Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Recaps

Greensboro, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Justin Jackson shot 8-of-10 from the field, made four 3-pointers and scored 22 points to lead No. 19 North Carolina to a 71-67 victory over No. 3 Virginia in the ACC Tournament semifinals.

Opponents were shooting an ACC-low 35.6 percent against the Cavaliers, but the Tar Heels (24-10) came out a lit them up at a 54.8 percent clip to reach Saturday’s title game against Notre Dame.

Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson added 14 and 13 points, respectively, for fifth-seeded UNC, which is seeking its first tourney title since 2008.

“We’re especially pleased to be here still playing,” said UNC head coach Roy Williams, whose team will try to win four games in four days.

Malcolm Brogdon carried top-seeded Virginia (29-3) with 25 points, while London Perrantes and Anthony Gill chipped in 12 apiece.

The Cavs, whose chances of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament took a hit, won the only regular-season matchup against UNC on Feb. 2 — a 75-64 win that saw Justin Anderson score 16 points and hand out seven assists.

Anderson fractured a finger in Virginia’s next game and was sidelined for a month before returning in the quarterfinals against Florida State. He has yet to score in the two tourney games, and the Cavs plodded through Friday’s showdown before Brogdon gave them life down the stretch.

They trailed by 10 with under six minutes left before a 7-0 run, capped by a Brogdon 3-pointer, pulled them within three. Another Brogdon 3 pulled the Cavs within 61-60, and it was still a one-point game inside the final minute.

Paige gave UNC a 65-62 lead when he pump-faked Brogdon in the lane and scored underneath him with 41.6 seconds left. Anderson and Brogdon both missed from behind the arc on Virginia’s next two possessions, and UNC held on from there.

North Carolina scored eight of the game’s first nine points and went ahead by as many as 11 on a late Jackson 3-pointer — one of five hit by the Tar Heels before the break.

“I just think they set the tone,” Brogdon said. “They took it to us, and we played at their pace tonight.”

A Gill tip-in and Perrantes layup cut Virginia’s deficit heading to the locker room, and two Gill free throws made it a 30-25 game after halftime.

After trading jumpers, the Tar Heels rattled off eight straight points, including another Jackson 3-pointer, for a game-high 40-27 cushion.

Game Notes

Virginia won last year’s ACC tourney title … UNC has 17 ACC tourney titles … Jackson, a 26.0 percent 3-point shooter coming in, shot 4-of-5 from long distance … UNC recorded 17 assists on 23 made baskets and owned a 32-25 rebounding advantage.

Final Score: (11) Notre Dame 74, (2) Duke 64

Greensboro, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – Bonzie Colson scored 17 points, Demetrius Jackson added 15 and No. 11 Notre Dame held off No. 2 Duke 74-64 to reach the final of the ACC Tournament.

Duke had won 12 in a row since losing in South Bend on Jan. 28, but Notre Dame (28-5) jumped on top of the second-seeded Blue Devils early and held off a late surge to earn a title game matchup against North Carolina on Saturday.

Jerian Grant totaled 13 points and seven rebounds for the third-seeded Fighting Irish (28-5), who did not make it out of the opening round of their inaugural ACC tourney a year ago.

“I’ve never been more confident of a group,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. “We’re a fun group to be around, and we’ve got great karma about us right now at the right time of year.”

Duke (29-4), the winningest team in this event, shot just 3-of-17 from 3-point range. Jahlil Okafor led the way offensively with 28 points, while Justise Winslow added 11 points and 11 rebounds in defeat.

Duke’s talented guard trio of Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook and Matt Jones shot a combined 7-of-29 (24.1 percent) from the field.

When these teams met in Cameron Indoor Stadium last month, the Blue Devils avenged their loss to the Irish by blowing them out by 30.

The roles appeared reversed early on, as Duke had just as many turnovers (five) as points over the first eight-plus minutes. A Jackson three-point play gave the Irish an 18-5 cushion, and Notre Dame went into the break leading 41-26 thanks to a 53.1 percent shooting effort.

Okafor gave the Blue Devils a puncher’s chance with 15 first-half points, but the rest of the Duke roster shot 25 percent (4-of-16) from the field.

“We weren’t talking. We weren’t doing anything. We weren’t following instructions and it was like an out-of-body experience,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said of the slow start.

Notre Dame nearly blew an 18-point lead against Miami in the quarterfinals and almost did it again after a Jones 3-pointer pulled Duke within 68-64 with just over three minutes remaining.

Okafor had a chance to cut the deficit even further but missed two free throws, and Pat Connaughton followed with a clutch jumper from the foul line just with just over a minute remaining.

Free throws from Grant and Colson sealed the outcome.

Game Notes

The Irish have never previously reached a conference tourney final … Notre Dame shot 50 percent from the field and outscored Duke at the free throw line 22-7 … Duke has not won an ACC tourney title since 2011.

Categorized in: NCAA Basketball