ACC Basketball

The Virginia Cavaliers will enter the men's college basketball postseason as the reigning national champion.

At times during the season, Tony Bennett's team has looked like a squad that could make a deep run in the NCAA tournament. But the Cavaliers have struggled in ACC play lately, leading to the Florida State Seminoles taking over the top of the standings. 

However, the ACC tournament could serve as a chance for Virginia to get things right before it heads to Indianapolis for the Big Dance.

The league is not as strong as it has been in previous seasons, which could pave the way for the top teams to advance to the tournament final in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

If Florida State and Virginia make the final, it would end a 25-year run in which either the Duke Blue Devils or North Carolina Tar Heels have featured in the ACC Championship Game.

         

ACC Tournament Schedule

All Times ET

First Round: Tuesday, March 9 (2 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m.)

Second Round: Wednesday, March 10 (Noon, 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 11 (Noon, 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Semifinals: Friday, March 12 (6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Championship: Saturday, March 13 (8:30 p.m.)

Games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ACC Network.

       

Bracket Predictions

Virginia Finds Form In Greensboro

Just as Virginia started to trend upward, it fell back to earth in a blowout loss to Florida State on February 15. Before that defeat, the Cavaliers had reeled off four straight wins to push closer to the national title discussion. 

The second-best team in the ACC proceeded to lose two more games to Duke and the NC State Wolfpack before correcting its form against the depleted Miami Hurricanes. 

If the Cavaliers beat the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday, they could head into Greensboro with some momentum. 

Virginia could use its first two games inside the Greensboro Coliseum to discover additional confidence since the rest of the league has had trouble with consistency. 

The Virginia Tech Hokies have only played four games since February 3. They split those contests with some uninspiring results. Mike Young's team lost to the Pittsburgh Panthers and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Miami pushed it to overtime. 

The Clemson Tigers are the best of the teams fighting for the No. 6 seed, but they stumbled on the road against the Syracuse Orange on Wednesday and lost to Virginia by 35 points on January 16. 

Virginia's key to shutting down any postseason opponent will be its defense. In its last three victories, it held the opposition to under 52 points. 

Only two teams have scored more than 80 points against the Virginia: Florida State and the Gonzaga Bulldogs. 

If Virginia plays well against the teams beneath it in the ACC standings, it could use those results as a springboard into success in Indianapolis.

         

Duke, UNC See Championship Game Streak Come To An End

Since 1996, at least one of Duke and North Carolina advanced to the ACC tournament championship game. That streak is in serious jeopardy this season given the poor form of both Tobacco Road rivals. 

Duke is struggling to hang on to the March Madness bubble, as it is 11-10 and just suffered an overtime loss to fellow bubble team Georgia Tech. 

North Carolina has a better overall record at 15-9, but it carries the same amount of ACC wins as its top rival. 

For the Blue Devils or Tar Heels to just qualify for the final, they would have to win three games in three days and potentially eliminate multiple ranked teams. 

Duke and North Carolina have a combined 2-6 record against Top 25 teams. They each have a win over a top-two ACC side, but those results are outliers compared to their overall form. 

An argument can be made that a weak overall league and the desperation of the Blue Devils to make the field of 68 could lead to the streak staying alive, but it is likely that both teams would have to get through Florida State and Virginia to reach the final.

If Duke and UNC fail to reach the title game, it would mark the first time in 25 years that both teams missed out on the championship game. The Tim Duncan-led Wake Forest Demon Deacons defeated Georgia Tech in that final. 

         

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

The Florida State Seminoles have come close to winning their second ACC tournament title in the last few years. 

Before the men's college basketball season was cancelled last March, Leonard Hamilton's team appeared to be in line to win the crown. 

The 2021 ACC tournament could present the Seminoles with their best chance yet to add to their 2012 conference championship. 

The league as a whole is down, with teams like the Duke Blue Devils struggling just to make the Big Dance, and even the teams at the top have dealt with issues throughout the regular season. 

