Grab A Share Of This +1200 Dog To Win The ACC

Football is a little more than halfway through the season. The MLB fall classic (World Series) has wrapped up. The NHL is already about 10% complete. And, the NBA is up to its usual shenanigans with lineup manipulation and random, illogical outcomes. That must mean it is time for one of the true loves of the world - College Basketball. Today we are going to talk about the most famous (probably) conference in the sport, the ACC.

Looking at the books, they have a clear favorite to win the ACC this year and that is Duke. I wouldn't really call this much of a surprise, but keep in mind, last year it wasn't Duke, North Carolina, or even Virginia that made it the farthest. No, that would be the Miami Hurricanes who made it to the Final Four. If you paid attention down the stretch you would've seen their athleticism and talent and known they were a force to be reckoned with. However, that was last year and this year will, of course, be different. To a casual fan, you probably know Duke = good basketball teams. However, they had a rather significant change last season as Jon Scheyer took over the team. It was expected that the program might take a step back, but they went 27-9 last year and are returning four starters. Continuity is a big deal in all sports, but in this one-and-done era, it is even more important. Scheyer also either inherited or produced the #2 ranked recruiting class in the game. The team should improve on offense, something that didn't always look fluid last year. I expect their outside shooting to improve, and it should be hard for most teams to stop them on the interior with Kyle Filipowski back for another year.

SYRACUSE, NEW YORK - JANUARY 24: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at JMA Wireless Dome on January 24, 2023 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)

North Carolina and Miami are the next two teams up in the favorites for the books. North Carolina sits at +450 to win the ACC this year. Do you remember last year? The Tar Heels were the #1 ranked team in the country in the preseason. They came off a year where they went to the National Championship game and lost to Kansas, but had some very key pieces coming back. For whatever reason, the season was a disaster. Not only did they quickly lose that #1 ranking, they didn't even make the NCAA tournament. Armando Bacot, one of their key pieces from that 2nd place run, is back once again and RJ Davis is one of the more talented players in the ACC. They have a true point guard coming in that should help distribute the ball. I think they will be better, but I'm not going to put money on them to take the ACC this year. Miami didn't have an easy path to the Final Four last year, but they got it done. A lot of their returning players got key minutes last season and should be able to translate that to success this year. The issue for me is their recruiting class doesn't give me much hope for reinforcement. Isaiah Wong, their best player last year, is gone. I'm sure they will find a few to replace him, but I don't know how many it will take. I'll also avoid them.

As far as longshots to win the ACC, Virginia, and Clemson might not exactly qualify at +700 and +1200 respectively, but I'd be a bit surprised to see someone else make a legit run at the ACC championship. Virginia was embarrassed in the NCAA tournament last year by being upset by Furman. They did record 25 wins on the season so it wasn't a bad season, it was just a bad game. The issue with them is they are losing four starters from their team. If their recruiting class is anything like past year, they will be hard workers and good shooters, so we shouldn't see a terrible drop-off. Clemson didn't make the NCAA tournament last year but should be poised to get there this season. They might have the best backcourt in the ACC, or at least one of the more dangerous ones. Their defense was actually encouraging last year and if their new additions can maintain that while being one of the better shooting teams in the conference, look out.

Overall, this really is Duke's conference to lose. They have the most talent, some of the most continuity, and even their coach seems to be better than expected. I don't know that you need to bet on them now, because at +130, you're tying up money that you don't really need to. I'd suggest waiting until the actual tournament starts and see if any injuries happen. I am going to take a flyer on Clemson at +1200 because I think they could challenge Duke for the crown. If I get lucky and those two face each other in the championship, I can always hedge if needed.

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