ACC Tournament 2016: Day 4 Schedule, Live Stream Info and Bracket Predictions

During Thursday's ACC tournament action, viewers would have been forgiven for fantasizing ahead to a North Carolina vs. Duke rubber match.

Notre Dame, however, was having none of it. 

Down as many as 16 in the second half, the Fighting Irish rallied to force overtime, where they outscored the Blue Devils 14-9 to secure an 84-79 victory. The tournament's No. 5 seed will instead face the top-seeded Tar Heels, who defeated Pittsburgh by 17 to kick off Thursday's quarterfinals.

The other side of the bracket offered no surprises, as Virginia and Miami advanced to set up a hard-hitting semifinal showdown. All four survivors will return to the Verizon Center on Friday, with the winners meeting for the ACC crown on Saturday.

Matchup	Time (ET)	TV	Prediction
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Notre Dame	7 p.m.	ESPN	82-76 NC
No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 3 Miami	9 p.m.	ESPN	64-60 UVA

Live Stream: WatchESPN 

North Carolina vs. Notre Dame

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The Tar Heels will avoid their archnemesis, but they're certainly not in the clear. On Feb. 6, the Fighting Irish recorded an 80-76 upset with all five starters scoring double-digit points.

This matchup doesn't carry the same cachet as a North Carolina-Duke battle, but it's poised to light up the scoreboard just as much. Before Thursday's games, North Carolina and Notre Dame ranked No. 4 and No. 6, respectively, in KenPom.com's adjusted offensive efficiency.

Averaging 81.5 points over their last six games, the Tar Heels pummeled the Panthers despite a quiet showing from Marcus Paige, who registered eight points in the 88-71 victory. Since scoring 21 points in his early meeting with Notre Dame, the senior guard has posted 9.9 points per bout with a ghastly 33.7 field-goal percentage.

"I analyze everything. Overanalyze," Paige told ESPN Insider Jeff Goodman after Thursday's triumph. "It's a blessing and a curse, mostly a curse for me."

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

The Tar Heels will need him back on track to fend off Notre Dame, whose offense has recovered from lackluster performances against Florida State and Miami. Perhaps more important to their tournament outlook, the Fighting Irish amplified their defense when necessary, stifling the Blue Devils to a 25-point second half.

Sports Illustrated's Seth Davis praised the defensive progression from Notre Dame, who made last year's Elite Eight after besting North Carolina for the ACC title:

Such a strong showing will be tough to replicate on Friday. Fatigue could derail Notre Dame's starters, who all logged at least 35 minutes on Thursday. Head coach Mike Brey only utilized two reserves (16 minutes for Matt Ryan and eight for Rex Pflueger), pushing three of his regulars over 40.

Roy Williams, on the other hand, emptied his bench with the game against Pittsburgh comfortably in hand. The hectic tournament schedule offers no rest days, which favors North Carolina on Friday night. Look for the Tar Heels to earn revenge in a rematch of last year's championship contest.

Virginia vs. Miami 

Steve Helber/Associated Press

Hunting for more than a conference crown, the Virginia Cavaliers are also campaigning for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They started on the right path, clobbering Georgia Tech in a 72-52 quarterfinal rout.

Their prolific defense, which finished the season No. 4 in KenPom.com's adjusted defensive ratings, forced the Yellow Jackets to surrender 14 turnovers. A close game at halftime suddenly manifested into a blowout once Virginia's offense woke up.

As Georgia Tech head coach Brian Gregory told the Associated Press' Howard Fendrich, via ABCNews.com, a late offensive explosion behind Malcolm Brogdon propelled the Cavaliers into a higher gear his squad couldn't derail.

"They're so good defensively, consistent defensively," Gregory said, "that all of a sudden, they go on a stretch where they make some shots, and a four- or five-point game is a 13- or 15-point game."

Virginia has outscored the opposition by 54 points during a four-game winning streak. A three-point loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Feb. 22, however, preceded that surge. The Cavaliers' biggest fear materialized when nobody other than Brogdon—who accrued 28 points—reached double digits during the 64-61 defeat. In order to keep playing this weekend, Brogdon needs help.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

The ACC will host two drastically different matchups on Friday. North Carolina and Notre Dame will pile up the points with high-octane offense, but Virginia and Miami both play in slow motion. According to KenPom.com, they each rank outside the top 300 in terms of adjusted pace. Virginia creates the fewest possessions per 40 minutes (61.5) among all 351 qualified teams.

No wonder both regular-season matchups stayed in the 50s and 60s. When Brogdon gets some offensive support, the grinding style works wonders for the Cavaliers. Fewer possessions means less margin for error for both sides, allowing less volatility, which the Hurricanes must embrace to upset a prominent NCAA title contender.

In a tournament proceeding largely according to plan, don't be surprised when Virginia sets up an epic finals clash with North Carolina.