ACC College Basketball Betting Preview: 2026–27 Odds, Picks & Predictions

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Last season was a big year for first-year head coaches in the ACC.

• Ryan Odom won 30 games at Virginia.
• Jai Lucas won more games in his first year (26) than Miami had total in the previous two years combined (22).
• Will Wade won 10 conference games at NC State, which only happened one other time since 2020
• Luke Loucks' Florida State team was one of the hottest squads in the country during the second half of the season, going 11-4 in its last 15 games.

Will we see more progression in year two from those coaches (outside of Wade’s dramatic departure)? Or will there be a new first-year coach that steals the spotlight?

This season, there are five new head coaches that are looking for first year success: Luke Murray at Boston College, Scott Cross at Georgia Tech, Justin Gainey at NC State, Gerry McNamara at Syracuse and Michael Malone at UNC. Which of the five will have immediate success like we saw last season?

Dive in below for my ACC college basketball betting preview for the 2026-27 season, including odds, picks and predictions.

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2026-27 ACC Regular Season Title Odds

ACC Favorite

Duke Blue Devils (-132)

Let's not overthink this: Duke is the deepest team in the conference and arguably in the country.

This is the first time under Jon Scheyer that the Blue Devils have hit the trifecta of retaining key players from last season, bringing in one of the best recruiting classes in the country and grabbing one of the best players in the transfer portal (John Blackwell).

Blackwell gives Duke a veteran scorer in the backcourt who wants the ball in his hands in big games.

Freshman Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje is a seven-footer who has the tools to be one of the best players in the country, utilizing his height and touch inside the paint to go along with his silky smooth jumper on the perimeter.

Sophomore Dame Sarr is one of the best defenders in the country and showed development in his offensive game during Duke’s first scrimmage against Belmont, scoring 19 points to go along with six rebounds and three assists.

Patrick Ngongba II is back for his third year. Ngongba has dealt with injuries through his first two seasons and will be a crucial piece to Duke’s success down low. If he stays healthy, he'll play the largest role of his career this season.

Also, watch out for transfer Drew Scharnowski. He's a 6-foot-10 transfer from Belmont who will have a similar impact to Maliq Brown. His 7-foot-3 wingspan allows him to switch anywhere on the floor, whether it’s in the paint or on the perimeter.

Offensively, he's athletic and a great connector/facilitator at his position.

With Duke running a lot of five-out on offense, Scharnowski’s ability to do the little things will be an added bonus for an already deep team.

ACC Best Futures Bet

Virginia Cavaliers (+590)

Ryan Odom is one of the best coaches in the country, and he's bringing back four main players from a team that won 30 games last year.

Thijs De Ridder is a returning First Team All-ACC’er and is a matchup problem at 6-foot-9, 238 pounds.

His ability to bully defenders down inside the paint results in high percentage looks. You can’t sag off of him at the 3-point line because he shot 36% last year from downtown, and he can be a nightmare to keep off the offensive glass.

Sam Lewis, who averaged double figures last season, will have a bigger role in 2026-27 at the two-guard. With Malik Thomas gone, Lewis will be an on-ball creator and is an efficient off-ball shot maker who hit 43% on catch-and-shoot 3s last season.

Chance Mallory will be the heart and soul of this team at the point guard position. Mallory had a three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio as a freshman and will look to continue to make the right plays this season.

Johann Grunloh is a seven-foot rim protector who recorded multiple blocked shots in 21 games in 2025-26. If he can be more of a scoring threat while not getting into foul trouble in the big games, the Cavaliers will have another successful season under Ryan Odom.

Also, keep an eye on Jurian Dixon. He comes over from UC Irvine, where he was First Team All-Big West. He averaged 16 points per game on 39% from 3.

He averaged 2.5 assists per game last season, but he's a better facilitator than those numbers show. He had four or more assists in nine games, including seven assists to only one turnover against Cal State Northridge.

ACC Best Value Bet

Florida State Seminoles (+20000)

I've gone back and forth on Florida State and NC State for this pick. I believe in Gainey more than most — especially with Paul McNeil back — but my official pick for this section is Florida State.

To re-emphasize from earlier, the Noles were one of the hottest teams in the country for the last month of the season. They lost to Duke twice by a total of five points and lost to Florida by two.

Loucks system was proven to work and now he has a better roster. The Seminoles added four immediate impact transfers starting:

• Anthony Robinson II: SEC All-Defensive Team at Missouri
• Kam Taylor: An athletic juggernaut who led the Big South in scoring last year as a sophomore at UNC Asheville
• Sebastian Rancik: A Colorado transfer who's ability to stretch the floor at 6-foot-11 will create driving lanes for guards
• Shon Abaev: An intriguing piece because his seven points per game last year at Cincinnati doesn’t jump off the page, but he's an aggressive 6-foot-8 wing who can score putting the ball on the floor

Last but not least, 7-foot, 285-pound freshman center Marcis Ponder will be a force to be reckoned with.

In Florida State’s exhibition against Auburn, Ponder recorded 13 points, 21 rebounds (12 offensive) and three blocks in 24 minutes.

The Seminoles have the perimeter players to play in open space, a legit stretch four and a glass cleaning big man at the five.

Don’t be surprised to see the Seminoles ranked this season.

ACC Player to Target for Props

Dame Sarr Over Points/3-Pointers

With the focus of the Blue Devils' offense being Blackwell and Boumtje Boumtje, books will undervalue Sarr’s offensive progression.

His 3-point shot has improved and so has his ability to score getting downhill.

This will be a nightly bet I'll look to make early in the season.