THE ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE THREAD

Maryland upsets No. 5 Virginia in last ACC regular-season game

As the final seconds of regulation ticked off the clock, the sellout crowd was poised to storm the court to celebrate an upset victory in Maryland's final regular season game in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Disappointment ensued.

No. 5 Virginia forced overtime, forcing the fans back to their seats to see if the Terrapins could rebound from the letdown to pull off an upset against the best team in the league.

And that is precisely what happened.

Maryland closed out its 61st and final ACC regular season in stunning fashion, outlasting the Cavaliers 75-69 in overtime Sunday to end Virginia's 13-game winning streak.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400502899

 

No. 7 Syracuse snaps losing skid, beats Florida State

Syracuse was dangerously close to letting another less talented opponent pull off the upset when C.J. Fair took over Sunday. The seventh-ranked Orange had let a sporadic Florida State team rally late in the first half and get within a point in the second.

Then Fair got going.

The senior forward scored 15 of his 22 points after halftime and led Syracuse to a 74-58 victory in the program's first trip to Florida State.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400502900

 

Joe Harris scores 20 as No. 6 Virginia pulls away from Florida State

It's been a season of firsts for No. 6 Virginia. The Cavaliers are savoring their latest one by sticking around the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament a little while longer than usual.

Virginia advanced to the ACC semifinals for the first time since 1995 by pulling away to beat Florida State 64-51 in a quarterfinal Friday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546236

 

No. 7 Duke holds off Clemson by hair to advance in ACC tourney

Rod Hall stormed down the court, determined to send No. 7 Duke to another one-and-done at the ACC tournament.

And then Tyler Thornton reached out and came up with the only defensive stop the Blue Devils needed.

Duke held on to beat Clemson 63-62 on Friday night in the ACC quarterfinals after Rodney Hood hit two free throws with 3.8 seconds left and Thornton came up with his timely stop -- the only one the Blue Devils managed in the last 5 minutes.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546438

 

T.J. Warren-led NC State bounces No. 11 Syracuse in ACC quarters

North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried said his team had a "golden" opportunity to help its NCAA tournament chances. The Wolfpack didn't squander it, instead sending Jim Boeheim and No. 11 Syracuse to a quick exit from their first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.

T.J. Warren scored 28 points while Ralston Turner banked in the go-ahead 3-pointer with 2:28 left to help NC State upset the Orange 66-63 in Friday's quarterfinals, continuing both the Wolfpack's push for the NCAAs and the Orange's downward late-season trend.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546396

 

Pitt topples No. 15 Tar Heels in ACC quarters

Talib Zanna snatched down nearly every loose rebound, terrorizing No. 15 North Carolina on the boards to help Pittsburgh win what amounted to a road game in its new league tournament.

And for coach Jamie Dixon, it's another sign that his Panthers are playing their best at the right time.

Talib Zanna had 19 points and a career-high 21 rebounds to help the Panthers beat the Tar Heels 80-75 in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament quarterfinals Friday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546248

 

No. 6 Virginia holds off Pittsburgh to reach ACC final

Virginia coach Tony Bennett keeps pushing his sixth-ranked Cavaliers for more in what is already the program's best season in more than three decades.

Next up is the chance to do something that even Ralph Sampson couldn't do: Win an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title.

Anthony Gill hit two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to help Virginia hold off Pittsburgh 51-48 in Saturday's semifinals, sending the Cavaliers to their first championship game in 20 years.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546602

 

No. 7 Duke sets up date with No. 6 Virginia in ACC final

Jabari Parker and T.J. Warren kept trading baskets in the kind of shootout expected from the Atlantic Coast Conference's top two scorers.

Because No. 7 Duke finally figured out how to slow Warren when it counted, the Blue Devils are playing for an ACC championship.

Parker scored 20 points and the Blue Devils beat Warren and North Carolina State 75-67 on Saturday in an ACC tournament semifinal.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546626

 

No. 6 Virginia wins first ACC title in 38 years

Coach Tony Bennett climbed up to the rim, gave the net a final snip and twirled and raised it toward all those Virginia fans.

Savor it, Cavaliers. You've waited nearly 40 years for a moment like this.

Virginia claimed its first Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title since 1976 on Sunday by beating No. 7 Duke 72-63 in the final.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546817

 

James Johnson out at Virginia Tech



Virginia Tech has decided to part ways with coach James Johnson after just two seasons.

Johnson, a former Hokies assistant, was promoted to replace Seth Greenberg in 2012 and his teams struggled, winning 13 games a year ago and finishing 9-22 this season. Virginia Tech lost to Miami on Wednesday in the first round of the ACC tournament.

"I want to thank Coach Johnson for his dedication and hard work for our university and our basketball program over the past seven years," athletic director Whit Babcock said in a statement released by the university. "A change of this significance affects many people and is never taken lightly, but I felt a change and a new direction was necessary for the long-term best interest of our department."

