There's Value On Miami To Win The ACC Regular Season Title

ACC Basketball Value Pick For Regular Season Title

With only four weeks left before Selection Sunday, the race for regular season conference titles are heating up across a number of conferences. The ACC is one conference that I think will see quite a bit of change between the four teams at the top of the standings that have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Virginia is the current favorite at -145, followed by Pitt at +360 and Miami and Clemson tied at +550 on DraftKings. There is then a massive jump to North Carolina at +5500. When looking at the four teams that have a realistic shot at winning the regular season title, Miami stands out as a team with good value.

Miami To Win The ACC Regular Season Title: +550 At DraftKings

The Hurricanes are 10-4 in ACC play and currently sit just a half a game back from being tied with Virginia, Clemson and Pitt for first. Over the last two weeks, Miami has quietly become one of the more dangerous teams in the conference thanks to one of the best backcourts in the nation with Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack and Jordan Miller. The trio just helped orchestrate a massive 22-point win over Duke in their latest outing, marking the Hurricanes' third-straight win. With how they've been playing lately, averaging 83.6 points over those three games, they should be able to add to that win streak over their remaining six games.

The biggest roadblock Miami has over the rest of the season is going to be against North Carolina on Feb. 13. The Hurricanes will travel to Durham to play the Tar Heels, who they have yet to face this season. Each of Miami's four conference losses have come on the road, so a win at UNC would not only be huge for its conference standings, but also for its NCAA Tournament resume. Outside of that game, Miami faces Louisville, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Pitt to finish off the season. Wake Forest and Pitt each beat the Hurricanes once already, but I don't foresee that happening twice, especially with them being played in Miami, so those games don't worry me much.

I especially like Miami's chances when you look at the remaining schedule for Virginia, Clemson and Pitt. The Cavaliers host Duke on Saturday and have North Carolina on the road and Clemson at home in two of their final three games of the season. If Miami wins out and Virginia drops at least one of those games, the Hurricanes would likely jump them in the standings because they beat Virginia earlier this season.

The same goes for Clemson. Miami beat the Tigers just last weekend, so they would own any tiebreaker in the standings. Clemson's remaining games feature North Carolina, NC State and Virginia as the teams that I think they could lose to. The matchup between Virginia and Clemson also ensures that one of the two teams will suffer another loss before the season ends.

Pitt has arguably the easiest path remaining. Its biggest challenge will come in its final game of the season against Miami on the road. The Panthers beat the Hurricanes at home but playing them in Miami in what could end up being a game to decide the conference winner is going to be a different story. Pitt also has Syracuse on its schedule, which is a team that could present some trouble despite not being ranked.

Even though Miami ranks fourth in the ACC behind each of the aforementioned teams, they are in a great position to finish the season with the wins needed to climb the standings. A loss or two from Virginia, Clemson or Pitt, which is likely to happen, makes a bet on the Hurricanes to win the regular season at +550 definitely worth the value.