The 2017 ACC Tournament continued on Thursday, and we saw action from some of the top seeds. The first game featured No. 1 UNC and No. 9 Miami. The Hurricanes kept it within five points at the half but the Tar Heels pulled away in the second half, eventually winning by a score 78-53.
2017 ACC Tournament schedule and bracket: Duke-UNC Round 3 highlights Friday
Friday’s ACC Tournament semifinals are led off by a monster matchup.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
The second game of Thursday afternoon was No. 4 Louisville vs. No. 5 Duke, and this one was entertaining and pretty close throughout. With 4:55 left in the second half, the Blue Devils got their first lead since the beginning of the period. Duke was able to hold off the Cardinals through the end, winning by a score of 81-77. Jayson Tatum led the way with 25 points.
With both of these teams winning, that means we get a special treat in the quarterfinals of this tournament, getting to see a Duke-UNC Round 3. These two archrivals played less than a week ago, in the second edition of the annual matchup. Last weekend’s game was won 90-83 by the Tar Heels, helped by a late scoring effort from guard Joel Berry II, who finished with 28 on the night.
The first matchup of this series in February resulted in an 86-78 Duke victory in Durham. The Blue Devils were led by Grayson Allen, who had 25 points on the night, and Tatum, who added 19 of his own.
This matchup means that it will be the 21st consecutive season that either Duke or Carolina have played in the conference tournament’s championship game.
Semifinals, Friday, March 10
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Florida State vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, 9 p.m., ESPN
See More:
