2026 ACC Conference Tournament odds, betting preview: Duke has a clear path to No. 1 overall seed

It’s almost time to dust off those whiteboards and get your bracket strategy aligned for March Madness. With Selection Sunday closing out the week, Tuesday brings us first round action of the 2026 ACC Tournament in Charlotte. Fifteen teams will compete over a five-day window to earn an automatic bid to the Big Dance. To no one’s surprise, AP No.1 and conference regular-season champion Duke is an overwhelming (-375, BetMGM) betting favorite to capture their second straight title.The Blue Devils finished the regular season 29-2 overall, winners of eight straight games, and fielded a dominant 17-1 record in conference play to secure the top seed in the tournament. Duke also set an ACC record with 11 regular-season victories over ranked opponents, finishing atop the conference with a +20.5 margin of victory.The question is, who can really give the Blue Devils a run for their money? A pair of first year head coaches established themselves in terrific debut seasons at Virginia (+750) and Miami (20/1) to finish in the top three behind Duke. Meanwhile, Tobacco Road rival UNC (22/1) did the unthinkable and handed the Blue Devils their lone conference loss about a month ago. These top four seeds will receive a double bye, taking the court on Wednesday, while Monday and Tuesday will feature first and second round action between seeds 5 through 15.

Let’s dive into some longshot odds and sleepers that could present good value. Louisville provides sneaky upside as a No.6 seed, and those +900 odds may drop if starting point guard Mikel Brown Jr.

is cleared to play come Wednesday.The 6-foot-5 freshman leads the Cardinals in assists (4.7) and steals (1.2), while also being the team’s second-leading scorer (18.3 ppg) despite missing 10 games with a nagging back injury.On Feb.9, he erupted for a career-high 45 points, shooting 10-of-16 from 3-point range against N.C.

State.This performance set an ACC freshman record for most points scored in a game and tied Wes Unse...