Before Florida State hits the floor in Greensboro, North Carolina, some of the ACC's bubble teams will make one more run at a berth in the field of 68.

Duke falls into that category, but after its Tuesday defeat to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, there are more doubts that it can run the table and secure its spot in Indianapolis. 

            

ACC Tournament Schedule

All Times ET

First Round: Tuesday, March 9 (2 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m.)

Second Round: Wednesday, March 10 (Noon, 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 11 (Noon, 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Semifinals: Friday, March 12 (6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Championship: Saturday, March 13 (8:30 p.m.)

Games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ACC Network.

       

Bracket Predictions

Duke Fails To Win Enough Games To Reach March Madness

Duke's NCAA tournament hopes have been on life support for quite some time. 

Mike Krzyzewski's team did itself no favors by losing to fellow bubble team Georgia Tech on Tuesday in Atlanta. 

That result led to ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi placing the Blue Devils on his "first four out" line on Wednesday behind three mid-major programs. 

Duke's regular-season finale with the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday will not carry too much value on the bubble since the Tar Heels are just two games better in the loss column in ACC play. 

Entering Thursday, the Blue Devils are ninth in the ACC standings, which would put it one win away from a matchup with Florida State in the ACC tournament quarterfinals. 

Since January 13, Florida State is 10-2, and it dominated matchups with the Clemson Tigers and Virginia Cavaliers. 

For Duke to beat the Seminoles, it would take a perfect performance, one it simply has not produced in its rare down season. 

The Blue Devils showed some signs of life during their four-game winning streak in February, but they then failed to win overtime clashes with Georgia Tech and the Louisville Cardinals. 

In both games, Duke struggled to find consistency from three-point range. It shot 19 percent from beyond the arc in Saturday's loss to Louisville and only hit seven of its 26 attempts from downtown on Tuesday. 

Florida State is tied for 33rd in points scored per game, and if Duke shoots as poorly as it did in its last two games, there appears to be no path past the Seminoles. 

If the Blue Devils drop out in the quarterfinals, they may be out of luck, especially if other bubble teams achieve more success in the days leading up to Selection Sunday. 

               

Florida State Takes Home Title

Florida State is in prime position to add a rare title to its program resume. 

The Seminoles are the highest-ranked team in the ACC and own wins over all of its top contenders to win the conference tournament. 

Hamilton's program defeated Virginia, Clemson, Louisville and Georgia Tech by double digits and has a pair of nonconference victories over the Indiana Hoosiers and Florida Gators. 

It is safe to say the Seminoles are the most complete team in the ACC, and it could use success in Greensboro as a springboard to a deep run in Indianapolis. 

Hamilton's teams reached the Elite Eight in 2018 and Sweet 16 in 2019 and have been a No. 4 seed or better in three of its last four NCAA tournament entries. 

Florida State typically boasts some of the best depth in the country, and that is evident with five players who average nine or more points per game. 

The Seminoles have a star player in freshman Scottie Barnes, an experienced senior guard in M.J. Walker and a big man in Balsa Koprivica who could affect matchups in the paint. 

Virginia should be viewed as Florida State's top threat in the ACC, but the Cavaliers have one win in their last four games over the last-place Miami Hurricanes and struggled to contain the Seminoles on February 15. 

If Florida State plays to its current level, it should run through Greensboro and make a run at a top-two seed on Selection Sunday.

             

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from ESPN.com.

Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim had some choice words for a reporter following Wednesday's 64-54 victory over Clemson.

Matthew Gutierrez of The Athletic explained the situation on Twitter: "Boeheim says via Zoom that I have never played basketball before and I am 5-foot-2, so I am not qualified to have an opinion on Syracuse."

Jim Boeheim said some things after Syracuse beat Clemson. pic.twitter.com/15gV2FyywT

— NunesMagician.com (@NunesMagician) March 4, 2021

The victory was Syracuse's second in a row as it looks to make a late push to reach the NCAA tournament.

The Orange are very much on the bubble and may need to make a quality impression at the ACC tournament to qualify for the field. 

