Taking a look at the updated 2017 ACC Tournament Bracket following the Duke vs. North Carolina semifinal
College basketball fans are treated twice a year to the best rivalry in sports. The Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Tar Heels always have a home-away matchup in the regular season. However, fans were treated to a third matchup in 2017 as the two occupants of Tobacco Road met up in the first semifinal of the 2017 ACC Tournament for the right to play for the conference championship and automatic berth—though neither really needed it.
North Carolina looked much like they did in their win less than one week ago over Duke to start their ACC Tournament matchup. They were rebounding dominantly and were getting out and controlling the pace with their transition game. Though Grayson Allen and Jayson Tatum kept Duke relatively close, the Tar Heels took the lead into halftime.
Coming out of the locker room, they further increased their lead with the same style of play. Unfortunately, they suffered a blow that completely threw them off. Joel Berry picked up his fourth foul with nearly 15 minutes left in the second half and had to go to the bench. While North Carolina initially seemed unfazed, they were completely rattled by it.
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The offense of the Tar Heels looked anemic as Justin Jackson forced the issue. Allen, Tatum and Luke Kennard then fed off of it, even getting contributions from Harry Giles along the way. They erased a double-digit deficit and pulled out to a big lead of their own. Even when Berry came back in, the momentum had entirely switched and Duke rolled on to the title game.
Following the Blue Devils victory over the Tar Heels, let’s take a look at the updated 2017 ACC Tournament Bracket:
Duke will await the winner of Notre Dame vs Florida State in the other semifinal matchup.
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This won’t be the last we’ll hear from either of these rivals moving forward. At their best, both teams have a viable shot at winning a National Championship. For now, though, Duke advances through the 2017 ACC Tournament while the Tar Heels prepare.