Tar Heels can’t slow down DJ Burns or DJ Horne, fall in ACC Championship

RJ Davis and Armando Bacot stepped up again for UNC. No one else did, while NC State had four starters score in double-digits to win.

Before the ACC Championship game even started, I said that UNC players besides RJ Davis and Armando Bacot needed to step up in the scoring department.

North Carolina barely scraped by Pitt last night, needing huge efforts from its two stars late. Harrison Ingram, Cormac Ryan and Elliot Cadeau went a combined 5-for 24 from the field.

Davis and Bacot showed out again in Saturday’s championship, but NC State’s stars shined brighter. The Wolfpack won, 84-76, to win its first ACC Tournament since 1987 and head back to the Big Dance for the second consecutive season.

Arizona State transfer DJ Horne, who grew up in Raleigh (NC), led all scorers with 29 points. NC State big man DJ Burns bullied Bacot down lown, winning the battle by scoring 20 points and grabbing four rebounds.

Saturday hero Michael O’Connell scored 10 points, but it was Mohamed Diarra who truly dominated with a 11-point, 14-rebound outing for the Wolfpack.

If not for Davis, the Tar Heels (27-7, 17-3) would’ve lost by a lot more. Davis poured in 30 points, his fourth time reaching the marker this year, by making 10 shots from the field and six free throws.

Bacot also snagged yet another double-double, his 85th career game with on, scoring 18 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Bacot broke a tie with former UVA great Ralph Sampson, now sitting second in the ACC all-time in double-doubles.

Ingram reached 10 points for North Carolina, but he, Ryan and Cadeau combined for an ice-cold, 7-of-26 outing.

UNC never really seemed to get into a rhythm on Saturday, as it saw a significantly hungrier NC State team outplay them in every aspect. The Wolfpack needed to win tonight for a Big Dance berth, while the Tar Heels were just hoping to gain another quality win before a National Championship run.

Both North Carolina and its in-state rivals will discover their NCAA Tournament fate at 6 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 17 for Selection Sunday.

Player of the Game

RJ Davis, who scored 30 points for the fourth time this season.

For the second consecutive night, Davis’ shooting was the major reason UNC was remotely close.

Bacot could also be Player of the Game, as he recorded another double-double, but I felt Davis made more of an impact.

What’s Next?

As part of Selection Sunday, the Tar Heels will find out their first round NCAA Tournament opponent on Sunday, March 17 at 6 p.m. North Carolina will either play on Thursday, March 21 or Friday, March 22.

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UNC and NC State have a brief history in the ACC Tournament

UNC and NC State last met in the ACC Championship during 2007, with the top-seeded Tar Heels beating the 10-seed Wolfpack.

We’re a week out from March and madness is in full swing.

In one of the more competitive conference tournaments so far, the ACC Tourney sported two memorable games on Friday.

First, UNC came back from a 2-point halftime deficit to down Pitt, 72-65, behind a game highlighted by RJ Davis reaching the 2,000-point club. Despite facing a significantly taller Panthers squad, Armando Bacot bullied his opponents for career double-double 84, tallying 19 points and 11 rebounds to tie UVA great Ralph Sampson for second-most in ACC history.

In the nightcap, NC State and UVA battled it out for NCAA Tournament positioning. The Cavaliers appeared to be pulling away late, only for the Wolfpack’s Michael O’Connell to send things into overtime with a 3-pointer as time expired. NC State big man DJ Burns then took over in the extra frame, scoring seven of the Wolfpack’s 15 points.

There you have it – UNC and State for the ACC Championship.

North Carolina swept both regular-season matchups, but the Wolfpack team it’s facing tonight is fighting for a spot in the Big Dance.

These two actually have a brief history in the ACC Tournament. When NC State last made the championship game – in 2007 – it played the Tar Heels.

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The Wolfpack were also a 10-seed back in 2007. That year’s squad was led by the forward trio of Brandon Costner, Gavin Grant and Ben McCauley,who each averaged 14 points per game.

Who was on UNC back then? Future NBA stars Tyler Hansbrough, Brandan Wright, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson.

This years’ NC State team is led by Burns and electric guard DJ Horne, who transferred from Arizona State in the offseason.

