Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament Quarterfinals: Junior forward Tyler Hansbrough delivered another strong performance for No. 1 North Carolina with 22 points and six rebounds in the Tar Heels’ 82-70 win against No. 9 Florida State. Both teams shot well, and the Seminoles kept it close for most of the game by hitting 10 three-pointers.
The Tar Heels will play No. 4 Virginia Tech in the semifinals. The Hokies picked up their first win against an RPI top 50 team by beating No. 5 Miami 63-49. Virginia Tech’s defense held the Hurricanes to 31.6 percent shooting and only 6-of-22 from three-point range. Freshman guard Malcolm Delaney and junior swingman A.D. Vassallo led the Hokies’ balanced attack with 15 points. Two other players also reached double figures in scoring. The Hokies lost by nearly 40 points in their only meeting of the season with North Carolina.
No. 2 Duke withstood a second-half rally by No. 7 Georgia Tech that cut a 15-point halftime lead to three, moving into the semifinals with an 82-70 win. Sophomore guard Jon Scheyer led Duke with 18 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line. The Blue Devils bounced back from the loss to North Carolina in Durham Saturday by playing hard on defense, holding Georgia Tech to 44.3 percent from the field.
No. 3 Clemson held No. 11 Boston College junior guard Tyrese Rice to 15 points, his fifth worst output of the season, in an easy 82-48 win. The Tigers limited the Eagles to 36.7 percent shooting, holding all of Rice’s teammates to less than 10 points. Senior forward James Mays led Clemson with 15 points and six rebounds. The Tigers will face Duke in the semifinals. [3/14/08]
