2015 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament
March 10-14 Greensboro Coliseum Greensboro, N.C.
Final Game:
3/14/15 8:30 PM
#5 North Carolina Tar Heels vs #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Semifinals:
3/13/15
#5 North Carolina vs #1 Virginia: 71-67
North Carolina defeats the 3rd ranked Virginia Cavaliers in closely contested game. Even though the Tar Heels had a large advantage in the rebounds category, it did not stop the Cavaliers from keeping it close. One of the key factors for North Carolina was that they had 11 more assists than their opponents. The North Carolina Tar Heels will advance to the final game in the ACC Tournament to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
#3 Notre Dame vs #2 Duke: 74-64
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish upset the number 2 ranked Duke Blue Devils. Notre had a difficult time stopping Duke center Jahlil Okafor, who scored 28 points, had 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. But the Fighting Irish did a good job containing everyone else. The Blue Devils also shot poorly from the 3-point line and the free throw line. They shot a surprising 7/14 from the charity stripe and an even more surprising 3/17 from the three point line.
Quarterfinals:
3/12/15
#1 Virginia vs #9 Florida State: 58-44
Virginia’s stout defense, offensive efficiency, and good shooting from the free throw line were some of the key factors the Cavaliers victory over the Seminoles. In addition to this, the Seminoles went 3-17 from the 3-point line. If you take that many threes and shoot that poorly, you cannot expect to win and sure enough that’s what happened.
#5 North Carolina vs #4 Louisville: 70-60
North Carolina defeated the higher ranked Louisville Cardinals. The game could have gone the other way if Louisville had not taken and missed so many threes. They went a dreadful 4/22 from the 3-point line. The Tar Heels also won the battle of the boards and shot more effectively from the charity stripe.
#2 Duke vs #7 N.C. State: 77-53
The Duke Blue Devils put the hurting on the N.C. State Wolf Pack. Majority of Duke’s players scored double digits, while most of N.C. State’s players had a hard time scoring. Simply said, Duke outplayed their opponents.
#3 Notre Dame vs #6 Miami (FL): 70-63
Notre Dame outplayed the Miami Hurricanes. All of the players in the Fighting Irish’s starting five broke double digits. Meanwhile the Hurricanes had a more difficult time scoring. Notre Dame also had 10 more assists than Miami and this exposed more gaps in the defense. Notre Dame advances.
Round 2:
3/11/15
#9 Florida State vs #8 Clemson: 76-73
The Florida State Seminoles we part a close back and forth game, but manage to get the victory. Xavier Rathan-Mayes had a game high 30 points and shot an efficient 11/19 from the floor. Clemson’s Rod Hall scored 25 points, but this effort was not enough for the Tigers to the win.
#5 North Carolina vs #12 Boston College: 81-63
North Carolina routed Boston College. A major factor to the Tar Heels’ victory was that they out rebounded the BC Eagles, 42 to 22. In addition, Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson had a strong game for the Tar Heels. Paige had 17 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Johnson also had 17 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
#7 N.C. State vs #10 Pittsburgh: 81-70
The N.C. State Wolfpack devoured the Pittsburgh Panthers. Well, it was more like Anthony Barber and Trevor Lacey ate the Panthers alive. Anthony Barber had 34 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and shot 9/13 from the field. Trevor Lacey had 21 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists. N.C. State’s efficient shooting performance was the key factor in this game.
#6 Miami (FL) vs #14 Virginia Tech: 59-49
The Miami Hurricanes played a Virginia Tech team that squeaked it’s way into the second round. Miami out-rebounded the Hokies and made their living at the free throw line, knocking down 14 out of 18 of their free throw attempts. These were the important elements that contributed to the Hurricane win.
Round 1:
3/10/15
#12 Boston College vs #13 Georgia Tech: 66-65
ACC Tournament kicked off with a great start as the Boston College Eagles were in a neck and neck game with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. In the closing seconds of the game, BC was down 64-65 before, Olivier Hanlan, hit a clutch, mid-ranged bucket with about 11 seconds left in the game to give the Eagles the lead. Yellow Jacket, Corey Heyward, had a chance to win the game but could not lay-up to go in. Hanlan finished with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.
#14 Virginia Tech vs #11 Wake Forest: 81-80
Virginia Tech had their hands full in their close game with Wake Forest, but still managed to get the win. Virginia Tech freshman guard, Jalen Hudson was simply on fire. He dropped 32 points and his tremendous efforts propelled the Virginia Tech Hokies to the win. Wake Forest players Codi Miller-McIntyre and Devin Thomas put in a valiant effort, each scoring 23 and 22 points respectively, but unfortunately it just was not enough.
