The Road to a Title Runs Through Duke in this Year’s ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
It’s March. It’s the ACC Tournament. And Duke is exactly where you’d expect them to be.
The Blue Devils enter Charlotte as the No. 1 team in the country, the unquestioned favorite to cut down the nets, and a team that has won 24 of its last 25 games with an almost machine-like dominance.
Their only blemish in conference play? A February 8 loss at Clemson, 77-71. If that was a wake-up call, Duke certainly answered it—ripping off eight straight wins to close out the regular season, winning by an average of 29.5 points per game.
Their latest statement? A relentless 33-13 closing run at North Carolina on Saturday, burying their biggest rival and perhaps their NCAA Tournament hopes, too.
Now, the ACC Tournament awaits. And history favors the Blue Devils.
Duke has won this tournament 22 times, more than any other program, and their last title came just two years ago. They have the shortest odds to win the national championship at +340, and there’s little doubt about who the ACC runs through.
But in March, anything can happen.
The Challengers: Louisville and Clemson
If there’s a team capable of challenging Duke, it’s likely Louisville (18-2 in ACC play) or Clemson (18-2, with one of those two losses coming to the Cardinals).
Both teams have been consistent all season, and either could meet Duke in Sunday’s championship game. But in order to pull off an upset, they’ll have to find an answer for Cooper Flagg and a Duke team that seems to be peaking at the right time.
A Third Battle with North Carolina?
Perhaps the real drama unfolds in the semifinals, where another showdown with North Carolina could be looming.
The Tar Heels will enter the tournament fighting for their postseason lives, desperate for a deep run to lock up an NCAA Tournament bid. And if the path to redemption leads through Duke, Carolina won’t back down from the fight.
But Duke has proven something over these past two months—they don’t blink.
ACC Tournament Futures Odds
- Duke Blue Devils (-320)
- Louisville Cardinals (+550)
- Clemson Tigers (+700)
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons (75-1)
- North Carolina Tar Heels (30-1)
- SMU Mustangs (60-1)
- Stanford Cardinal (250-1)
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (250-1)
- Virginia Cavaliers (250-1)
- Virginia Tech Hokies (250-1)
- Florida State Seminoles (250-1)
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish (300-1)
- Pittsburgh Panthers (250-1)
- Syracuse Orange (300-1)
- California Golden Bears (300-1)
2025 ACC Tournament Schedule
The Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament runs from March 11-15 in Charlotte, N.C.
First Round
- No. 13 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 Notre Dame, 2 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network)
- No. 15 California vs. No. 10 Virginia Tech, 4:30 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network)
- No. 14 Syracuse vs. No. 11 Florida State, 7 p.m. ET Tuesday (ACC Network)
Second Round
- No. 9 Virginia vs. No. 8 Georgia Tech, Noon ET Wednesday (ESPN)
- Pittsburgh/Notre Dame vs. No. 5 North Carolina, 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday (ESPN)
- California/Virginia Tech vs. No. 7 Stanford, 7 p.m. ET Wednesday (ESPN2)
- Syracuse/Florida State vs. No. 6 SMU, 9:30 p.m. ET Wednesday (ESPN2)
Quarterfinals
- Virginia/Georgia Tech vs. No. 1 Duke, noon ET Thursday (ESPN)
- TBA vs. No. 4 Wake Forest, 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday (ESPN)
- TBA vs. No. 2 Louisville, 7 p.m. ET Thursday (ESPN)
- TBA vs. No. 3 Clemson, 9:30 p.m. ET Thursday (ESPN)
Semifinals
- TBA vs. TBA, 7 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN)
- TBA vs. TBA, 9:30 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN)
Championship
- TBA vs. TBA, 8:30 p.m. ET Saturday (ESPN)
Expert Pick: Duke – 320
The ACC Tournament has seen its share of chaos before. Just last season, NC State pulled off an improbable title run—a reminder that in March, the impossible sometimes becomes reality.
But don’t expect that this year. The top seeds are too strong, and the gap is too wide.
The safe bet? The ACC trophy is staying in Durham. Duke is the only option in this tournament. They are a downhill train, and no one in the ACC is ready to stand in front of this locomotive from Durham.
And if Duke does what it’s expected to do this week in Charlotte, they might be the favorites to do it again on an even bigger stage in April in the NCAA Tournament.
