ACC Tournament live updates: UNC arrives, Florida State, Wake survive in Washington, DC
Wake Forest arrived at its last chance to impress the selection committee that determines the NCAA Tournament field and took care of business on Wednesday.
By suffering three consecutive losses after their monumental upset of Duke on Feb. 24, the Demon Deacons put their postseason hopes in peril.
Wake Forest moved back in a positive direction with last Saturday’s 81-76 win over Clemson and built on it with a 72-59 ACC Tournament second round on Wednesday over Notre Dame.
Now the Demon Deacons (20-12), the No. 5 seed in the tournament, played No. 4 seed Pittsburgh in Thursday’s quarterfinals at Capital One Arena.
The Irish beat Wake, 70-65, on Feb. 27 to begin that three-game losing streak. The Deacs, currently hovering around the “first four out” category, or worse, in various bracket projections, absolutely needed to beat the Irish on Wednesday to have a chance for the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017.
Now Wake’s game with No. 4 seed Pittsburgh, a fellow bubble-dweller, figures to serve as an elimination game, of sorts, for both teams’ NCAA at-large bid hopes.
Poignant moment for Wake’s Forbes
The ACC held a ceremony prior to Wednesday’s game that Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes admitted took him out of his normal pregame mindset by bringing him to tears.
The Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association presented the Forbes family with its annual Bob Bradley Award for spirit and courage. They won it for how the family endured a tragic situation when Forbes’ wife, Johnetta, suffered a stroke last summer while her husband was in Kuwait on a charity coaching tour for military members.
The family, including their three adult children, pulled together to provide care as she recovered. That included her re-learning how to walk and receiving treatment at the Shepherd Center, a neuro-rehabilitation facility in Atlanta.
She’s recovered well enough to attend Wednesday’s game and join her husband on the court during the ceremony.
“I couldn’t look at my wife while we were doing it because I was crying,” Forbes said. “We’ve been through a lot, and we were very appreciative of everybody that’s really helped us because you can’t get through these things without help. You can’t.”
The family’s teamwork allowed Johnetta Forbes to heal while her husband coached the Demon Deacons all season.
“She’s not one of those people that needs attention,” Steve Forbes said. “She loves the players. She loves the program and she feels bad right now because she doesn’t feel like she’s part of it because she’s not around as much, and that’s not true. I appreciate today. That meant a lot to me and my family to be honored like that.”
UNC arrives in DC, and Tar Heels ‘desperate’ for ACC title
Good news for North Carolina: the Tar Heels were right on schedule in their arrival in Washington, D.C., and practiced here on Wednesday morning at the Washington Wizards practice facility.
Bad news, perhaps, for the rest of the ACC: UNC, the tournament’s top seed, is “desperate to win this tournament,” Armando Bacot, the fifth-year senior forward, told reporters on Wednesday.
Bacot and a few others — including coach Hubert Davis and RJ Davis, the senior guard who was recently named ACC Player of the Year — met with reporters on Wednesday around noon at the Tar Heels’ team hotel.
(Note: It’s nice, and conveniently located.)
(Note Part II: The Tar Heels’ lunch appeared a lot better than what they’re feeding the media here this week, which is ... nothing. Journalists are on their own, with a concession stand voucher. Some have taken on the challenge of seeing if there’s a single vendor at Capital One Arena that might be offering some sort of vegetable. So far, no luck.)
But back to business: Bacot’s comment about desperation is noteworthy for a couple reasons. For one, it reflects a hunger he and his teammates have approaching the week. Two, it represents something of a departure from some of the UNC teams of the past, ones that might not have placed such an emphasis on this particular event.
Remember, former UNC coach Roy Williams once referred to it as a “cocktail party.”
(And yet another note: those media food vouchers aren’t even good for alcohol, so what kind of cocktail party is it, really?)
As much of a party atmosphere might exist outside the arena this week, Bacot seems to have adopted a “strictly business” mentality. Though, he has given himself a new nickname — “Three and D” — in homage to his recent recognition as a member of the ACC’s All-Defensive team and in honor of the fact that he made those two 3-pointers on senior night.
Hubert Davis said he wouldn’t mind trimming the “Three” part out of Bacot’s new moniker. Davis would be OK if Bacot focuses less on the 3s and more on the defense.
UNC, meanwhile, enters the tournament on a six-game winning streak. But the Tar Heels haven’t won the ACC Tournament since 2016 — right here in this very building. Thus that sense of desperation.
“Nobody here has won (it),” Bacot said. “... We want to be able to hang another banner for the team.”
