ACC Tournament semifinals takeaways: UNC, N.C. State win to set up in-state final

Man, what a Friday.

In a riveting ACC Tournament semifinal round, North Carolina knocked off Pittsburgh 72-65 and N.C. State stunned Virginia 73-65 in overtime. Those results set the stage for a Triangle rivalry title game between the Tar Heels and Wolfpack. 

Tipoff is set for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

Here are two takeaways from the semis and a prediction for what should be a thrilling championship matchup.

RJ Davis and Armando Bacot are a title-caliber combo

It was touch and go throughout for the top-seeded Tar Heels against No. 4 seed Pittsburgh on Friday. The Panthers jumped out to a 17-8 lead and held a two-point edge at the intermission. 

But then, North Carolina’s two top dogs got the job done. RJ Davis and Armando Bacot have been through it all: the two experienced the transition from Roy Williams to Hubert Davis, led the Tar Heels to a national title game appearance in 2022 and then were key parts of a team that missed the Big Dance entirely last year despite being the preseason No. 1.

This season, though, Davis has been an utter superstar, reeling in ACC Player of the Year honors and becoming the primary option in Hubert Davis’ offense. On Friday, he was sensational, scoring 25 points on 8 of 18 from the floor and draining multiple back-breaking triples.

Bacot notched 19 points, 11 boards (five offensive), three assists and two blocks, manning the interior while Davis controlled the pace of the contest. The duo were arguably the two best players on the court — honorable mention goes to to Pitt guard Carlton Carrington, who had 24 points on 9 of 17 from the field. 

If the star duo can maintain that productivity in the Big Dance, then the Heels could make it to the Final Four for the second time in Hubert Davis’ first three years. 

N.C. State just battles every night

What a week it has been for Kevin Keatts and the Wolfpack. N.C. State entered the ACC Tournament as the No. 10 seed and losers of four straight to end the regular season. 

But that’s why they say that the postseason is a different animal. In wins over Louisville, Syracuse and Duke, the Wolfpack was clearly the better team. Against Virginia in the semifinals, neither team could get much separation until the third-seeded Cavaliers built a six-point lead with under a minute remaining. 

That simply gave N.C. State a chance to march a miraculous rally. Casey Morsell hit three free throws, and then Michael O’Connell made one of the most incredible shots in ACC Tournament history to send the game to overtime — a session that the Wolfpack won 15-7 to advance to the final. 

March is made for underdogs. 

Title game prediction: North Carolina 76, N.C. State 70

The stakes are high for both, albeit in different ways. 

North Carolina, with a win, would likely lock up the final No. 1 seed. 

N.C. State, given it’s in ESPN’s “Next Four Out” likely needs a victory just to make the NCAA Tournament. Given that Keatts was facing questions about his future in Raleigh coming into the week, that would be a remarkable turnaround. 

Ultimately, though, Davis and Bacot are likely to get it done, giving the Tar Heels their first ACC Tournament title since 2016.