Four ACC schools came in and four ACC schools came out on top, all in differing ways. From the best team in the conference, the North Carolina Tar Heels, to the lowest seeded ACC school remaining in the Syracuse Orange, in one way or another, the ACC dominated the day. The first day of the Sweet 16 saw two ACC schools fall in the Sweet 16 but the second day had four teams from the conference win and advance.
No.1 Virginia Cavaliers DEF No.4 Iowa State Cyclones 84-71
First up, the Virginia Cavaliers faced off with a tough, veteran Iowa State Cyclone squad and they quickly showed why they are possibly the best offense in the NCAA. With crisp passes, effective shots and teamwork, Virginia handled the Cyclones. No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region, Virginia jumped out to an early lead over No. 4 seed Iowa State and held off the Cyclones in the second half to advance to the regional final. The Cavaliers led by as many as 17 points in the first half and bottled up Iowa State’s offense. Cavaliers big man Anthony Gill feasted down low and finished with a team-high 23 points. He shot 8 of 10 from the field and added a team-high eight rebounds. Virginia senior 7-footer Mike Tobey came off the bench to score 18 points. The Cavaliers are in the Elite Eight for the first time since 1995 and for the sixth time in program history. Two-time All-American forward Georges Niang finished with a game-high 30 points in his final game in a Cyclones uniform. Virginia shot 56.1 percent from the field. Iowa State’s other four starters combined for 30 points. The Cavaliers outrebounded the Cyclones, 33-24.
No.6 Notre Dame Fighting Irish DEF No.7 Wisconsin Badgers 61-56
Notre Dame used a spell of furious pressure in the final minute to shock Wisconsin and move on to the Elite Eight. Demetrius Jackson came up with a pair of vital steals on Wisconsin’s final possessions of the game and converted the game-winning layup. Despite struggling offensively for most of the game, Jackson finished strong, scoring 6 points and grabbing two steals in the game’s final 19 seconds. He had 16 points, three rebounds, six assists and three steals. Notre Dame outscored Wisconsin 8-0 in the final 19 seconds. The Fighting Irish hit 22-of-55 field goals, while Wisconsin shot 23-of-57. Forward V.J. Beachem led Notre Dame with 19 points. Ethan Happ led Wisconsin with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Notre Dame was 13-of-14 from the free throw line, while Wisconsin was 4-of-6. Wisconsin committed 17 turnovers after turning the ball over only 18 times in its first two NCAA Tournament games. The Fighting Irish are in the Elite Eight for the second straight season.
No. 10 Syracuse Orange DEF No.11 Gonzaga Bulldogs 63-60
A bizarre missed call with 11.2 seconds left wound up not costing 10th-ranked Syracuse, who got a key block late to win a back-and-forth game after trailing big in the first half. No. 11 seed Gonzaga started out red-hot from the field, but couldn’t maintain the pace and wilted down the stretch to close its season with a 28-8 record. Trevor Cooney came up big for the Orange, sinking 5-of-9 shots for 15 points with two rebounds, two steals and an assist. He also made a big steal late which was negated by a possibly dubious call that was not permitted to be overturned despite being reviewed. Gonzaga opened on a 13-4 run, and made its first three 3-pointers and five of its first six shots from the field total. The Orange trailed by just 1 point at halftime despite shooting just 31 percent from the field before the break. Michael Gbinije paced Syracuse with 20 points, but was just 8-of-23 from the field. Gonzaga’s Kyle Wiltjer had a game-high 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting. Domantas Sabonis had a monster game for the Bulldogs with 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Gonzaga was just 4-of-5 from the free-throw line; Syracuse sank 14-of-16. The Bulldogs held a 37-33 rebounding advantage, but both teams had ample offensive boards, as Syracuse held a 15-12 lead in that respect. This is Syracuse’s first trip to the Elite Eight since 2013, when they ended up reaching the Final Four.
No. 1 North Carolina Tar Heels DEF No.4 Indiana Hoosiers
North Carolina punched its ticked to the Regional Finals for the 25th time, adding stellar outside shooting to its usual power game inside to bury No. 5 seed Indiana. In the teams’ first NCAA Tournament meeting since 1984, Indiana was unable to keep its perfect tournament record against the Heels alive, having won the previous two matchups. Tar Heels guard Marcus Paige hit six 3-point shots, finishing with 20 points. He added six assists as well. He moved past Michael Jordan for 12th on the all-time North Carolina scoring list in the first half. North Carolina improved to 40-0 all-time in NCAA Tournament play when leading by at least 10 at halftime. All five North Carolina starters finished in double figures, totaling 84 points. In his final game for Indiana, guard Yogi Ferrell led all scorers with 25 points. North Carolina shot 51.6 percent from the field, 11-of-20 from 3-point range and 26-of-33 from the free-throw line. Brice Johnson added 20 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Tar Heels. Indiana had 12 turnovers and committed 27 personal fouls.
