ACC Tournament live updates: UNC downs Notre Dame; Stanford tops Cal in Charlotte
On the ACC Tournament’s second day, North Carolina’s quest to make the NCAA Tournament began again.
The Tar Heels (21-12), seeded No. 5 in the ACC Tournament, defeated No. 12 seed Notre Dame in Wednesday’s second game at the Spectrum Center.
With Duke (28-3), Louisville (25-6) and Clemson (26-5) the only ACC teams considered safely in the NCAA Tournament field regardless of their ACC Tournament performances this week, North Carolina, Wake Forest and SMU are all teams that need to pile up wins in Charlotte this week.
The Tar Heels are the best of that hopeful three-team group. UNC begins ACC Tournament play at No. 40 in the NET, one of ratings systems the NCAA uses to evaluate teams as it prepares the tournament bracket.
But UNC has a 1-11 record in Quad 1 games. Any game against a top-50 NET team on a neutral court, like this week’s tournament, is a Quad 1 result.
With Notre Dame at No. 99 in the NET, today’s game won’t fall into the Quad 1 category. But UNC needs to win to advance and find Quad 1 chances later in the tournament.
A game with No. 4 seed Wake Forest, UNC’s foe in Thursday’s quarterfinals, won’t help either. The Demon Deacons (21-10) are No. 68 in the NET.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi said the Tar Heels would have been better off if they’d been on the other side of the ACC Tournament bracket, with Clemson and Louisville, rather than set up to face top-seeded Duke prior to the tournament final.
Instead, the path to the final is Notre Dame and Wake Forest before facing Duke, which beat the Tar Heels 87-70 and 82-69 in two regular-season meetings.
“Clemson and Louisville as a possible path would have been two more gettable Quad 1 games for them,” Lunardi said. “Neutral site, top 50, Quad 1s. Whereas, now Wake might not be enough and Duke might be too much of a mountain for them to overcome.”
That Quad 1 record, Lunardi said, is a big hurdle to overcome.
“In some ways, they passed the talent test and the eye test,” Lunardi said. “But, you know, we’re all getting tired of saying 1-11 in Quad 1. But, pick any other school in America. If Colorado State was 1-11 in Quad 1, we wouldn’t even be having the conversation.”
That third matchup with Duke, if it happens, would be Friday at 7 p.m. in the tournament semifinals. That game, just as last Saturday’s matchup with Duke at the Smith Center, is the Tar Heels’ magic bullet.
“The answer is short of every bubble team ahead of them losing early and there being no bid stealers,” Lunardi said. “Carolina probably has to beat Duke to go to the tournament, although there’s an outside chance that beating Wake would be enough. “
NC flavor returns to tournament
The ACC Tournament began Tuesday with no NC-based teams in action (not to mention no original ACC member schools), but the event will have at least some of a traditional ACC feel Wednesday with Georgia Tech, Virginia and UNC in action.
No. 8 seed Georgia Tech and No. 9 seed Virginia began Wednesday’s four-game slate at noon, with the Yellow Jackets prevailing to advance to face Duke on Thursday, with UNC-Notre Dame is the second game of the afternoon session.
Also on tap today, an all-California matchup in an ACC Tournament. Who ever thought we’d be talking about that?
Thursday will be more old-school ACC. Duke plays Georgia Tech and noon with UNC and Wake squaring off next.
Follow along here throughout the day for updates from the Spectrum Center.
Georgia Tech 66, Virginia 60
Georgia Tech held off Virginia in the opening game of Day 2.
Junior guard Isaac McKneely led the way for the Cavaliers with 27 points, including a clutch 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that made it a one-score game again.
Duncan Powell (21 points), Baye Ndongo (16 points), and Naithan George (13 points) combined for 50 points for the Yellow Jackets’ offense. Georgia Tech advances to play Duke at noon Thursday.
North Carolina 76, Notre Dame 56
UNC earned a convincing victory over the Fighting Irish in Charlotte.
The Tar Heels led by as 24 points as they blew out Notre Dame on Wednesday afternoon. Charlotte native Jae’lyn Withers recorded another impressive performance in his hometown, making seven 3-pointers on a 21-point day to power the Carolina offense.
Behind Withers’ career-high 21 points and team-best nine rebounds, Ven-Allen Lubin poured in 17 points, and RJ Davis scored 13 points. Notre Dame star Markus Burton was kept to just 11 points.
Stanford 78, Cal 73
Maxime Raynaud scored 23 points and Jaylen Blakes added 21 as the No. 7 seed Cardinal topped Cal in the first-ever ACC Tournament meeting between the Bay Area rivals.
Stanford (20-12) ended Cal’s season despite Andrej Stojakovic scoring 37 points to lead the Bears.
Oziyah Sellers added 13 points for Stanford, which made 11 of 21 3-pointers (52.5%). Stanford shot 50.9% overall while Cal shot 52.8%. But the Bears hurt their chances by committing 16 turnovers.
SMU 73, Syracuse 53
Score another for the “new guard” in the ACC.
Matt Cross and Chuck Harris led a balanced attack with 12 points each to lead No. 6 SMU to a 73-53 win over No. 14 Syracuse in the final game of the second round of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Charlotte.
The Mustangs (23-9) held a three-point advantage over the Orange (14-19) after the first half, but pulled away with a cominant second half to advance to the quarterfinals.
SMU will face No. 3 Clemson in the late game (9:30 p.m., ESPN) Thursday, in a night session dominated by ACC “newcomers.” No. 7 Stanford plays former Big East stalwart, No. 2 Louisville, in the other night session game. Those winners will meet Friday in the semifinals.
ACC tournament schedule
At Spectrum Center, Charlotte
Tuesday’s games
Game 1: No. 12 Notre Dame 55, No. 13 Pittsburgh 54
Game 2: No. 15 California 82, No. 10 Virginia Tech 73, 2OT
Game 3: No. 14 Syracuse 66, No. 11 Florida State 62
Wednesday’s games
Game 4: No. 8 Georgia Tech 66, No. 9 Virginia 60
Game 5: No. 5 UNC 76, No. 12 Notre Dame 56
Game 6: No. 7 Stanford 78, No. 15 Cal 73
Game 7: No. 6 SMU 73, No. 14 Syracuse 53
Thursday’s games
Game 8: No. 1 Duke (28-3) vs. Georgia Tech (17-15), noon (ESPN)
Game 9: No. 4 Wake Forest (21-10) vs. North Carolina (21-12), 2:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 10: No. 2 Louisville (25-6) vs. Stanford (20-12), 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 11: No. 3 Clemson (26-5) vs. SMU (23-9), 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Friday’s games
Semifinals: 7 pm. and 9:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Saturday’s game
Championship, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 11:32 AM.