ACC Tournament 2015: Quarterfinals Scores, Updated Bracket, Semifinal Schedule
Finally, the top teams in the conference will get their chance to shine at the ACC tournament.
While the first day featured upsets and crazy battles, things settled down a bit in the second day in Greensboro. The only upset was No. 9 Florida State holding on to beat No. 8 Clemson.
Still, there will be a different look in the quarterfinals with the first appearances by Virginia, Duke, Notre Dame and Louisville. These four squads are not only the best in the conference but also among the best in the nation and they will try to prove it over the next few weeks.
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This will create some exciting action on Day 3 of the ACC tournament, so follow along with the scores and results here.
| Noon | Virginia 58, Florida State 44 |
| 2 p.m. | North Carolina 70, Louisville 60 |
| 7 p.m. | Duke 77, North Carolina State 53 |
| 9 p.m. | Notre Dame 70, Miami 63 |
No. 1 Virginia 58, No. 9 Florida State 44
Virginia used its patented defense and efficient offense to get out in front against Florida State and hold on for a quality victory.
Florida State was once again led by Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who had 13 after scoring 30 a day earlier against Clemson.
The Cavaliers saw more of a balanced effort with no one scoring more than 11 points. London Perrantes had a strong all-around performance with four points, nine assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Throughout the first half, Virginia showcased the defensive ability most have come to expect from the program. Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports summed up the problems for Florida State:
"Virginia’s defense is swarming to the point where Florida State can barely dribble. Dribbling seems important in basketball.
— Sam Vecenie (@Sam_Vecenie) March 12, 2015"
By halftime, Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports and plenty others believed there was no chance of comeback:
However, Forde had to correct himself during a poor offensive showing for the Cavaliers:
Florida State displayed plenty of aggressiveness on both ends of the court to cut the lead to five a few times. Thanks to some big plays by Malcolm Brogdon down the stretch, though, Virginia was able to stay in front and leave with a 14-point win.
This game also marked the return of Justin Anderson, who had missed about a month with a broken finger and then an appendectomy. He ended up going 0-of-2 from the field but added two rebounds in limited playing time.
Virginia coach Tony Bennett discussed the junior's value before the game, saying, "He brings a level—he’s just got that X-factor. He gets the crowd going. He makes just a big play, whether it’s a huge block or a big three or just comes up with that hustle play that seems to ignite the team," via David Teel of the Daily Press.
Even with a limited impact in this game, it is still a meaningful difference for the Cavaliers going forward.
They will now move onto the semifinals to face the winner of Louisville and North Carolina. Based on the way the regular season ended, they might want to root for the Cardinals to avenge one of their two losses from the year.
No. 5 North Carolina 70, No. 4 Louisville 60
Louisville's first ever appearance in the ACC tournament was a short one as North Carolina defeated the Cardinals in its opening game in Greensboro.
Considering these teams split the two earlier meetings in incredibly close games, it was not surprising to see another competitive battle at the ACC tournament. Louisville held a 37-32 lead at halftime thanks to some great offense in the first half (51.9 percent shooting), but there was much more defense after halftime.
At one point, the Cardinals missed 10 shots in a row from the field.
Still, the score remained close as the game continued, as Keith Jarrett of the Asheville Citizen Times discussed:
North Carolina was finally able to take a slight advantage in the closing minutes thanks to some excellent work by the frontcourt, via Bret Strelow of The Fayetteville Observer:
Brice Johnson ended up with 22 points and seven rebounds in the game while Kennedy Meeks added nine points and five rebounds. Marcus Paige also had an impressive all-around effort with 13 points, five assists and four steals.
The Cardinals were then only able to score three points in the final seven minutes as North Carolina pulled away for the win.
Louisville saw its three best players step up with huge performances. Montrezl Harrell had 14 points and 12 rebounds while Terry Rozier and Wayne Blackshear combined for 38 points. Still, this was not enough to pull out a victory.
UNC moves onto the semifinals to face top-seeded Virginia. With the Cavaliers struggling offensively lately, this could be a great chance to put another quality win on the resume before the NCAA tournament.
No. 2 Duke 77, No. 7 North Carolina 53
Duke avenged its regular-season loss to North Carolina State in a big way, dominating the first half and cruising to a blowout victory in the ACC quarterfinals.
Pat Forde of Yahoo Sports summed up the play early:
Will Brinson of CBS Sports then quoted play-by-play announcer Rece Davis in describing the game going into halftime:
It wasn't just the stars stepping up for Duke either. Jahlil Okafor and Quinn Cook combined for 25 and Tyus Jones had eight assists, but the Blue Devils also saw impressive performances from Marshall Plumlee, Matt Jones and Grayson Allen, all of which finished in double figures.
On the other end of the court, Anthony "Cat" Barber had zero points after finishing with 34 a day earlier, which is pretty much all you need to know about North Carolina State's game. The Wolfpack should be safely in the NCAA tournament field, but the seed is still very much a question.
Duke will now advance to face the winner of Notre Dame and Miami. Considering both teams beat the Blue Devils during the regular season, this could be more chances for revenge no matter who wins.
No. 3 Notre Dame 70, No. 6 Miami 63
After blowing an 18-point halftime lead, Notre Dame recovered to escape with a narrow victory over Miami.
Steve Vasturia led a balanced effort from the Irish with all five starters finishing in double figures. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes finally got a big game from Angel Rodriguez, who had been limited with a wrist injury until scoring a team-high 15 in the loss Thursday.
As a bubble team, Miami did little to impress the selection committee in the first half, going the first five minutes without a point and appearing set to be blown out. On the other side, Notre Dame once again showcased offensive strength with a shooting display from all over the floor.
Pat Connaughton especially stood out in the first half, as ESPN's C.L. Brown described:
As good as things were in the first half, however, the second was as bad for the Fighting Irish. The players simply couldn't get anything to fall as the once-big lead started to dwindle. Stephen Wiseman of The Durham-Herald Sun discussed the extent of the issue:
Notre Dame didn't get a second-half field goal until a Jerian Grant layup with 8:04 remaining in regulation. In that span, Miami came storming back to take the lead at 51-49.
This ended up being all for naught as the Irish finally started making some shots and then showed off their free-throw ability down the stretch to hold on for a win that was too close for comfort.
Miami will now have to wait until Selection Sunday to see if they have done enough to get a bid to the NCAA tournament, and it will be close.
Notre Dame will take on Duke in the semifinals after the two split their regular-season meetings. After winning at home, though, the Fighting Irish were embarrassed by 30 on the road. This game could be a chance to show that the first win wasn't a fluke.
Semifinals
| 7 p.m. | No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 5 North Carolina | ESPN/ESPN2 |
| 9 p.m. | No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Notre Dame | ESPN/ESPN2 |
For an updated bracket, go to TheACC.com.
Compared to the teams in action a couple of days ago, the semifinals of the ACC tournament will seem like a different sport. The difference between the top and bottom of the conference is outstanding.
Friday will reach the point where just four teams remain and any of them can take home a title. One interesting thing to follow is the opportunity for a non-North Carolina team to take home the ACC title for the fourth year in a row (Florida State, Miami and Virginia have won the past three years).
With expansion bringing in great programs from other locations, the base of the conference could be outnumbered.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
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