After a thrilling quarterfinal round at the 2011 ACC Tournament, semifinal action gets underway early this afternoon with four key games with important ramifications. The action starts at 1 p.m. and will continue through the afternoon leading up to Sunday's final.
In Friday's quarterfinal action, No. 1 seed North Carolina got the day going with an improbable 64-62 comeback winover No. 9 seed Miami. Tyler Zeller scored a layup at the buzzer to give the Tar Heels their first lead of the entire game. No. 4 seed Clemson advanced too, routing No. 5 seed Boston College, 70-47, in a game with bubble implications. Later, No. 2 seed Duke, despite an injury to Nolan Smith, topped No. 7 seed Maryland 87-76, while No. 6 seed Virginia Tech probably punched its NCAA Tournament ticket with a 52-51 win over No. 3 seed Florida State.
That sets up these semifinal matchuos.
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Clemson, 1 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network: The Tigers probably ensured an NCAA berth for themselves with Friday's win over Boston College, but a win here certainly would seal it. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, are going to have to play bette to beat a Clemson team that has won four of its last five games.
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech, about 3:30 p.m., ESPN/ACC Network: Derwin Kitchen's shot came just after the buzzer, allowing Virginia Tech to survive Florida State and probably punch its ticket to the Big Dance. Like Clemson, though, Virginia Tech would really solidify its place in the field with a win over Duke. The status of Smith, who hurt his left toe in the win over Maryland,is still unknown.