The ACC once again leads all conferences with a trio of programs headed to the Elite Eight.

This marks the second time in the past 3 seasons that the ACC has put 3 teams into the regional final round. In 2022, it was Duke, North Carolina and Miami who all made it to this stage. The Tar Heels ended up getting all the way to the national championship game in that tournament.

This year, it’s Clemson, Duke and NC State who are still alive in the race for the national title. The Wolfpack and Blue Devils will meet in one quarterfinal while Clemson faces off against Alabama in a matchup of teams who have never before reached the Final Four.

Here’s a betting preview for both of the ACC’s Elite Eight contests

Note: All lines are via ESPN BET unless otherwise noted

6 Clemson vs. 4 Alabama | Saturday, March 30 | 8:49 p.m. ET | Los Angeles, California | TBS/truTV

Spread: Alabama -3.5

Total: 163.5 points

Clemson will once again be the underdog when it takes the floor on Saturday night. The Tigers have been dogs in every NCAA Tournament game so far, including in their opening-round matchup against 11-seeded New Mexico. That’s been a very profitable spot for Clemson so far this season — it’s 9-1 against the spread as an underdog in 2023-24. Clemson even has 7 outright victories as an underdog in Vegas this season.

Like Clemson, Alabama is looking for its first-ever Final Four appearance on Saturday night. The Tide have had an elite offense all season, but their defense has come-and-gone throughout the year. They were able to survive a poor defensive performance (1.21 points per possession allowed) against North Carolina in the Sweet 16, but they’ll be hoping to improve on that figure significantly vs. Clemson. Alabama is battling some injury uncertainty as Latrell Wrightsell (head) and Nick Pringle (heel) are both questionable for this game.

11 NC State vs. 4 Duke | Sunday, March 31 | 9:39 p.m. ET | Dallas, Texas | CBS

Spread: Duke -6.5

Total: 143.5 points

These teams have met twice this season, with each team earning one victory. Both matchups have been recent — Duke won by 15 points in Raleigh in early March and then the Wolfpack turned around and won in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament to extend their season. Duke was an 11-point favorite in that ACC tourney game, but the Wolfpack haven’t lost since.

One major factor in this game will be Duke’s 3-point shooting. The Blue Devils led the ACC in 3-point percentage this year and NC State has survived in the NCAA Tournament largely because teams can’t seem to find the bottom of the net from deep. NC State opponents are shooting just 23-of-97 across 3 NCAA Tournament games so far. Whether or not Duke can break that trend could determine the outcome of this game.

3 Picks

Joseph Girard over 17.5 points + assists (-130 on ESPN Bet)

It’s been a very quiet NCAA Tournament so far for Joseph Girard, but I think he’ll come alive in this game vs. Alabama. In their previous meeting this season, Girard scored 16 points and dished out 4 assists in the win over Alabama. He also took 7 3-pointers in that game. Clemson will need a similar performance out of Girard if it wants to advance to the Final Four for the first time in program history. Girard averaged 16.3 points and 2.4 assists per game in ACC play.

Duke -6.5 (-110 at ESPN Bet)

NC State is clearly a good team, but I think Duke will find a way to get it done against its in-state rival. The fact that the Blue Devils were favored by 11 points against this NC State team just a few weeks ago is enough to get me to jump on this number at 6.5. Duke has been playing some great basketball during the NCAA Tournament and has the shooters to make NC State’s defense uncomfortable. I also see a little bit of value on Duke’s money line at -290 (EvanMiya’s model gives Duke a 77.8% chance to win outright).

Kyle Filipowski over 18.5 points + assists (-120 at ESPN Bet)

Kyle Filipowski is playing some of the best basketball of his young career right now. He was huge in Duke’s upset win over Houston in the Sweet 16 as he contributed 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists. He came up just shy of this number, but that was in a relatively low-possession game vs. an elite Houston defense. Duke’s Elite Eight game vs. NC State figures to be played at notably higher pace and against a Wolfpack defense that is significantly worse than what Filipowski saw vs. Houston. I’ve got zero issues backing Filipowski to get over this number against NC State.