Saturday night. 8:30 p.m. Two rivals for the ACC Championship.

Time to lock in!

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Watch: Niele Ivey praises Muffet McGraw after ACC Tournament title win

Get some tissues ready.

Even though she’s retired from coaching, Basketball Hall of Famer and Notre Dame legend [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] has not slowed down. She’s kept busy these days providing women’s basketball analysis for the ACC Network. Still, she has not shied away from the university she established a legacy at, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] didn’t let viewers forget that Sunday.

After ESPN’s coverage of the Irish’s ACC Tournament title win wrapped up, the ACC Network picked up the postgame coverage, and McGraw was there as she has been the entire tournament. Ivey knew that and chose to include her in her triumphant moment, and you can see her reaction in this video from co-analyst Kelly Gramlich:

But that only was the beginning as soon after, Ivey crashed the desk during an interview with tournament MVP [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. After wrapping her mentor in a bear hug, she took the mic and gave her all the praise she could:

The bond that ties these women together is strong and must be admired. Hopefully, we can see this over and over again for a long time to come.

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Photos of Notre Dame’s ACC Tournament championship win vs. NC State

Relive a memorable day in program history.

Notre Dame will remember this one for a long time. Not everybody believed the Irish would be the last team standing at the end of the ACC Tournament, but it happened with a 55-51 victory over NC State. Both the Irish and Wolfpack played only six players, but the Irish only had seven available because of injuries. That’s what makes this accomplishment even more special.

Coupled with an eight-game winning streak, it’s impossible to think the Irish won’t host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as a top-four seed now. ESPN bracketologist Charlie Creme even said afterwards that they should be locked in as a No. 3 seed now. They’ve answered every challenge late in the season, and the selection committee has no reason not to consider them as a host.

Whatever happens for the rest of the season, the Irish always will have this moment. Here are the images from an afternoon that will stick with them:

Notre Dame moves up to No. 3 seed in latest ESPN bracketology

You want want to start making plans to be at Purcell Pavilion in a couple of weeks.

Notre Dame has become impossible to ignore during its seven-game winning streak late in the season. Because of it, all signs point to the Irish hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament as a top-four seed. Now, simply getting to the ACC Tournament championship game appears to have helped them even more.

ESPN’s Charlie Creme updated his bracketology before the title game and bumped the Irish up to a No. 3 seed. The move was noticeable enough that Creme devoted his paragraph at the top of his bracket to them:

“Notre Dame looks like the best team in the ACC and has reached the championship game of the ACC tournament. With wins over Louisville and Virginia Tech in Greensboro, Notre Dame has jumped to a No. 3 seed. The Irish were just outside looking in during the NCAA tournament selection committee’s two reveals of the top 16 seeds. But now, they’ve won seven in a row since losing to NC State – their opponent in Sunday’s ACC tournament title game. Notre Dame was the biggest mover on a Saturday that saw most of the remaining favorites win and hold their spots.”

For what it’s worth, Her Hoop Stats projected the Irish as a fourth seed in the update it published before the Irish won their semifinal game. Regardless, it would be a shocker at this point if the Irish aren’t an NCAA Tournament host. In that case, there needs to be a serious overhaul of the selection process. Hopefully, that discussion won’t be necessary in a week’s time.

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Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo named Wooden Award finalist

The freshman is part of an elite class of players this season.

While far from the most prolific women’s basketball player this season, Notre Dame’s [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] still has been incredible. From the moment she stepped on the court in the season opener against South Carolina in Paris, there have been few games in which she hasn’t had a real impact. Now, she’s been rewarded by being named one of 15 finalists for the Wooden Award, which is given to the national player of the year.

Hidalgo entered Sunday’s ACC Tournament championship game averaging with the nation’s third-best scoring average at 23.4 points a game and as the nations steals leader at 4.7 a game. She has reached double figures scoring in every game, and the only time she didn’t record at least one steal was in the Irish’s win over UConn, the highlight of their NCAA Tournament resume.

While it will be tough to make a case for anyone other than Iowa’s Caitlin Clark to win this award, Hidalgo becoming a finalist as a freshman in an achievement on its own. Hopefully, this is only the first time she has this honor.

