Duke wins another ACC tournament

Duke topped Florida State in the conference tourney title game

Duke cemented its claim of a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, winning the ACC Tournament. The Blue Devils outlasted Florida State in Saturday in Saturday’s championship game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Zion Williamson scored 21 points on Saturday, and since returning from injury has paced Duke with 81 points and 30 rebounds in just three games. Among Williamson’s many highlights was this exceptional pass on Saturday to Tre Jones.

The Blue Devils won their 21st ACC Tournament title, and their 12th in the last 21 years.

Tournament preview

After two years in Brooklyn, the ACC tournament returns to North Carolina where games will be played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Virginia and North Carolina come into the tournament as two of the hottest teams in the country, while Duke is still floundering without the help of superstar freshman Zion Williamson. Williamson is expected to make his return in Charlotte.

Last year, the Cavaliers cut down the nets after taking down the Tar Heels in the championship game. This year, both Virginia and North Carolina finished the regular season with 16-2 conference records, though the Cavaliers won the sole meeting between the two in Chapel Hill.

Injury questions are dominating the discussion as the return of Williamson seems imminent, and it’s still uncertain whether No. 5 seeded Virginia Tech will get Justin Robinson back from a foot injury.

There’s also a little extra drama as the championship game will be played on the one year anniversary of Virginia’s historic loss to UMBC in last year’s NCAA tournament...in the same building. Talk about a chance to exorcise some demons before the madness truly begins...

The Stakes

The Virginia Cavaliers take the top seed for the second straight year after sharing the regular season ACC title with North Carolina. Duke, who are potentially getting Zion Williamson back for the ACC tournament, are the No. 3 seed, with No. 4 Florida State rounding out the double-byes. While UVA, UNC, and Duke are still playing to lock up potential No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament — as well as regions — several ACC teams are playing for their postseason lives.

NC State and Clemson will square off in the 8/9 game on noon on Wednesday, and both the Wolfpack and Tigers are in desperate need of a win as they’re living squarely on the bubble.

The Format

The top nine teams receive first-round byes and the top four teams receive double-byes to the quarterfinals. Teams are seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.

The Bracket & Schedule

Here is the full tournament bracket and day-by-day schedule. Game times subject to change. We’ll be updating it with results along the way.

Round 1: Tuesday, March 12 (All times ET)

Game 1: No. 12 Miami 79, No. 13 Wake Forest 71

Game 2: No. 15 Notre Dame 78, No. 10 Georgia Tech 71

Game 3: No. 14 Pittsburgh 80, No. 11 Boston College 70

Round 2: Wednesday, March 13

Game 4: No. 8 NC State 59, No. 9 Clemson 58

Game 5: No. 5 Virginia Tech 71, No. 12 Miami 56

Game 6: No. 7 Louisville 75, No. 15 Notre Dame 53

Game 7: No. 6 Syracuse 73, No. 14 Pittsburgh 59

Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 14

Game 8: No. 1 Virginia76, No. 8 NC State 56

Game 9: No. 4 Florida State 65, No. 5 Virginia Tech 63 (OT)

Game 10: No. 2 North Carolina 83, No. 7 Louisville 70

Game 11: No. 3 Duke 84, Syracuse 72

Semifinals: Friday, March 15

Game 12: No. 4 Florida State 69, No. 1 Virginia 59

Game 13: No. 3 Duke 74, No. 2 North Carolina 73

Championship—Saturday, March 16

Game 14: No. 3 Duke 73, No. 4 Florida State 63