Odds to Win ACC Tournament: Virginia Is Preseason Fave

The 2020-21 NCAA college basketball season has finally arrived, with tipoff set for November 25, and with the Virginia Cavaliers ranked fourth in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25, they are the obvious favorite to be the top seed from the ACC conference and win their conference tournament going into March Madness. 

Virginia is +200 in ACC odds to finish the 2020 NCAA season with the best record going into the conference tournament. Oddsmakers are so confident in Tony Bennett’s program that the Cavaliers are also a +215 favorite in ACC conference tournament odds, which would likely get them a No. 1 seed in the 2021 March Madness tournament.

Following the Cavaliers in both college basketball futures is the Duke Blue Devils. Duke is right behind Virginia at +205 to finish the college basketball regular season with the best record in the ACC and has +225 odds to win the ACC tournament.

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Let’s break down the ACC regular-season odds and conference tournament odds below:

Odds as of November 23 at Bovada

Why Virginia Is Favored In ACC 1 Seed Odds

Many of the same factors that make Virginia one of the key favorites to win the 2021 March Madness tournament also apply to why the Cavaliers are favored to finish first in the ACC conference in the regular season.

Virginia has +1400 odds to win the 2021 NCAA championship, the best odds of any ACC team on the oddsboard, with the next-closest conference team being Duke at +1600. Virginia holds the slight edge from a seniority standpoint, returning three of five starters to the squad in 2021, but losing center Mamadi Diakite to graduation is going to hurt the Cavaliers immensely.

The shot blocker was crucial to Virginia’s press defense and while head coach Tony Bennett deserves some benefit of the doubt given how he’s made the program a defensive powerhouse, it could still be a struggle to hold off teams like Duke, Florida State, North Carolina or Louisville without a defensive anchor.

These are preseason odds so a lot can change from now until conference play in December/January. Don’t be surprised if one of those four contenders knocks Virginia off its perch atop the odds to win the regular-season title.

Which ACC Team Will Win the Conference Tournament?

Odds as of November 23 at Bovada

While Virginia is also the favorite in ACC conference tournament odds, it might be too early to chalk the Cavaliers up as winners. For starters (no pun intended), we don’t even know how well Virginia matches up with some of its ACC counterparts and whether the defense will be as formidable with its current personnel.

Another consideration is the quality of incoming freshmen for the blue-chip programs like Duke and UNC. They have a combined seven McDonald’s All-Americans joining their squads and all were ranked among the top 30 high schoolers going into college basketball.

Value on North Carolina?

North Carolina might be the most intriguing team in ACC tournament odds because of the value and the overall talent coming to Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels got the No. 2-ranked point guard in Caleb Love to drive the offense and two centers in Day’Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler to help anchor a defense that was near the bottom of the conference for most of last season.

Rebounding and defense have been staples for the successful UNC teams of years past. Getting an influx of talent to go along with holdovers like Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot should make the Tar Heels much more formidable after last season’s debacle.