Read more http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...tech-fires-james-johnson-men-basketball-coach

 

Steve Donahue out at BC



As the losses mounted and the seats in Conte Forum went unfilled this season, it became more and more apparent that the marriage between Boston College and men's basketball coach Steve Donahue wasn't going to last.

The divorce is now final, as BC athletic director Brad Bates announced Donahue's firing on Tuesday -- the day the 2014 NCAA tournament officially began -- and held a news conference to discuss the move.

"In trying to project the future you have to take what information you have at your fingertips and make a decision in the best interest of the program," Bates said. "And we've decided to make a change in our leadership."

Read more http://espn.go.com/boston/mens-coll...-college-eagles-part-ways-coach-steve-donahue

 

T.J. Warren's big 2nd half lifts NC State past Xavier in NCAA First Four

Two missed shots, two quick fouls. T.J. Warren's second chance at the NCAA tournament didn't start very well at all.

It ended with the ACC's top player putting on a show.

The hard-to-guard sophomore forward scored 16 of his 25 points in the second half on Tuesday night, showing why he was chosen as the ACC's player of the year, and North Carolina State led most of the way in a 74-59 victory over Xavier in the NCAA tournament's First Four.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546939

 

Forida State holds off Florida Gulf Coast 58-53

Florida State's Aaron Thomas was four points shy of matching his career-high in the National Invitation Tournament opener Tuesday, but that didn't stop him from asking to sit with 1:46 remaining in a close game. The sophomore had played every minute and carried the Seminoles in the second half.

Coach Leonard Hamilton declined the request.

A short-handed Florida State squad needed every ounce of energy it could get from Thomas to advance to the second round with a 58-53 victory. The top-seeded Seminoles (20-13) will host No. 4 seed Georgetown (18-14) on Monday.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546966

 

McDaniels' 30 leads Clemson to 78-66 NIT win

Clemson's K.J. McDaniels was ready for the postseason, even it wasn't the tournament he had hoped for last Sunday.

McDaniels matched his career high with 30 points and the Tigers put aside their disappointment at missing the NCAAs to win their 10th straight NIT game at home with a 78-66 win over Sun Belt Conference champs Georgia State.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546963

 

Re: McDaniels' 30 leads Clemson to 78-66 NIT win

Unselfish offense, tenacious defense.

When Pittsburgh plays like it did in routing Colorado 77-48 in the South Regional on Thursday, the ninth-seeded Panthers think they are capable of competing with anyone.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546916

 

Syracuse clamps down on Western Michigan in blowout

Syracuse guard Trevor Cooney was mired in a shooting slump, and his woes coincided with a late-season swoon by the Orange.

Say goodbye to both.

Cooney scored 18 points, fellow guard Tyler Ennis had 16, and the Orange defense clamped down in a 77-53 victory over Western Michigan on Thursday in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546920

 

Bryce Cotton lights up Tar Heels, fumbles away Friars' final shot

North Carolina isn't going home early like Duke. But only just barely.

James Michael McAdoo sank two free throws in the final 3.5 seconds after the No. 6 seed Tar Heels had trailed just a minute earlier, and North Carolina hung on to beat pesky 11th-seeded Providence 79-77 on Friday night.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546909

 

No. 1 seed Virginia needs rally to pull past No. 16 Coastal Carolina

Virginia spent the first half Friday night flirting with losing in a historic upset and the second half playing the style that carried the Cavaliers to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

Coach Tony Bennett hopes his team learned enough to keep advancing through the bracket.

Anthony Gill scored 17 points to help the Cavaliers pull away late and beat No. 16 seed Coastal Carolina 70-59 in the East Region, earning Virginia's first NCAA victory since 2007 on a night when nothing came easy until the final minutes.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400546932

 

Virginia beats Memphis to reach first Sweet 16 since 1995

Virginia has spent the entire season punishing opponents by locking down on them defensively or forcing them to guard their steady-paced offense until deep in the shot clock.

Mistakes add up, the frustration builds and the Cavaliers capitalize -- a withering formula that now has Tony Bennett's club following its Atlantic Coast Conference championship with its deepest NCAA tournament push in two decades.

Joe Harris scored 16 points and top-seeded Virginia shot 56 percent to beat Memphis 78-60 on Sunday night, earning its first trip to the round of 16 since 1995.

Read more http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=400548704

 

Luke Kennard commits to Duke



Versatile guard Luke Kennard, the No. 24 junior in the ESPN 60, has committed to Duke.

The five-star guard chose the Blue Devils over Kentucky, Michigan, Louisville, North Carolina and Ohio State.

Read more http://espn.go.com/college-sports/r...recruit-luke-kennard-commits-duke-blue-devils