The Duke Blue Devils (26-8) sat third in the conference heading into the ACC tournament. The Blue Devils, who were +275 tournament favorites entering March, were pitted against the Virginia Cavaliers (+350) in the championship. Duke pocketed the 59-49 win and freshman Kyle Filipowski was named the tournament MVP after posting 59 points in three performances.
🗣️ 2023 ACC CHAMPS 🏆😈 pic.twitter.com/WreeO8UPPc
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 12, 2023
The ACC has been a tightly contested conference in college basketball for the past few seasons. In 2023, the Miami Hurricanes and Virginia Cavaliers tied for the best record in the conference but it’s the Blue Devils who entered the quarterfinals as the +180 favorites to be your ACC champions. Duke will meet Virginia tonight in the championship.
Who Leads 2023 ACC Tournament Odds?
Team | Odds |
---|---|
Duke (#21) | +180 |
Virginia (#13) | +240 |
Odds as of March 10
ACC Tournament Odds: Championship Up next
There were no real upsets to speak of in the ACC tournament. In the first-round matchups Tuesday, only Georgia Tech won as an underdog, taking down Florida State 61-60. The top teams on the oddsboard hit the court yesterday in the quarterfinals, with three of the four winning by nine points or more. The exception was Miami, which hung on for a slim 74-72 victory over Wake Forest, the tournament’s ninth seed.
The Hurricanes tipped off against the Blue Devils, falling 85-78 at the final buzzer. Virginia defeated Clemson by a whopping 76-56 final to keep their ACC championship hopes alive.
ACC Tournament odds breakdown:
Duke Blue Devils (+180)
The Blue Devils (24-8) don’t look like much of a threat on paper, especially with some uneven performances during the regular season. But Duke ended on a high note with a seven-game hot streak and is now prepping for the semifinals.
Players have clearly stepped up during the tournament, including Kyle Filipowski. The freshman is Duke’s top scorer at 15.2 points per game but showed up in the tournament so far, dropping 39 points, including 11 rebounds and five assists last night, to power the Blue Devils to the championship.
Flip came to play‼️‼️
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) March 11, 2023
💪 13 points
💪 7 boards
💪 4 dimes
💪 6-7 FG
66-63 👿 | 7:33 to go pic.twitter.com/D9M1XsSUEk
Duke has been proving itself, especially with the 27-point win over Pittsburgh Thursday night. The Blue Devils defense, which allows 64.4 PPG to rank 30th in the nation, also showed it isn’t messing around.
Virginia cavaliers (+240)
Defense wins championships. I hold on to that aphorism dearly. And the Virginia Cavaliers (24-6), who have demonstrated all season long that their defense is up to snuff, held Clemson to 56 points in the semifinals.
Allowing an average of 60.3 points per game ranks them sixth in the nation. Tony Bennett has coached them well and will surely continue to do so through the conference tournament.
The Cavs held the North Carolina Tar Heels in check in their 68-59 triumph on Thursday, and boasted their offensive production slightly the following evening, sinking 76 points for the victory. Jayden Gardner topped Virginia with 23 points, which was a notable improvement from his 17 points during the quarterfinals. Armaan Franklin also added 16 points to the board. Those numbers will need to continue with Duke coming through the door.
Last 10 ACC Tournament Winners
Year | Team | Runner-Up |
---|---|---|
2022-23 | Duke | Virginia |
2021-22 | Virginia Tech | Duke |
2020-21 | Georgia Tech | Florida State |
2019-20 | Duke | Florida State |
2018-19 | Virginia | North Carolina |
2017-18 | Duke | Notre Dame |
2016-17 | North Carolina | Virginia |
2015-16 | Notre Dame | North Carolina |
2014-15 | Virginia | Duke |
2013-14 | Miami | North Carolina |
With three titles in the last decade, the Duke Blue Devils have a history of dominating the ACC. Duke has collected 22 conference championships with its most recent in 2022-23, taking down the Virginia Cavaliers in a 59-49 finish.