Looking at the updated 2017 ACC Tournament bracket after the quarterfinal matchups on Thursday
Because of the breadth of the conference, the ACC Tournament is one of the longer ones among the major league of college basketball. With 15 teams competing, the tournament lasts five days annually. However, after two days of action and weaving through the 2017 ACC Tournament bracket, it was time on Thursday for the top four seeds to take the floor and try to prove why they were there.
In the first game of the day, that looked in trouble early as the North Carolina Tar Heels couldn’t put the Miami Hurricanes away. However, the No. 1-seeded Heels turned up the jams in the second half and ran away for 25-point win. The Duke Blue Devils, Louisville Cardinals matchup that was up next was much closer. A late flurry from Grayson Allen, though, pushed Duke through.
After a midday break, it was back to the Barclays Center for two more games. Count the Florida State Seminoles among the teams that struggled to start the 2017 ACC Tournament. Even still, a matchup zone and offensive awakening late were big for them—even if they ultimately fell short. Finally, the No. 3 seed Notre Dame Fighting Irish hoped to survive a dangerous Virginia Cavaliers group. Notre Dame did so and moved on.
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Following the four games on Thursday that included the top four seeds from the league, here’s a look at the update 2017 ACC Tournament bracket to see what’s up in the semifinals and what could be awaiting on Saturday night in the final:
The fact that fans get a third matchup between North Carolina and Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament is simply absurd. It almost just feels gluttonous as a basketball fan at this point—but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fantastic drama and great basketball.
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Don’t overlook the Notre Dame vs Florida State matchup either, though. That game too has the potential to be fantastic. Who would have ever thought—in a year where the ACC was by far the best and deepest conference, they have a wonderful semifinal round shaping up.