N.C. State, doing the math
After their big win over Syracuse, N.C. State players slapped their logo on the open quarterfinal spot on the big bracket in the hallway outside their locker room while yelling “two more!”
To win the title, N.C. State actually needs three more wins, starting Thursday against Duke, but Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts didn’t feel like correcting his players, at least not in that moment.
“They’ll figure it out,” Keatts said. “One more is all they need to worry about right now.”
Florida State holds off Virginia Tech
Florida State will get another crack at No. 1 UNC.
Jamir Watkins scored 34 points and hauled in 11 rebounds to lead the No. 9 Seminoles to an 86-76 win over No. 8 Virginia Tech in the first game of the day at the ACC Tournament on Wednesday. Jalen Warley added 18 points for Florida State (17-15), which trailed by one at the half.
The Seminoles and Tar Heels met twice during the regular season, with UNC winning twice — 75-68 in Tallahassee, and 78-70 in Chapel Hill.
Sean Pedulla led the Hokies (18-14) with 24 points. Tyler Nickel had 18 and MJ Collins 15 in the loss.
ACC Tournament retains familial feel ... sort of
One of the things that always separated the ACC Tournament, back in its glory years, was the familial feel. It was always part basketball tournament, part family reunion. Some of that — OK, a lot of it — has been gradually lost over the past 20 years, what with the continued expansion of the conference and the dilution of this particular event.
Long gone, especially, are the days when an ACC Tournament ticket was among the hottest for any sporting event in the country.
But the event still has its charms. You can see people walking around the concourse, wearing pins in hats of all the tournaments they’ve been to over the years. For some, it remains a tradition. And then there’s also the fact that, well — you just never know who you’ll run into.
One minute, you might be wandering about the concourse, trying to find a semi-healthy option for a late afternoon snack. The next, you might find yourself in line at the taco stand, right behind former Duke All-ACC guard Trajan Langdon, who’s now the general manager of the New Orleans Pelicans.
That happened here on Wednesday. Langdon must’ve apparently been in the mood for something non-fried, too.
Also spotted in Capital One Arena: Former Maryland coach Gary Williams.
You remember Gary. He was the one, back in his coaching days, who said that Maryland might as well be “Alaska,” given the ACC’s North Carolina roots. Well what did he have to be thinking here on Wednesday, with the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C. — just a Metro ride away from his old campus. Probably something along the lines of:
“Where was this back when I was coaching? Seemed like I had to go to Greensboro every year.”
So there are still those small moments at the ACC Tournament that make it feel like those reunions of old. There’s just a lot fewer of those moments. There might’ve been a former Miami or Pitt or Boston College player or coach walking around, too. Chances are they would’ve gone unrecognized.
Boston College stuns Clemson in nightcap
Wednesday was a day for the lower seeds to shine.
Florida State started things off as a No. 9 topping a No. 8 — hardly an “upset,” but for the numbers next to their names. Then, after a “normal” result with No. 5 Wake Forest handling No. 12 Notre Dame, No. 10 N.C. State pounded No. 7 Syracuse.
Finally Wednesday, No. 11 Boston College handled No. 6 Clemson easily, earning a 76-55 win over the Tigers to set up a matchup with No. 3 Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinal round.
Claudell Harris led the way for Boston College with 24 points. Jaeden Zackery added 19, while Quinten Post and Donald Hand Jr. added 11 each.
PJ Hall led the effort for Clemson with 21 points.
Tuesday’s results
No. 12 Notre Dame 84, No. 13 Georgia Tech 80
No. 10 NC State 94, No. 15 Louisville 85
No. 11 Boston College 81, No. 14 Miami 65
Wednesday’s schedule
No. 9 Florida State 86, No. 8 Virginia Tech 75
No. 5 Wake Forest 72, No. 12 Notre Dame 59
No. 10 NC State 83, No. 7 Syracuse 65
No. 11 Boston College 76, No. 6 Clemson 55
Thursday’s schedule
Noon: No. 1 UNC vs. No. 9 Florida State (ESPN)
2:30 p.m.: No. 4 Pittsburgh vs. No. 5 Wake Forest (ESPN2)
7 p.m.: No. 2 Duke vs. No. 10 NC State (ESPN)
9:30 p.m.: No. 3 Virginia vs. No. 11 Boston College winner (ESPN)
Friday’s schedule
Semifinals: 7 pm. and 9:30 p.m. (ESPN/ESPN2)
Saturday’s schedule
Championship, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
