2009 ACC Tournament Predictions

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ACC 31109The 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament features some of the very best teams in the entire country, including the No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels. This tournament is all set to get underway on Thursday, March 12th from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia and continues through Sunday, March 15th. You can catch most all the action on the ESPN family on networks. All 12 teams get a chance to compete for the conference tournament title and automatic entry into the Big Dance with the top 4 seeds receiving first round byes. The big question heading into this one is can anyone beat the Tar Heels? Find out what Jimmy thinks in this predictions article. Bet the 2009 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bookmaker.

The Favorite: North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels won the ACC by 2 games over rival Duke and Wake Forest with a 13-3 mark. In the process, they have been dominant enough to bring the No. 1 overall ranking in college basketball into this tournament. North Carolina is a No. 1 seed in my mind no matter what happens in this tournament, but that doesn’t mean that the Heels won’t come to win. UNC was in a similar situation a season ago and it survived with a 2 point win over VA Tech in the semifinals and a 5 point win over Clemson in the championship game to hoist the hardware. Point guard Ty Lawson is listed as questionable for North Carolina’s first game against either Miami or Virginia Tech, but the Heels should be able to handle either of those teams without him. If he sits out the entire tournament, it will be much tougher for the Heels to repeat as he means as much to this team, if not more, as Tyler Hansbrough. There’s no secret about what UNC likes to do. They are the No. 2 ranked offense in the land averaging 91.2 points per game and they want to get out and run. Reigning College Basketball Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough leads the way with 21.1 points per game, but five Heels average double figures.

Another Team That Can Win: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
There is no question about the talent level of this team. The only question I do have is pertaining to their focus, but I think you’ll see the Demon Deacs at their best in this tournament format. Duke would love to get one more shot at the Heels in the championship game, but I don’t think Duke could win even if it gets there. In both regular season matchups, Duke was done as soon as it quit hitting shots because it could not get enough consistent stops against North Carolina. No. 2 seed Wake Forest has shown that it can beat anybody and lose to anyone, but the Deacs appear to have the best shot at beating the Heels. For one, they have already defeated UNC. Secondly, they possess the athletic ability to run with the Tar Heels. And thirdly, Jeff Teague can play Lawson to a standstill, which is something that no other guard in the league has been able to do. There’s no doubt in my mind that Wake has the best shot at keeping UNC from winning the whole thing.

2008 ACC Tournament Recap:
UNC made easy work of Florida State in the quarterfinals and then escaped close games with VA Tech and Clemson to bring home a 17th conference tournament title. The Heels received a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Final Four.

Bet on basketball with Jimmy Boyd’s NCAA basketball picks this March for the most winners against the basketball lines.

About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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