Who’s favored?
No. 1 Duke (26-5) has won eight of the last 11 ACC championships, a run that is unmatched in the 56-year history of the tournament. The Blue Devils have potent scoring options in Jon Scheyer (18.9 ppg), Nolan Smith (17.6 ppg) and Kyle Singler (17.2 ppg) and will have a quarterfinal walkover against either BC or Virginia.
Who’s hot?
No. 3 Florida State (22-8) has won five of six and has a big-time center in 7-foot-1 Solomon Alibi and a disruptive perimeter force in ACC Defensive Player of the Year Chris Singleton. The Seminoles have little history of tournament success but might have figured it out in 2009, getting to the finals for the first time in 18 ACC seasons.
Who’s not?
Remember the heady days of January when No. 9 Virginia (14-15) was the only unbeaten team in the ACC and Tony Bennett was a national coach of the year candidate? That was before an OT loss at home to Wake Forest sent the Cavaliers into a nine-game tailspin and before top scorer Sylven Landesberg was suspended.
Who’s worth a gamble?
No. 7 Georgia Tech (19-11) has not won an ACC Tournament since 1993, but the big, physical Yellow Jackets fit the profile of young teams that can catch fire late in the year when they grow up. Georgia Tech is slated for a quarterfinal matchup with Maryland. The Jackets gave the Terps their most difficult ACC home test this year before falling 76-74.
Who’s the dark horse?
Often on the NCAA bubble, No. 4 Virginia Tech (23-7) has played nervously and won only three ACC Tournament games in five years. But with a berth likely this year, will the explosive Hokies play free and easy? Malcolm Delaney (20.9 ppg) led the conference in scoring but shot just 39.8 percent from the floor.
