Zion Williamson Duke Virginia
Zion Williamson #1 of the Duke Blue Devils shoots over De'Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 9, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images

The 2019 ACC Tournament gets underway Tuesday at noon EDT with 15 teams vying to win the championship. Six teams will compete in three games on Day No.1 , followed by four games in Wednesday’s second round.

The top four ACC teams have byes until the quarterfinals Thursday. No.1 seed Virginia will kick off Thursday’s action as the favorites to win the entire tournament. The Cavaliers won the championship a year ago before becoming the first team to lose to as a No.16 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Duke is the No.3 seed, but they’ve got the second-best odds and might ultimately have the best chance to win the title. Head coach Mike Krzyzewski told reporters he expects Zion Williamson to return Thursday in the team’s first ACC Tournament game. Williamson hasn’t played since spraining his knee against North Carolina on Feb. 20.

North Carolina is the No.2 seed after beating Duke for the second time this year last weekend. Florida State has the fourth bye.

The ACC has been the best conference in college basketball for the 2018-2019 season with three teams having a real chance to land a No.1 seed in March Madness. Virginia, North Carolina and Duke are all ranked in the top five of the AP Top 25 Poll. Florida State and Virginia Tech are also ranked.

All five of those teams will make the NCAA Tournament. Louisville and Syracuse are likely in the field, though that could potentially change with an early exit in the ACC Tournament.

Clemson and N.C. State are currently projected to be among the last four teams in the field of 68, according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.

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