THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE THREAD

No. 12 Miami rallies past No. 11 Louisville 73-65

With the Miami Hurricanes trailing Louisville midway through the second half Saturday, coach Jim Larranaga pulled aside senior guard Angel Rodriguez during a timeout for a pep talk.

"I said, `Listen, you need to show everybody in this arena how hard you're willing to play to win this game, and your teammates will follow," Larranaga said.

Coach was right.

Rodriguez cranked up the pressure at the top of the Hurricanes' defense and ran the offense flawlessly as they scored 12 consecutive points and rallied to win their home finale, 73-65.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839806

 

Florida State beats No. 23 Notre Dame to snap 5-game skid

Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton has not been pleased with his team's defensive performance the past couple weeks. On Saturday, the Seminoles had one of their best defensive games of the season in a 77-56 victory over No. 23 Notre Dame, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839249

 

Pitt runs away from No. 15 Duke 76-62

James Robinson held onto the moment. An hour after Pittsburgh's biggest win of the season, a decidedly one-sided 76-62 dissection of No. 15 Duke on Sunday, the senior point guard stood in a sparse Petersen Events Center surrounded by friends and family, posing for pictures and shaking hands.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839229

 

Johnson, No. 8 North Carolina hold off Syracuse 75-70

Brice Johnson, Marcus Paige and the rest of North Carolina's seniors earned one final home win to stay atop the Atlantic Coast Conference. Now the eighth-ranked Tar Heels are headed for a rematch with their fiercest rival and a chance to claim the No. 1 seed in the league tournament.

Johnson had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help UNC hold off Syracuse 75-70 on Monday night in its home finale.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839209

 

No. 11 Louisville holds off Georgia Tech 56-53

Louisville coach Rick Pitino gave his departing transfers some championship-quality bling and a video tribute featuring "One Shining Moment."

Pitino had promised a surprise to honor their contributions in a season that won't include the NCAA Tournament appearance they hoped for. Surviving some tense final moments in Tuesday night's 56-53 victory over Georgia Tech helped make that postgame ceremony especially celebratory for the 11th-ranked Cardinals.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839794

 

Brogdon's 18 lead No. 4 Virginia to 64-57 victory

Malcolm Brogdon had no doubt of No. 4 Virginia's fate if it faced this road challenge two months ago.

"This is a game we probably would've lost earlier in ACC play," Brogdon said.

Instead, the Cavaliers recovered after losing a double-digit lead to defeat Clemson 64-57 on Tuesday night and keep alive their long shot bid for an Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839766

 

Allen scores 30, No. 17 Duke holds off Wake Forest 79-71

Duke found itself in the rarest of situations: A tight game at home against Wake Forest. The 17th-ranked Blue Devils had the one player who always hangs big numbers on the Demon Deacons.

Grayson Allen scored 30 points in Duke's 79-71 victory over Wake Foreston Tuesday night.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839343

 

Rodriguez scores 19, No. 7 Miami beats Notre Dame 68-50

Angel Rodriguez got seventh-ranked Miami going quickly against Notre Dame.

After Tonye Jekiri missed a basket inside, Rodriguez drove into the paint for a layup on Miami's second possession. Then he did it again. Then, when he looked as though he would do it again, he fired a bounce pass toSheldon McClellan, who turned it into a three-point play.

The Hurricanes jumped to a 12-0 lead, quickly extended it to 21-3 and cruised to a 68-50 victory Wednesday night to move back into a tie with North Carolina for first-place in the Atlantic Coast Conference as Rodriguez matched his season high with 19 points.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839250

 

No. 4 Virginia stifles Louisville in Cardinals' last game of season

Mike Tobey's last home game at Virginia may have been his best, and the No. 4 Cavaliers hope it's just the start of a big finish.

The 7-foot senior had 15 points and a career-high 20 rebounds as Virginia stifled No. 11 Louisville for the second time this season, 68-46. The victory was the 20th in a row for the Cavaliers on their home court, the last 15 coming this season.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839807

 

Bibbs scoress 19, Virginia Tech beats No. 7 Miami 77-62

Friday evening's entertainment for several Virginia Tech players included watching the Miami-North Carolina game played Feb. 20 on YouTube.

The Tar Heels' 96-71 dismantling of the Hurricanes left the Hokies feeling inspired.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839184

 

No. 8 UNC dominates boards to beat Duke, claim top seed in ACC

North Carolina rebounded from a loss to its most despised rival by, well, rebounding.

Brice Johnson had 18 points and 21 rebounds, and the eighth-ranked Tar Heels dominated the glass and held on to beat No. 17 Duke 76-72 on Saturday night and lock up the top seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400839776

 

No. 7 UNC opens ACC Tournament by topping Pitt 88-71

Seventh-ranked North Carolina got off to a fast start at the ACC Tournament as the regular-season champion routed Pittsburgh 88-71 Thursday to take the first step toward its first conference title.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=400870713

 

Senior guards step up, No. 11 Miami beats Virginia Tech

Miami coach Jim Larranaga is a firm believer that the best teacher is experience. Angel Rodriguez had to experience the pressure of what he thought was his final ACC game for it to click.

With just two points at halftime, Rodriguez was so motivated by his fear of the end that he took control of the game. The senior guard scored 11 straight points at a crucial juncture of the second half and the 11th-ranked Hurricanes beat Virginia Tech 88-82 on Thursday night in the conference tournament quarterfinals.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400870752

 

Notre Dame tops exhausted Duke 84-79 in OT in ACC tourney

All season, Mike Krzyzewski's Duke has been playing youngsters, keeping its rotation tight and figuring out ways to score a lot -- and, of course, win more often than not.

Playing for the second time in about 24 hours at the ACC tournament, the defending NCAA champion simply seemed spent.

Suddenly unable to put the ball in the basket, and their lack of depth made clear, Grayson Allen and the 19th-ranked Blue Devils let a 16-point, second-half lead evaporate Thursday and lost 84-79 in overtime in the ACC quarterfinals to Notre Dame, which got 19 points and 22 rebounds from Zach Auguste.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400870719

 

No. 4 Virginia beats No. 11 Miami to reach ACC title game

Virginia responded when it was pushed. And Anthony Gill thinks that is a good sign.

The fourth-ranked Cavaliers turned away several challenges by No. 11 Miami in a 73-68 victory in the ACC Tournament semifinals on Friday night. Next up is the championship against No. 7 North Carolina, and Gill and company think the test against the Hurricanes will help.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400870836

 

24-point run lifts UNC over Notre Dame 78-47 in ACC semis

With Marcus Paige leading the way, No. 7 North Carolina scored 24 consecutive points over a 9 1/2-minute span bridging halftime and easily beat defending champion Notre Dame 78-47 on Friday.

read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400870794

 

UNC gets past Virginia for ACC title

North Carolina held Virginia without a field goal for more than 8 minutes in the second half, and Joel Berry II scored 19 points Saturday night, giving the Tar Heels a 61-57 victory.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400871093

 

Miami's free throws hold off Buffalo's late charge

Angel Rodriguez had 24 points and seven rebounds as third-seeded Miami held on to defeat No. 14 seed Buffalo 79-72 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400871272

 

Gill (19 points) leads UVa to rout of Hampton

Anthony Gill scored 19 points and Virginia beat Hampton 81-45 on Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400871284

 

Up 1 at half, Tar Heels surge past Fla. Gulf Coast

Brice Johnson scored 18 points and No. 1 seed North Carolina needed an overwhelming second-half start to put away 16th-seeded Florida Gulf Coast 83-67.

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/recap?gameId=400871258