ACC Tournament Odds, Picks & Predictions: Thursday (3/13)

by Travis Pulver |
Mar 13, 2025

It's Day Three of the ACC Tournament, and it's time for the big dogs to come out and play, starting with No. 1 Duke in the opening game of the day. Fans will also get to see No. 13 Louisville and end the day watching No. 10 Clemson. But how should you bet? That’s a very good question.

It’s also a question I do not recommend trying to answer until you’ve done some research into today’s slate. Not sure how to start? Step one– keep reading this post.

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Thursday’s Best ACC Tournament Quarterfinals Bets

(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)

Georgia Tech (+2200) vs Duke (-22.5)

Georgia Tech vs. Virginia was expected to be a close, hard-fought game in the second round, and it was. After playing to a tie in the first half (25-25), the Yellow Jackets led by as much as 13 in the second half. Virginia staged a furious rally to get within a basket with 25 seconds left but didn't score again. The Yellow Jackets won 66-60.

However, beating Virginia and beating Duke are two wildly different things. Yes, the Cavs could play some defense, but they were terrible on the offensive end of the court. As for Duke, the Blue Devils are among the best on both ends of the court. When Duke and Georgia Tech played back in December, the Yellow Jackets put up a fight in the first half and only trailed by five at the break.

However, the second half was a different story as Duke outscored Georgia Tech 41-20 in the half to win by 26 points (82-56).

Duke ended the regular season on a roll with eight straight victories, winning by no fewer than 13 in each game and by 30+ in many. Georgia Tech has done well against the ACC's lesser teams in the Tournament, but they don't stand a prayer against Duke.

Pick: Duke -22.5 (-110)

North Carolina (-5.5) vs. Wake Forest (+190)

The Tar Heels are not the powerhouse blue blood they often are this season, but North Carolina is still an excellent team. They have had some issues at times this season but finished the year on a 6-1 run (the loss vs. Duke, 82-69, in their regular season finale). In their first-round game vs. Notre Dame, they cruised to a 43-29 lead at the break, then coasted in the second half to win by 20, 76-56.

Unlike the Tarheels, Wake Forest had a few issues down the stretch, going 3-4 in their last seven games. When they played North Carolina on Jan.2, the Demon Deacons got the win by a point, 67-66.

Wake Forest got the win during the regular season, but the Tar Heels are coming in hot while the Demon Deacons are just on a leisurely stroll. North Carolina simply has too much firepower for Wake Forest to handle.

Pick: North Carolina -5.5 (-110)

Stanford (+490) vs. Louisville (-10.5)

Here are two teams on totally different trajectories. Stanford limped into the postseason with losses in their last two regular-season games, 56-54 vs. Notre Dame and 68-48 vs. Louisville. The Cardinals ended the regular season with a nine-game winning streak. Stanford got back on track with a win over Cal, but a five-point win over a sub-.500 team does not build confidence in fans.

If Stanford had put on a show against Cal, there might be a reason to believe that things may go differently this time. However, the Cardinal faced the Cardinals less than a week ago and got crushed. There is no reason to think this game will play out differently.

Pick: Louisville -10.5 (-110)

SMU (+235) vs. Clemson (-6.5)

SMU ended the regular season on a down note with a 76-69 loss to Florida State, but they wasted no time righting the ship with a dominant 73-53 win over Syracuse in the second round. To put that win into context, SMU beat the Orange 77-75 a little over a week ago. Clemson, on the other hand, is coming in hot, having ended the regular season on an eight-game win streak that included a 77-71 win over Duke.

Also on that streak was a ten-point win (79-69) over SMU in Dallas. The Tigers were a one-point underdog for that game.

Mustangs leading scorer Boopie Miller has been ruled out for the game with a bruised foot.

If you really want to pick a winner, I'm leaning towards Clemson -6.5. When SMU has taken a step up in competition this season, the result has not been great. The Mustangs were 0-3 vs. ranked teams this season and 1-5 against the spread as an underdog. Without Miller in the lineup, I see no reason to think they'll be any better this time vs. Clemson.

Besides, the Tigers are playing great basketball right now. It will take a team on their level to beat them, and SMU is just not there.

Pick: Under 143.5 Total Points (-110)

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