Miami has done enough this season to earn one of the ACC tournament's best seeds, but oddsmakers still are not quite ready to treat the Hurricanes like one of the conference's true favorites.
BetMGM has Miami with the fourth-best odds to win the ACC tournament at +2000, even though the Hurricanes finished 24-7 overall, went 13-5 in conference play and secured the No. 3 seed with a double bye into Thursday's quarterfinals in Charlotte.
Miami has golden opportunity as No. 3 seed in ACC tournament
Duke, which won the regular-season title and earned the No. 1 seed at 28-2 overall and 17-1 in the ACC, is the clear favorite at -375. Virginia, the No. 2 seed at 27-4 and 16-2, is next at +750. Then comes Louisville at +900, followed by Miami at +2000.
So even with the Hurricanes sitting on the top half of the bracket, BetMGM still likes the Cardinals a little more this week.
Miami’s recent result against Louisville helps explain some of that. The Hurricanes closed the regular season with a 92-89 home loss to the Cardinals on March 7, and now there is a real chance the teams could see each other again right away.
Louisville is the No. 6 seed and opens Wednesday against the winner of SMU-Syracuse. That winner then advances to face Miami at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Still, Miami's position is a strong one as Jai Lucas' team avoided the early-rounds and only needs two wins to reach Saturday night's championship game. If the seeds hold, Miami's side of the bracket would likely run through Louisville in the quarterfinals and then Virginia in the semifinals.
That is not easy, but they are winnable games for the Hurricanes. Miami went on the road to face Virginia on February 21 and lost by just three points, 86-83.