Boeheim isn't the only marquee coach from the ACC who has expressed frustration with a reporter this season. North Carolina's Roy Williams did so following a blowout loss to Marquette, and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski apologized for angrily responding to a question from a student reporter following a loss to Louisville.

For every Cinderella, there is a team that tastes disappointment.

That's what makes the big upsets so dramatic, especially in the NCAA tournament, where meek mid-majors and fiery upstarts enter the field with nothing to lose and a pocket full of house money. This holds true in the later rounds as well, where blue bloods with an air of destiny meet face-to-face with hot-shooting spoilers.

College hoopheads are familiar with the short list of great March Madness upsets. But what about the other side of the coin? Probably less so. That's why we're here. Own your next debate with this list of the NCAA men's tournament's most devastating losses.

                          

10. Weber State outguns North Carolina (1999)

Expectations were slightly lower in 1999 compared with 1998, when Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter led the Tar Heels to the Final Four. But the cupboard was far from empty in Chapel Hill.

Even without Carter and Jamison the team held an air of celebrity, with future NBA player Brendan Haywood and a steady junior floor leader in Ed Cota. (Interestingly, this team also had a future NFL player on its roster in Ronald Curry.)

Fans and pundits widely expected heavily favored No. 3-seeded North Carolina to make a deep run, not to mention cruise to a first-round victory over No. 14 Weber State. But it was not to be. 

No one had ever heard of Harold Arceneaux, and few have heard from him since. But in this game, he seemingly couldn't miss, draining 14 of 26 shots from the field en route to a 36-point performance and a 76-74 Weber State victory. 

The following year, UNC was back in the Final Four, making 1999 a perpetual what-if.

                    

9. The Adam Morrison Game (2006)

If you were watching live, it's hard to forget the image of Gonzaga star and Player of the Year candidate Adam Morrison crying into his feathery mustache as UCLA ran away with the glory.

The Bruins were seeded higher than the Zags, with the former clocking in at No. 2 and the latter at No. 3. Still, Morrison was a seemingly unstoppable scorer who could finally get that era's original mid-major Cinderella over the hump.

Behind Morrison's 24 points, the Bulldogs looked poised to move to the Elite Eight. In fact, they were leading by nine with roughly three minutes left. But Gonzaga appeared to take its foot off the proverbial gas, allowing UCLA to score the final 11 points to eke out a victory in a game Gonzaga fully controlled—right up until the waning seconds.

Morrison's emotional outpouring, which began before the game was even over, stands as an indelible example of tournament anguish.

                        

8. Gritty West Virginia Stares Down Loaded Kentucky (2010)

The Kentucky Wildcats were beyond loaded, with 2010 No. 1 pick John Wall and big-time future pros like DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Bledsoe in the fold. What could their weakness possibly be?

Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers sniffed it out: It was behind the arc, where the Wildcats shot just 33.1 percent on the season. West Virginia has been a tough-minded defensive team ever since Huggins took over as head coach in 2007-08. This year was no different behind tournament darling Da'Sean Butler. 

WVU held UK to 4-of-32 shooting from deep. For all you English majors out there, that's 12.5 percent. It spelled the downfall of arguably the most talent-rich Kentucky team in recent memory. And that's saying something.

                                                     

7. Michigan State Stunned in Opening Round (2016)

Michigan State wasn't the flashiest team during the 2015-16 campaign, but the always-battle-ready Spartans were seen as a lock for the tournament's second weekend.

But then came the intrepid Blue Raiders of Middle Tennessee, which pulled off the 90-81 shocker to become only the eighth No. 15 seed to upset a No. 2 in the tournament.

That year, much of coach Tom Izzo's roster was comprised of seasoned seniors—just the way he likes it. Sparty entered the tourney on the two-line but were viewed as a trendy title pick thanks to a late-season streak in which they won nine straight and 13 of 14, not to mention a Big Ten championship.

The Blue Raiders jumped out to a 15-2 advantage, and MSU never seemed to regain its footing. When it came to nip-and-tuck, Michigan State had several significant miscues.

