CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Atlantic Coast Conference entered the season hoping to create a jolt for men's basketball, a flagship sport facing a dwindling count of March Madness bids in recent years.
"We just weren't performing at the level that anybody was satisfied with," ACC commissioner Jim Phillips told The Associated Press.
It looks like those efforts worked entering this week's ACC Tournament in Charlotte.
Duke arrives as the No. 1-ranked team in the AP Top 25 after a second straight one-loss run through the league. But the ACC overall has positioned itself to reclaim bids that had gone missing in the years since the COVID-19 pandemic.
"There's no question the league is elevated," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after Saturday's win against rival North Carolina in the regular-season finale. "The metrics would tell you that, the number of teams we're going to get in the (NCAAs) would tell you that. And I think we've really been tested in different ways."
The ACC had a league-record nine NCAA bids in 2017 and 2018, but slid to five from 2022-24, then four as an 18-team league last year - the fewest since getting four in 2013 with just 12 schools. That coincided with a multi-year sideline overhaul headlined by retirements of Hall of Famers like UNC's Roy Williams (2021), Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (2022) and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (2023).
Check here for live updates throughout the tournament.
- The Associated Press contributed.
Injured Duke players Patrick Ngongba II and Caleb Foster rolled -- literally -- into the arena as the Blue Devils get ready to play Florida State on Thursday night.
The top-ranked Blue Devils are seeking their second consecutive ACC championship. A win against the Seminoles could potentially set up a semifinal matchup against rival No. 19 North Carolina.
Malik Thomas scored 16 points, Thijs De Ridder added 15 points, and No. 10 Virginia defeated N.C. State for the third time this season, 81-74 on Thursday in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.
Coach Ryan Odom earned the win on the same floor where he led 16th-seeded UMBC to a historic and shocking upset against then-No. 1 overall seed Virginia in the 2018 NCAA tournament.
Jacari White added 13 points as the Cavaliers (28-5) shot 54.8% from the field in the second half and made 6 of 13 3-point attempts to pull away.
Paul McNeil Jr. had 26 points, and Van-Allen Lubin added 14 for the Wolfpack (20-13).
NC State had lost by 15 points at home and 29 points on the road earlier this season to Virginia and never led either game. Wolfpack coach Will Wade said before the game that his team had "been outclassed" by the Cavaliers.
But NC State stormed to a 22-16 lead behind eight early points from Lubin as Wade seemed content to pound the ball inside.
The Cavaliers would battle back to take a 33-32 lead after De Ridder knocked down a corner 3 just before halftime and began to pull away in the third quarter when Dallin Hall drilled a 3 for a double-digit lead.
NC State would cut the lead to four with 26.8 seconds left on a 3 by McNeil, and then forced a turnover under their own basket on the ensuing rebound. But they missed two short-range shots, and Virginia sealed the game with some late free throws.
Despite losing seven of their last nine games, the Wolfpack are expected to make the NCAA tournament as an at-large team.
Virginia will face Miami or No. 24 Louisville in Friday's semifinals.
-- The Associated Press contributed.
RJ Godfrey had 11 points and eight rebounds and Clemson rode a red-hot first half to a 71-62 victory over Wake Forest on Wednesday night to reach the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament.
Fifth-seeded Clemson (23-9) launched 13 3-pointers in the first 12-plus minutes, making seven of them en route to a 29-18 lead. The Tigers finished the first half 9 for 18. Clemson's reserves did much of the damage, making 5 of 6 from deep, and the Tigers led 41-23 at halftime.
The only free throw attempts of the first half were two misses by Clemson's Nick Davidson with 5:42 remaining.
Clemson led 52-32 after 6 1/2 minutes of the second half before the Demon Deacons' Nate Calmese scored nine unanswered points on a 3-pointer, a three-point trip to the free-throw line, and another 3-pointer.
Clemson went back up by 16 with seven minutes remaining, but Wake Forest got within eight points while the Tigers were missing nine straight shots and Godfrey missed the front end of the 1-and-1 three times in a row. Ace Buckner ended the drought with a layup and the Tigers made six free throws in the final 64 seconds to finish it off.
Juke Harris led 13th-seeded Wake Forest (17-16) with 22 points. It was his 33rd consecutive game scoring in double digits, extending his school record. Calmese scored 20 points and Tre'Von Spillers had 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Ten players played at least 10 minutes for Clemson and they all scored at least three points although Godfrey was the only one to reach double figures.
Up next
Clemson will play fourth-seeded North Carolina in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
Robert McCray V scored 30 points and Florida State continued its winning ways, beating California 95-89 in the second round of the ACC Tournament on Wednesday.
The eighth-seeded Seminoles (18-14) advance to play top-seeded Duke on Thursday in the quarterfinals.
McCray finished shooting 10 of 17 - including a thunderous windmill dunk off a steal. Lajae Jones scored 15 points, Chauncey Wiggins 14, and reserve Kobe MaGee scored all of his 13 in the first half.
Dai Dai Ames scored 27 points, Chris Bell 17, Justin Pippen 15, John Camden 11, and Lee Dort grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds for ninth-seeded Cal (21-11).
Cal darted to a 9-2 lead before the Seminoles took control. Florida State went on a 13-4 run and took the lead for good on a MaGee 3-pointer with 12:13 before halftime.
Florida State shot 53% (18 of 34), including 7 of 14 - after missing its first five - from 3-point range in the first half. Cal shot 41% (11 of 27), including a paltry 27% (3 of 11) from past the arc in the first half.
The Seminoles led 46-32 at halftime and stretched their lead to 56-39 with 16:31 left.
Florida State has won 11 of its last 14 against conference foes since dropping its first five to start ACC play.
Cal has lost three of its last four and now sweats its potential NCAA Tournament berth fate.
-- The Associated Press
