ACC Tournament ODDS: Games Start Tuesday, Day After Mobile Sports Betting Began In North Carolina

The Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament tips off Tuesday, one day after the launch of legal sports betting in North Carolina.

The tournament is being held at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., from Tuesday through Saturday. The championship game on Saturday will be broadcast on ESPN, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET.

The Charlotte-based ACC is made up of 15 schools, most in states on or near the East Coast, except for Notre Dame (Indiana) and Louisville (Kentucky).

On Tuesday, the tournament begins with the following three first-round games:

• Notre Dame (No. 12 seed) vs. Georgia Tech (13)
• North Carolina State (10) vs. Louisville (15)
• Boston College (11) vs. Miami (14)

Tar Heels, Blue Devils Secure Top Seeds

Two of North Carolina’s top-ranked teams — the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils — are the tournament’s top seeds and therefore won’t see action until the quarterfinals later in the week.

The Tar Heels secured the top seed last Saturday on the road by beating Duke, sweeping the two-game, regular-season series against the Blue Devils. Duke is the tournament’s No. 2 seed.

North Carolina’s first game is Thursday at noon ET against the Virginia Tech-Florida State winner.

Duke also begins play on Thursday. The Blue Devils will face either Syracuse or the winner of Tuesday’s North Carolina State-Louisville game.

ACC Tournament Seeds, Odds

1. North Carolina Tar Heels (+150)

2. Duke Blue Devils (+160)

3. Virginia Cavaliers (19-1)

4. Pittsburgh Panthers (12-1)

5. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+900)

6. Clemson Tigers (+850)

7. Syracuse Orange (65-1)

8. Virginia Tech Hokies (30-1)

9. Florida State Seminoles (100-1)

10. NC State Wolfpack (100-1)

11. Boston College Eagles (300-1)

12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (300-1)

13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (500-1)

14. Miami Hurricanes (150-1)

15. Louisville Cardinals (500-1)

(Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, via VSiN)

Tourney Predictions

Expert predictions on the tournament’s outcome vary, though many observers are picking North Carolina or Duke to take the title this year.

Zachary Cohen of VSiN said Duke and North Carolina are “a little too far ahead of the pack to actually suggest betting anybody else."

“However, I like the way the Tar Heels match up with the Blue Devils this year, so I’m riding with the classic Carolina blue this week," he said.

At Bleacher Report, David Kenyon said that “although UNC earned the No. 1 seed, Duke arguably holds a more favorable position for the ACC tourney.”

“Only a week ago, the Blue Devils hammered Virginia—the No. 3 seed—by 25 points. Plus, in all likelihood, Duke's first matchup will be against Syracuse, a team the Blue Devils also smoked by 20 points this season,” he said. “North Carolina, on the other hand, may be dealing with a desperate team in the semifinals."

Apps You Can Download In North Carolina

Officials in North Carolina have authorized the following online sportsbooks for bettors to use statewide.

The eight licensed apps, with North Carolina promo codes available, are:

• FanDuel 
• BetMGM 
• DraftKings
• Fanatics 
• bet365
• ESPN BET
• Underdog Sports Wagering 
• Tribal Casino Gaming Enterprise, an enterprise of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (Caesars Sportsbook)

At an underdetermined future date, bettors also will be able to wager in person at nontribal sportdbooks inside commercial brick-and-mortar locations.

Currently, in-person sports betting is legal at the state’s three tribal casinos: Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Harrah’s Cherokee Valley River Casino & Hotel and Catawba Two Kings Casino.