It's March, baby, which means the college basketball postseason is in full swing.
Before we get to the big dance, of course, we need to get through conference tournaments. A lot of eyeballs are naturally on the ACC right now. From a potential No. 1 overall seed in Duke, to a spate of bubble teams fighting for the right to keep playing meaningful basketball this month, the ACC Tournament has not disappointed.
We are now through three rounds of heated competition. There are four teams left standing, all playing for something.
The natural headliner is Duke, coming off an impressive comeback victory over Georgia Tech, led by Kon Knueppel's 28-point, eight-assist explosion. Unfortunately, that victory was marred by an ugly ankle injury to Cooper Flagg, the Wooden Award frontrunner and reigning ACC Player of the Year who is also the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
Flagg appears to have avoided a serious ailment, but an ankle sprain can still complicate things for the 18-year-old. Jon Scheyer has indicated that Flagg will miss the remainder of the ACC Tournament, but his status for the big dance is to be determined.
Duke, the No. 1 seed, will face No. 5 North Carolina for the third time this season. There isn't a better rivalry in college sports. On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Louisville will battle No. 3 Clemson.
Updated ACC Tournament bracket ahead of semifinals
For Duke, their No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament is just about wrapped up. They're the best team in college basketball by a comfortable margin if we take KenPom's metrics at their word. A potential absence for Flagg complicates their outlook quite a bit, but it shouldn't impact seeding much. Just Duke's ability to deliver on expectations.
That said, the Blue Devils are no joke, even if Flagg does need to sit out a while. Knueppel poured 28 on Tech in their quarterfinals comeback and adjusted seamlessly to a heavier on-ball workload. Khaman Maluach put up one of his best games in weeks, including four blocks, while Isaiah Evans dropped 14 points in 17 minutes off the bench. The Duke freshmen are the real deal. Youth doesn't always translate to the tournament setting, but this Blue Devils team has bodies to help fill Flagg's void.
ESPN's Joe Lunardi has UNC among the last four teams in for his latest bracketology update. The Tar Heels are picking up steam at the right time, something of a habit for this team under Hubert Davis. RJ Davis led the way in their win over No. 5 Wake Forest with 23 points.
A win over Duke, with or without Flagg, could go a long way toward cementing the Tar Heels' place in the big dance. North Carolina is a program that tends to get the benefit of the doubt, but a timely dismantling of their hated in-state rivals might strengthen their case beyond reproach.
Louisville, a projected No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament according to ESPN's bracketology, had some help notching an important win over Stanford. Tough break for the Cardinal, who pretty much needed to run the table to keep their hopes alive.
Passing it to the other team for a buzzer beater... yikes pic.twitter.com/Ka1MkJapYo
— Underdog (@UnderdogFantasy) March 14, 2025
Terrence Edwards Jr. (25 points) and Chucky Hepburn (20 points, eight assists) led the way in Louisville's victory.
As for Clemson, a projected No. 4 seed at ESPN, this was a major opportunity to boost their CV ahead of the big dance. Same for SMU. Both teams would have improved their standing quite a bit with a W. The Mustangs took the L.
The Tigers are on a hot streak, having strung together nine wins in a row (including dubs over Duke, North Carolina, and SMU — twice). If Clemson goes the distance, folks will need to respect them come NCAA Tournament time.