Star guard Denzel Valentine committed a key turnover in the game's final minutes with his team trailing 79-76—one of his six giveaways on the day. Missed shots and defensive lapses were frequent. This was a self-inflicted wound that unfolded over the course of the game, and it led to one of the biggest shockers in tournament history.

                                                    

6. Maryland Coughs It Up vs. Duke (2001)

Playing in its first Final Four game in school history, the Maryland Terrapins were a No. 3 seed entering the game, while Duke was once again atop its bracket. So why is this 95-84 loss such a bad defeat?

With about seven minutes left in the first half, the Terps led the Blue Devils by 22 points and appeared to be poised to punch their ticket for the last game of the season.

It was not to be. Duke outscored Maryland 57-35 in the second half for the biggest comeback in Final Four history to advance to the national title game. The Blue Devils won that one too.

                  

5. UCLA (Finally) Loses (1974)

Earlier in the 1973-74 season, UCLA's 88-game winning streak ended at the hands of Notre Dame, making that Irish team a factoid in sports trivia for the rest of recorded time.

NC State's accomplishment that season is not as well-known, even though it was even gaudier: The Wolfpack halted the Bruins' national title streak at seven with an 80-77 victory in the Final Four.

The immortal Bill Walton dropped 29 on the Wolfpack, but that accounted for nearly 38 percent of the team's points. On the other side, the perpetually unsung David "Skywalker" Thompson contributed 28 points and 10 rebounds to NC State, which went on to win the national title against Marquette.

                                     

4. The Chris Webber Timeout (1993)

This example is so gut-wrenching that it almost feels wrong call it out. But no list of devastating March Madness losses is complete without North Carolina’s 77-71 national championship victory over Michigan's talented but star-crossed Fab Five.

Webber went on to become a five-time NBA All-Star, but the phantom timeout still haunts his legacy.

Who can forget the image of Webber dribbling up the sideline and all the way to the corner, where he was promptly double-teamed. With 11 seconds on the clock and Michigan trailing 73-71, Webber called timeout, but the team no longer had any. That's a technical foul. Donald Williams sank both free throws to make it a two-possession game, and that was all she wrote.

                    

3. Villanova Shoots the Lights Out (1985)

Nearly 79 percent. 

That's the Villanova shooting percentage from this 66-64 shocker against the dominant Georgetown Hoyas. It was Patrick Ewing's senior season, back when top stars played four years and dominant big men were seen as unstoppable forces.

The No. 1 Hoyas were an eight-point favorite to handle the eighth-seeded Wildcats. With Ed Pinckney—Villanova's tallest player to see meaningful time—just 6'9" to Ewing's 7'0", the proceeding felt like a glorified senior day for Ewing as a coronation as the best college basketball player in history. 

And then came the Wildcats' 78.6 percent shooting from the field. Dwayne McClain and Pinckney each shot 5-of-7. Harold Jensen went 5-of-5 off the bench. It was a crushing loss for Georgetown. And Ewing, fairly or not, earned a reputation as a star who couldn't win the big one.

                         

2. UConn Shocks Duke (1999)

The Blue Devils were a 9.5-point favorite to complete their season of destiny and take their rightful place atop college basketball.

No one was arguing against it; it was just a matter of waiting for the inevitable.

After all, Elton Brand (16.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.9 career blocks per game) was unstoppable. Here's an even more telling stat: in the 1998-99 season, Brand had a remarkable 10 win shares on the season. By comparison, the 2020-21 leader in that category, Luka Garza—who appears to be a lock for National Player of the Year—sits at 5.6, and Brand's mark is still in the top 10 for a single season. 

Duke also had Shane Battier, a Greek god of drawing charges. Corey Maggette was a freshman phenom, and Trajan Langdon was a dead-eyed shooter back when shooting was still a specialist's game. Brand and those three combined for 47 seasons in the NBA. 

Now, UConn was no slouch as a No. 1 seed with future pros Richard Hamilton and Jake Voskuhl on the roster. But as the odds indicate, no one expected them to compete with the Blue Devils.

