Duke Basketball: 10 predictions for Blue Devils’ 2017-18 season

There is something about the ACC Tournament that just makes it unpredictable. Maybe it is because the ACC can be the definition of streaky, but, no matter what it is, the team that wins the ACC regular season title seems to only win the ACC Tournament every other year or so.

Yes, if we’re going by a pattern, then it would be the team that wins the ACC regular season title’s turn to win the ACC. However, I have a feeling that Duke will be comfortably the No. 1 team in college basketball at that time and be focused on the NCAA Tournament.

A loss in the ACC Tournament is not the same as a loss in the Big Ten, Pac-12, or SEC Tournaments. If a team loses in the ACC Tournament, the Selection Committee usually does not take much away from their seeding and, if Duke is the consensus No. 1 at the time, a loss in the ACC Tournament will still mean a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Notre Dame, Miami, and even Louisville all have the potential to be streaky good this season – the type of teams that lose to a few bad teams in conference play, but get hot in a knockout style scenario. I think this keeps Duke from winning the ACC Tournament, but not from securing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.