ACC Tournament 2021: Quarterfinals Schedule, Live Stream, Bracket Predictions
It's the quarterfinals of the 2020-21 ACC tournament, and the upsets have already started rolling in.
During the second round on Wednesday, No. 14 Miami dropped No. 5 Clemson and, shortly after, No. 10 Duke eliminated No. 7 Louisville. Stars are getting buckets and sleepers are pulling off upsets—the tournament continues to be as competitive and unpredictable as ever.
Virginia, Florida State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech (ordered by ranking) will face some red-hot teams fresh off of big wins. Florida State was scheduled to face Duke, but the game had to be canceled due to a positive COVID-19 test within Duke's organization.
To help get situated, here's all the information needed to watch and project the next batch of conference play.
Quarterfinals Schedule
Thursday, March 11
No. 1 Virginia vs. No. 8 Syracuse, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 4 Georgia Tech vs. No. 13 Miami, 2:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
No. 2 Florida State vs. No. 10 Duke canceled due to positive COVID-19 test within Duke program.
No. 3 Virginia Tech vs. No. 6 North Carolina, 9:00 p.m. ET, ESPN
Games can be streamed on ESPN.com and fuboTV.
Virginia over Syracuse
A painfully difficult one to predict, Syracuse absolutely throttled NC State 89-68 in the second round, despite the Wolfpack coming into the matchup on a five-game win streak. The reason for that score differential: Buddy Boeheim.
Buddy Buckets dropped a calm 27 points on NC State, but the road gets uglier against Virginia. The Cavaliers, as usual, boast a slow-paced offense and an incredibly stingy defense—holding opponents to just 60.1 points per game this season. If Boeheim can't break the box score, this should be a lower scoring Virginia win.
Georgia Tech over Miami
A No. 13 dropping a No. 5, Miami defied expectations by defeating Clemson in the second round. But that was a narrow three-point win, and Georgia Tech is an entirely different test.
Since Valentine's Day, the Yellow Jackets have won six consecutive games—including an 87-60 demolition of Miami. Led by Moses Wright's 18.0 points, 8.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.7 blocks per game, Georgia Tech boasts four players averaging double-digit points and a scary edge to them entering the quarterfinals.
Virginia Tech over North Carolina
Virginia Tech has played just two games since February 6 and split those two contests: the first, a 16-point loss to Georgia Tech; the second, a 38-point win over Wake Forest. Inconsistency aside, the Hokies will be champing at the bit to get back onto the televised hardwood.
It's been a quality year for Virginia Tech, whose head coach, Mike Young, was named ACC Coach of the Year. A 15-5 record can't be overvalued when the team hasn't played much since January, but it's proof of the roster's upside. Couple that upside with a strong defense amplified by the restlessness that accompanies an extended break—and you have a dangerous recipe capable of ruining North Carolina's week.
UNC looked fantastic in a 101-59 onslaught against Notre Dame in the second round, but the No. 11 Fighting Irish were 11-14 this season and not near VT's tier. A win without Garrison Brooks was feasible against Notre Dame, but the Tar Heels will likely need him and the best of Roy Williams' coaching to get past the Hokies in the quarterfinals.