ACC Tournament Recap: Day Two

The second round of the ACC Tournament is underway, and top-seeded Virginia now knows its quarterfinal opponent. Click back here for updates throughout the day, brought to you by Blue Ridge Bank.

 

Game 4: No. 8 NC State 59, No. 9 Clemson 58

Just like the regular-season meeting between these two longtime ACC rivals, Wednesday’s first game was a wild one that was decided in the closing seconds.

Clemson looked to be in control after a strong first half gave them a 42-26 halftime lead, but NC State (22-10) roared back in the second half.

The Tigers (19-13) missed 14 straight field goals at one point, over a stretch of over 11 minutes, as the Wolfpack chipped away. NCST point guard Markell Johnson sank a pair of 3-pointers to give the his team a 57-53 edge, its first lead since early in the ballgame, with 4:19 to go.

Trailing by a point with time winding down, Johnson drove to the hole and Clemson was whistled for a foul with 2.6 seconds remaining. Johnson made both free throws and the Tigers’ last-second heave was off the mark.

Johnson was the only NC State player in double figures, finishing with 23. Torin Dorn added 8 points and 12 rebounds.

Clemson was led by Marcquise Reed, who put up 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

The Wolfpack will go up against No. 1 seed Virginia (28-2) in the first quarterfinal matchup on Thursday. UVA held on in overtime to win 66-65 in the regular-season tilt in Raleigh in January.

 

No. 5 Virginia Tech 71, No. 12 Miami 56

Virginia Tech jumped out to a 16-3 lead in this one and never looked back, ending Miami’s season and advancing to the ACC quarterfinals.

The Hokies (24-7) led by as many as 20 points in the first half and held a 38-21 advantage at the half.

The Hurricanes (14-18) were hot out of the halftime break, using a 14-4 run to trim Tech’s lead down to seven, but the Hokies stepped on the gas pedal and cruised to the win.

Kerry Blackshear Jr. double-doubled for the Hokies with 19 points and 10 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the way.

Ty Outlaw was hot from long range and finished with 14 points and 8 boards, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 12 and Isaiah Wilkins added 10 off the bench.

Miami’s Chris Lykes and DJ Vasiljevic combined for seven 3-pointers on the day, but it wasn’t enough in the long run. Lykes led the team with 19 points, while Vasiljevic finished with 17.

The Hokies will face No. 4 seed Florida State at 2:30 p.m. in Thursday’s second quarterfinal contest. The Seminoles (25-6) claimed the lone regular-season meeting, beating Virginia Tech last Tuesday in overtime, 73-64, to clinch the double bye.

 

No. 7 Louisville 75, No. 15 Notre Dame 53

The Cardinals rebounded nicely from their regular-season ending loss at Virginia with a convincing win over the Fighting Irish.

Sophomore forward Jordan Nwora, recently voted the ACC’s Most Improved Player, scored Louisville’s first dozen points as the Cardinals (20-12) built an early lead. Notre Dame, playing its second game in as many days, was able to trim it to single digits by halftime, but Louisville outscored the Irish by 13 in the second half and owned a 50-38 edge on the boards.

Nwora led all scorers with 24 points to go along with his 9 rebounds. Ryan McMahon nailed three 3-pointers, scoring 12 points and dishing out 5 assists off the bench. Steven Enoch added 10 points and 7 rebounds.

The Irish finish the season with a record of 14-19, but will return their entire roster next season. T.J. Gibbs led Notre Dame with 21 points. Juwan Durham chipped in with 12 off the bench.

Louisville advances to face No. 2 seed North Carolina, a team the Cardinals split the season series with, with each school winning big on the road in the regular season.

The Cardinals shocked the Tar Heels (26-5) by 21 at the Dean Dome in January, while Carolina returned the favor with a 10-point win at the Yum! Center on Groundhog Day. The rubber match tips off at 7 p.m. Thursday.

 

No. 6 Syracuse 73, No. 14 Pittsburgh 59

It didn’t look so great early on for the Orange, but a strong second half lifted Syracuse to its second ACC Tournament win since becoming a member in 2013-14.

The Panthers (14-19) led for the majority of the first half and took a 6-point edge into the locker room behind six 3-pointers from Jared Wilson-Frame.

Syracuse (20-12) got a huge boost from the coach’s son, Buddy Boeheim, in the second half. Boeheim scored eight straight points early in the second half to put the Orange in front as they slowly pulled away.

Syracuse held Pitt’s talented freshman tandem of Xavier Johnson and Trey McGowens to just 7 combined points on 3-of-16 shooting, a night after they exploded for 49 combined in the win over Boston College. Wilson-Frame poured in a game-high 24 points (8-16 3PT) to lead Pitt.

Boeheim finished with a team-high 20 points to go with his 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Elijah Hughes and Frank Howard each added 18 as the Orange were playing without the services of leading scorer and All-ACC third-teamer Tyus Battle, who bruised his hip against Clemson in the regular-season finale. His status for Thursday is doubtful.

In Thursday’s quarterfinal nightcap, Syracuse will square off with third-seeded Duke (26-5) for a third time after the teams split in the regular season. Each team won on the other’s floor (Syracuse won at Cameron in OT, Duke won by 10 at the Carrier Dome last month).