Dr. Quads Examines Day Three of ACC Tourney

For many ACC fans, their favorite day of the ACC Tournament is the quarterfinal round, because as kids, they grew up getting to watch the tournament in school, back when the quarterfinals were on Friday. In the expanded ACC era, that’s also when the blue bloods usually arrive in whichever city is hosting the tournament, naturally creating more buzz and excitement in the arena. That’s exactly what happened last night, as Duke & UNC both made their debuts in the 2026 ACC Tournament, combined with NC State, giving the quarters, and old school, Big Four feel to this year’s tournament. And like this event has done so many times over the years, it produced another classic day of games, which defines and highlights the basketball excellence this conference is known for.

Game #8 – Virginia vs NC State: 

• It’s never easy to beat a team three times in the same season, but that’s exactly what Virginia did to NC State yesterday, taking down the Wolfpack, 81-74, to advance to the semis under first-year head coach Ryan Odom. 3 Virginia starters scored in double figures, led by Malik Thomas, and his team-high 16 points. After a competitive, low-scoring first half, which saw UVA lead 33-32 at the break, the scoring picked up in the second half, with the Cavaliers outscoring the Pack 48-42, on their way to the victory. Virginia’s offense, which has been efficient all season long, was efficient once again, shooting 48% from the field and 48% from behind the arc, on 12 makes. Paul McNeil Jr did his best to lead State to a win, scoring 26 points on 7-15 shooting, including 6-11 from behind the arc, but ultimately it wasn’t enough. 

Game #9 – Miami vs Louisville: 

• Jon Scheyer may have the ACC Coach of the Year, but nobody did a better job turning around their program than Jai Lucas at Miami, who, with the win over the Cardinals yesterday, 78-73, has Miami on the doorstep of playing for their first conference title in over a decade. Malik Reneau, Miami’s best player, looked the part yesterday, scoring 24 points on 8-17 shooting, propelling Miami to the win. He had help in the form of Tre Donaldson (14), and Tru Washington (17), both reaching double figures. Louisville was without star guard Mykel Brown, who was being rested for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, and the offense struggled to generate quality looks from the outside, going just 6-24 in the defeat. 

Game #10 – Duke vs Florida State: 

• Outside of Duke, nobody entered the ACC Tournament playing better basketball than the Florida State Seminoles, who finished 8th in the league, even after an 0-5 start. They felt poised to compete with a Duke team without Patrick Ngongba and Caleb Foster, and that’s exactly what they did, building a 59-51 lead, before Duke responded with an 18-2 run to take control of the game. Even still, the Noles had a chance to win the game after blocking Cam Boozer’s shot, but Robert McCray’s final shot was off the mark, as Duke escaped with an 80-79 win. Boozer led Duke with 23 points and 10 rebounds, as the Blue Devils outrebounded FSU 46-25

Game #11 – North Carolina vs Clemson: 

• The quarterfinals had gone all chalk until the final game last night, when Clemson survived a furious comeback attempt from Carolina to win 80-79. The Tigers built an 18-point lead in the second half, before Henri Veesaar and Derek Dixon clawed UNC back into the game, before running out of time. Veesaar posted career-highs in points (28) and rebounds (17), but it came in a losing effort, as UNC couldn’t get the stops when they needed to, letting a short-handed Clemson team score 80 points, shoot 49% from the field, and 47% from behind the arc, on 9 makes. Nick Davidson came off the bench for Clemson and scored 17 points, while knocking down all four of his three-point attempts. Davidson was one of five Clemson players to score in double-figures, helping guide the Tigers to tonight’s semifinals. It was Clemson’s second-ever win over UNC in the history of the ACC Tournament.