Taking a look at the updated 2017 ACC Tournament bracket after the Duke Blue Devils won the conference championship over Notre Dame
By many accounts, the Duke Blue Devils were the team to beat coming into the 2016-17 college basketball season. However, midseason struggles in ACC play hindered that and they seemed to get derailed. That may have only been temporary, though. Even as the No. 5 seed, Duke made their way through the 2017 ACC Tournament in exciting fashion, including a win over rival North Carolina. On Saturday, their final test awaited in the final against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The matchup started off in favor of the Blue Devils, though not heavily. Mike Brey’s Notre Dame team, who had to upset the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament (Florida State) to get there, hung around thanks to a big effort from Bonzie Colson. Duke went into halftime leading, but not feeling comfortable in the slightest.
In the second half, that lack of comfort was warranted as Colson and the Irish came storming back and took a lead. They even appeared to have a chance to pull away at one point, pushing the lead close to double-digits at one point. Instead, Grayson Allen, Luke Kennard and Jayson Tatum wouldn’t let them die. Subsequently, they came back yet again and ultimately overtook Notre Dame.
Brey’s Fighting Irish then didn’t have the answers down the stretch as Duke continued to make plays. That was the difference, ultimately. The Blue Devils were able to hold in the final minutes and secure the conference championship, setting the tone heading into March Madness.
Let’s take a look at the updated and final 2017 ACC Tournament bracket following the Blue Devils’ win on Saturday night:
Though they may not have been seeded where people expected to start the season, Duke undoubtedly looked like that team. They played gutty and were clutch in the biggest moments of their season to date.
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Now the question following this showing in the ACC Tournament will be if Duke can make it continue. They’ve always had the talent for this type of showing. But with the likes of Jayson Tatum hitting their stride, they could conceivably go on a big run through the NCAA Tournament now.