Still, at the end, the Huskies were wearing the net like jewelry after a 77-74 victory. Hamilton led all scorers with 27 points, while the Huskies defense held the Devils to 41.1 percent shooting from the field and out-rebounded Duke 38-27. No Duke player besides Brand managed more than four boards. 

Duke haters around the world rejoiced, but March 29, 1999, was a dark day in Durham.

                                          

1. UMBC Fells Virginia (2018)

How could the top spot belong to any other team?

The UMBC Retrievers began their first-round game on fire and stayed that way. As monstrous 20.5-point underdogs, it was clear they decided they had nothing to lose and to let it fly.

And let it fly they did, converting 12 of 24 three-point attempts. Virginia shot a lot of threes as well, but their numbers—4-of-22 for a dismal 18.2 percent—were underwhelming. 

In the end, UMBC had pulled off the second-biggest point-spread upset since the NCAA tournament field expanded in 1985 and became the first 16th seed in men's tourney history to knock off a No. 1-seeded team.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers team—nay, the program—appeared to be in tatters. After all, Virginia was pegged as a legitimate title favorite, typically clocking in below Villanova, who did go on to cut down the nets.

Ultimately, Virginia rose from the ashes and captured a national title the following season, but the moment of defeat in 2018 was about as bleak as it gets.

                                           

All stats courtesy of Sports Reference and NCAA.com unless otherwise noted/linked.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is going through a difficult men's basketball season compared to its normally high standard. 

Only three of the 15 teams landed in the latest edition of the AP Top 25, and some of the traditional powers, like the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils, are going through rough seasons. 

The down year inside the league may take some of the buzz away from the ACC tournament, but it could also mean some upsets are in store. 

If chalk holds, the Florida State Seminoles and Virginia Cavaliers would be in line for a rematch of a game Florida State controlled from start to finish on February 15.

However, if upsets occur in Greensboro, North Carolina, we could see a few teams leap off the NCAA men's basketball tournament bubble. 

        

ACC Tournament Schedule

All Times ET

First Round: Tuesday, March 9 (2 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7 p.m.)

Second Round: Wednesday, March 10 (Noon, 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Quarterfinals: Thursday, March 11 (Noon, 2:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Semifinals: Friday, March 12 (6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)

Championship: Saturday, March 13 (8:30 p.m.)

Games will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 and ACC Network.

       

Early Bracket Predictions

At Least One Bubble Team Earns A Few Victories

The Duke Blue Devils and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be fighting for their NCAA tournament lives in Greensboro.

The two sides are scheduled to meet in a regular-season game on Tuesday. The winner of that contest will be in better shape entering Greensboro.

According to ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi, Georgia Tech is on the "last four in" line and Duke resides in the "first four out" section.

The Syracuse Orange could be in the bubble mix as well, as they jumped on to Lunardi's "next four out" after their Monday win over the North Carolina Tar Heels. 

Typically, the ACC tournament final features the best teams in the conference, but upsets have happened in the first few rounds in recent years. 

In 2018, the 12th-seeded Boston College Eagles sprung a pair of upsets in the first two rounds. In 2017, Duke won the tournament by taking four games in four days as the No. 5 seed. 

Entering Tuesday, Georgia Tech, Duke and Syracuse were seventh, eighth and ninth, respectively, in the ACC standings, and if that holds, at least one of them will get a shot at Florida State or Virginia in the quarterfinal round. 

Based off resumes alone, Georgia Tech is the team most likely to make a deep run as a lower seed. Josh Pastner's side has four Top 25 victories, including over the Virginia Tech Hokies and Florida State. 

Duke and Syracuse both possess a single win over a Top 25 foe, and if they do not reverse that form, they could be nervously waiting on Selection Sunday. 

The struggle to get into the field of 68 could be even worse for the Blue Devils and Orange if Georgia Tech extends its winning ways against ranked foes. 

The Yellow Jackets do not have to win the tournament to feel safe, but if they earn one major upset and make it to the semifinals, they should be in good shape. 

