No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 12 North Carolina in Brooklyn, 8:30 p.m. ACC Network/ESPN
Clemson scored more than 36 points this time but still had offensive issues, as most teams do, against the Cavaliers on Friday in the ACC tournament semifinals as UVa advanced, 64-58, to tonight's championship.
Like that first meeting in Charlottesville, Clemson battled early and took a 20-13 lead. But then the Wahoos went on a 16-0 run and eventually led 32-23 at the break. The Tigers didn't wilt this time around and were tough, but Virginia did enough to move on to its third ACC final in five seasons.
Kyle Guy led the way for the second straight game with 15 points, looking very much like the first-team all-ACC player he was voted as after slumping late in the regular season. He made 3 of his 7 3-pointers and added five rebounds and two assists. Devon Hall had 10 points, three rebounds, three
steals, and an assist. Mamadi Diakite continued his strong play off the bench with his second consecutive game with 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and chipped in four boards and a steal. De'Andre Hunter put up nine points, four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block. Jack Salt had one of the best offensive games of his career with eight points on 4-of-5 shooting and had eight rebounds.
North Carolina awaits UVa in the championship. The Tar Heels, who suffered two comeback losses against Duke in the regular season, finally broke through against their rivals in the semifinals with a 74-69 victory. Five Heels scored in double figures: Luke Maye with 17 points (and 10 rebounds), Joel Berry II with 13 points (3 of 7 3s), and 10 each from Cameron Johnson, Kenny Williams, and Garrison Brooks. UNC made 7 of 24 3s, and Duke 6 of 23. Both teams only shot around 40 percent and combined for 31 turnovers.
Virginia and UNC played each other once in the regular season, Jan. 6 in Charlottesville, and the 'Hoos came away with a 61-49 win. The Tar Heels got up 10-5 very early, but UVa took control after that and led by as many as nine in the first half. UNC kept contact in the second half but never got closer than five. Hall led with 16 points, and this was one of the games where Hunter announced his arrival with 10 points, but most impressively a powerful flying baseline dunk over Berry. Ty Jerome had eight points, Guy seven, and Nigel Johnson and Isaiah Wilkins six each. Berry and Kenny Williams did their best to keep the Tar Heels in the contest, combining to make 6 of 14 3s and scoring 28 points, Berry with 17 and Williams with 11. No other Heel had more than six points.
UNC (25-9) has gone 13-5 since losing to UVa and generally played better overall, only losing one other game by double digits (at Virginia Tech by 11). Otherwise, the Tar Heels had the comeback losses against Duke, a four-point loss vs. N.C. State, a four-point loss at Clemson, and a three-point loss on senior night to Miami when Ja'Quan Newton hit a buzzer-beater from around half court.
I'm expecting a tougher matchup this time than in the regular season. UVa is listed as a 3.5-point favorite. Wilkins absolutely shut down Maye, the ACC's most improved player, in the first meeting, holding him to six points and eight rebounds on 2-of-10 shooting. He'll have to be a bigger factor tonight. And Johnson, who is now starting, went just 1 of 5 on 3-pointers against UVa but is a better shooter than that from beyond the arc at 34.6 percent. UNC is pretty good overall from deep at 36.3
percent, but shot too much back there against the Cavaliers in January (8 of 23). Maye (43.1 percent), Johnson, Berry (35.1), and Williams (39.6) are able to go off on 3s.
Virginia (30-2) is definitely going to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament even with a loss and has probably done enough to take the No. 1 overall seed. Only Villanova (29-4), playing in the Big East final tonight against Providence, has a chance to pass UVa. If UNC were to win, it has an outside chance to be the tournament's first nine-loss No. 1 seed in history because it played one of the nation's toughest schedules and has as many quality wins as a lot of the teams in contention for the top seeds.