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Photos of Notre Dame ACC Tournament semifinal win vs. Virginia Tech

See how this latest win went down.

Notre Dame will play in the ACC Tournament championship game for the seventh time after beating Virginia Tech, 82-53, in the semifinals. The last time the Irish got this opportunity was when they got it during their first six years in the conference, winning five times. But it hasn’t happened since 2019, so this next opportunity has been waiting for a while.

Unfortunately for the Irish, the title game and possibly the NCAA Tournament might come and go without [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]. The starting forward injured her knee in the third quarter against the Hokies and went back to the locker room. When she came back, she was on crutches, and that’s not good for an Irish team that has been stretched thin by injuries all season. All anyone can do right now is hope for the best with her.

In the meantime, here are some images from the win over the Hokies:

Notre Dame beats Virginia Tech but loses Watson in ACC Tournament semi

This latest victory might have been costly.

Notre Dame faced the ACC Tournament’s top seed in Virginia Tech for its semifinal game. With the Hokies missing injured conference player of the year Elizabeth Kitley and the Irish having beaten them a week ago with her, everything trended in their direction. But the Irish suffered their own bad injury luck during their dominant 82-53 victory that put them in the tournament championship game.

The Irish (25-6) led almost the entire game, and any hope the Hokies (24-7) had were dashed when the Irish scored 20 unanswered points between the second and third quarters. However, the high the Irish were on was dampened when [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] went down with a left knee injury and had to be helped back to the locker room. While she did put some weight on the knee and eventually returned to the Irish’s bench with crutches, both the team and fans undoubtedly will hold their collective breath as they await word on her condition.

While the Hokies were able to cut the deficit to 15 after Watson went out, the Irish found yet another wind despite taking another hit to their depth. Before it was over, they went back up by as much as 32. The Hokies simply had no answers for the Irish no matter who was or wasn’t on the court.

[autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] was the Irish’s best player on the afternoon by virtue of leading them with 19 points, seven rebounds and three steals. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] scored 18 points and blocked three shots. [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had 15 points and six assists, and [autotag]Anna DeWolfe[/autotag] got 12 of her 14 points on four 3-pointers.

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Championship week predictions, including Texas vs. Oklahoma State

Let’s predict this weekend’s five Power Five conference title matches starting with Friday’s Pac-12 game.

Championship week begins Friday night when the Washington Huskies take on the Oregon Ducks for a second time. The game kicks off a loaded set of conference championship games.

The Texas Longhorns have the opportunity to win their first Big 12 title in 14 seasons. That accomplishment is significant in its own right. The Longhorns will have a great chance: They face the struggling Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Cowboys limped into the conference title game after defeating the Oklahoma Sooners to set up a title run. After the win, the team lost to UCF by 42 points, struggled against the Houston Cougars and defeated BYU in double overtime.

Let’s predict this weekend’s five Power Five conference title matches starting with Friday’s Pac-12 game.

Can Louisville beat Florida State and send Texas to the playoff?

Louisville is a capable football team with a real chance of defeating Florida State.

As we approach the conference championship games this weekend, one thing is abundantly clear: the Texas Longhorns need the Florida State Seminoles to lose. The team that faces Florida State this weekend is more than capable of making it happen.

The Louisville Cardinals face Florida State this weekend following a 38-31 loss to their in-state rival, the Kentucky Wildcats. Yet the season has featured several high points.

Earlier this season, Louisville shellacked Notre Dame, 33-20. The Cardinals later dominated both Duke and Virginia Tech, winning each by 23 or more points. A week before its Kentucky loss, Louisville defeated Miami in Coral Gables.

The team’s quarterback, Jack Plummer, is not related to former Arizona State standout Jake Plummer, but he is compiling an impressive season. Plummer has thrown for 2,952 yards and 21 touchdown passes for the season. He is more than capable of winning a quarterback duel with Florida State backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker.

On the season, Rodemaker has a 43.9 quarterback rating. Plummer’s season QBR is 68.4. The matchup would seem to heavily favor the Cardinals at quarterback despite sizable advantages elsewhere.

Can Louisville defeat Florida State and keep Texas’ playoff hopes alive? We’ll have an answer on Saturday night.