The ACC tournament quarterfinals gets underway at noon Thursday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Here’s a guide to the matchups (all times Eastern):
Game 8: No. 1 seed North Carolina (26-6, 14-4) vs. No. 9 seed Miami (21-10, 10-8)
When: 12 p.m., ESPN
Preview: North Carolina came out on top of this year’s extremely contentious ACC two full games ahead of everyone else and is in a great position to defend its 2016 conference tournament championship. The Tar Heels have ACC player of the year Justin Jackson leading one of the most lethal offenses in the nation – UNC leads the ACC in scoring offense, scoring margin, assists and assists-to-turnover ratio. They’re one of the lengthiest teams in the league, but don’t mistake rangy limbs for fragility, they’re also the best rebounders in the ACC thanks in large part to forwards Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks. Miami was one of the few teams to beat North Carolina this conference season — they trounced the Tar Heels 77-62 in Florida while North Carolina’s Theo Pinson was injured.
Game 9: No. 4 seed Louisville (24-7, 12-6) vs. No. 5 seed Duke (24-8, 11-7)
When: 2 p.m., ESPN
Preview: Coach Rick Pitino’s Cardinals have done well against one of the toughest schedules in the country this year – they currently sit third in the RPI, one spot above North Carolina. Sophomore guard Donovan Mitchell finished the regular season on a hot streak, averaging 19.8 points per game in his last five contests, a number that looks closer to 23 points per game without the 7 points he scored at Wake Forest after fouling out. Duke’s Luke Kennard took some time to find his rhythm in the Blue Devils win Wednesday, but finished with 20 points to help lift this team past Clemson.
Game 10: No. 2 seed Florida State (24-7, 12-6) vs. No 7 seed Virginia Tech (22-9, 10-8)
When: 7 p.m., ESPN
Preview: Florida State’s young talent still steals the show in Tallahassee, with sophomore guard Dwayne Bacon leading the Seminoles with 16.9 points per game. Freshman forward Jonathan Isaac, with a team-leading 7.3 rebounds per game, received all-ACC honorable mention and rookie team honors. Wins against Virginia, Miami, Louisville, Notre Dame and Duke make for an impressive regular-season résumé. Virginia Tech guard Justin Robinson looked to hurt his ankle in a tough Hokies win on Wednesday, and though the severity of the injury is unknown, Virginia Tech’s already short rotation would suffer with Robinson out.
Semifinals: Friday
Game 12: North Carolina-Miami winner vs. Duke-Louisville winner When: 7 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Game 13: Florida State-Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame-Virginia winner When: 9 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Championship: Saturday
Game 13: Game 12 vs. Game 13 winner When: 9 p.m., ESPN Quarterfinals: Thursday
Wednesday’s second-round scores
No. 9 seed Miami 61, No. 8 seed Syracuse 57 No. 5 seed Duke 79, No. 12 seed Clemson 72 No. 7 seed Virginia Tech 99, Wake Forest 90 No. 6 seed Virginia 75, No. 14 seed Pittsburgh 63
(c) 2017, The Washington Post · Ava Wallace