I think I still like UVa, because it just tends to play well against UNC recently, and I'm not sure the Tar Heels quite have the discipline necessary to knock off this version of the Cavaliers. But a loss for UVa would be neither surprising nor the worst thing to happen, as it would give Tony Bennett and the team something to focus on and improve before the real madness starts.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
Clemson scored more than 36 points this time but still had offensive issues, as most teams do, against the Cavaliers on Friday in the ACC tournament semifinals as UVa advanced, 64-58, to tonight's championship.
Like that first meeting in Charlottesville, Clemson battled early and took a 20-13 lead. But then the Wahoos went on a 16-0 run and eventually led 32-23 at the break. The Tigers didn't wilt this time around and were tough, but Virginia did enough to move on to its third ACC final in five seasons.
Kyle Guy led the way for the second straight game with 15 points, looking very much like the first-team all-ACC player he was voted as after slumping late in the regular season. He made 3 of his 7 3-pointers and added five rebounds and two assists. Devon Hall had 10 points, three rebounds, three
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| Kyle Guy and the Cavaliers make their third ACC tournament final appearance tonight in five years. In 2014, Virginia beat Duke, 72-63, for its first ACC crown since 1976. In the 2016 final, UNC topped UVa, 61-57. |
North Carolina awaits UVa in the championship. The Tar Heels, who suffered two comeback losses against Duke in the regular season, finally broke through against their rivals in the semifinals with a 74-69 victory. Five Heels scored in double figures: Luke Maye with 17 points (and 10 rebounds), Joel Berry II with 13 points (3 of 7 3s), and 10 each from Cameron Johnson, Kenny Williams, and Garrison Brooks. UNC made 7 of 24 3s, and Duke 6 of 23. Both teams only shot around 40 percent and combined for 31 turnovers.
Virginia and UNC played each other once in the regular season, Jan. 6 in Charlottesville, and the 'Hoos came away with a 61-49 win. The Tar Heels got up 10-5 very early, but UVa took control after that and led by as many as nine in the first half. UNC kept contact in the second half but never got closer than five. Hall led with 16 points, and this was one of the games where Hunter announced his arrival with 10 points, but most impressively a powerful flying baseline dunk over Berry. Ty Jerome had eight points, Guy seven, and Nigel Johnson and Isaiah Wilkins six each. Berry and Kenny Williams did their best to keep the Tar Heels in the contest, combining to make 6 of 14 3s and scoring 28 points, Berry with 17 and Williams with 11. No other Heel had more than six points.
UNC (25-9) has gone 13-5 since losing to UVa and generally played better overall, only losing one other game by double digits (at Virginia Tech by 11). Otherwise, the Tar Heels had the comeback losses against Duke, a four-point loss vs. N.C. State, a four-point loss at Clemson, and a three-point loss on senior night to Miami when Ja'Quan Newton hit a buzzer-beater from around half court.
I'm expecting a tougher matchup this time than in the regular season. UVa is listed as a 3.5-point favorite. Wilkins absolutely shut down Maye, the ACC's most improved player, in the first meeting, holding him to six points and eight rebounds on 2-of-10 shooting. He'll have to be a bigger factor tonight. And Johnson, who is now starting, went just 1 of 5 on 3-pointers against UVa but is a better shooter than that from beyond the arc at 34.6 percent. UNC is pretty good overall from deep at 36.3
Virginia (30-2) is definitely going to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament even with a loss and has probably done enough to take the No. 1 overall seed. Only Villanova (29-4), playing in the Big East final tonight against Providence, has a chance to pass UVa. If UNC were to win, it has an outside chance to be the tournament's first nine-loss No. 1 seed in history because it played one of the nation's toughest schedules and has as many quality wins as a lot of the teams in contention for the top seeds.
I think I still like UVa, because it just tends to play well against UNC recently, and I'm not sure the Tar Heels quite have the discipline necessary to knock off this version of the Cavaliers. But a loss for UVa would be neither surprising nor the worst thing to happen, as it would give Tony Bennett and the team something to focus on and improve before the real madness starts.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
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