The veteran leadership of seniors’ Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler along with the stellar play of freshman guard Kyrie Irving have paved the way for Duke’s success this season. The Blue Devils are shooting 46.7 percent from the field and ranked 10th in the nation in scoring with an average of 81 points a game.

The Tar Heels are the second favorite to win it all this week at +140. They come into the tournament with a head of steam after winning 12 of their final 13 games. The only blemish during this time span was a 79-73 loss to Duke on Feb.9 as a 10 ½-point road underdog. North Carolina won the ACC with a 14-2 SU conference record and finished the regular season 24-6 SU overall (15-12 ATS).

The talent on this team runs deep led by Tyler Zeller and Harrison Barnes, who are each averaging over 14 points a game and John Henson, who is the team’s leading rebounder with 9.7 a game. North Carolina is averaging 77 points a game and is ranked first in the nation in rebounds with 42.7 a game.

The odds really drop off the board after these two teams but if you are looking for a value pick you might want to consider Virginia Tech at +1500. Often a bridesmaid and never a bride when it comes to the NCAA Tournament, a solid showing by the Hokies this week might finally get them an invitation to the dance.

Virginia Tech finished the regular season 19-10 SU (11-12-2 ATS) and tied with Clemson for fourth in the ACC at 9-7. The Hokies lost to North Carolina 64-61 as a 5 ½-point road underdog and beat Duke 64-60 as a four-point home underdog. /p>