          

Clemson's Defense Makes It Difficult Team To Beat

Most college basketball observers would mention Virginia's defense as the toughest to play against in the ACC, but the Clemson Tigers have a formidable unit as well.

Brad Brownell's side held five of its last six opponents to 61 points or fewer, and it has rattled off a five-game winning streak to be in position for a top-four seed in Greensboro.

If the Tigers are the No. 5 seed, whomever the No. 12 seed is could face a frustrating 40 minutes on the court. 

Clemson ranks 11th in Division 1 in scoring defense. Virginia is the only ACC team with a better mark in seventh place. 

The Tigers concede 61.6 points per game and have a handful of impressive wins over the Louisville Cardinals, Alabama Crimson Tide and Florida State.

In those three victories, Clemson has conceded an average of 57.6 points. If it holds a few teams under 60 in Greensboro, it could make a surprise run to the final.

If Clemson wins out against Syracuse and the Pittsburgh Panthers, it should finish no lower than fifth in the ACC, which could align it in the same side of the bracket as Louisville and Florida State. 

If that is the case, the Tigers may avoid one of the hungry bubble teams and play two squads that it has experience beating this season. 

A deep run in Greensboro that features one or two quality wins could bolster Clemson's seed in the NCAA tournament, which would be a welcome sight if it gets to avoid No. 10 or No. 11 seeds primed for upsets.

          

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from NCAA.com.

Florida State has agreed to a five-year extension with men's basketball coach Leonard Hamilton, the school announced Monday.

According to Andrea Adelson of ESPN, the deal is worth $2.25 million per year and will keep the 72-year-old under contract through the 2024-25 season.

Hamilton also has up to $2 million in bonuses each year in his contract that include $150,000 for winning the ACC regular season and $200,000 for making the NCAA tournament.

Florida State director of athletics David Coburn noted the school's willingness to keep him aboard indefinitely:

"Coach Hamilton has done so much for this basketball program and this university that it is hard to express in words. What he does with his young men, both on and off the court, is truly remarkable.  I know both the President and I regard him as a university treasure, and he is just now getting the national recognition he has deserved for so long. He embodies all the qualities that make a great leader, and we are proud and thrilled to have him as our coach as long as he wishes."

Hamilton is in his 19th season with the Seminoles and is the program's all-time winningest coach.

The current squad is ranked 11th in the latest Associated Press poll and is in first place in the ACC with a 10-3 conference record. 

Last season, Florida State was ranked No. 4 after winning the ACC regular-season title, but the NCAA tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hamilton still has an impressive resume that includes one ACC tournament title with three trips to the Sweet 16 and one Elite Eight.

He has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times since taking over in 2002.

"While I am proud of everything we have accomplished, there is still room for improvement, and we have so much more to accomplish," Hamilton said.

UNC freshman forward Walker Kessler posted 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting, eight rebounds and four blocks off the bench to lead the unranked Tar Heels to a 78-70 home win over the No. 11 Florida State Seminoles in ACC basketball action Saturday.

The victory also gave UNC head coach Roy Williams his 900th career victory.

Williams, who led Kansas from 1988-89 to 2002-03 and UNC since the 2003-04 season, has won 418 career games with the Jayhawks and an additional 482 for the Tar Heels.

The three-time NCAA champion has led his teams to nine Final Fours and six national title game appearances.

Per Brendan Marks of The Athletic, Williams accomplished the feat in fewer seasons and games than anyone in men's college hoops history. He is the fifth coach to hit the 900-win mark. He has won 900 of his 1,161-lifetime games (77.5 percent win rate).

Jacob Turner of Heel Illustrated provided a postgame look of Williams being honored:

Roy Williams is honored after becoming the fastest D1 head coach to win 900 career games. Big-time achievement from a big-time coach. pic.twitter.com/Qj95Q2SSlA

— Jacob Turner (@JacobTurnerTHI) February 27, 2021

Tar Heel freshmen propelled Williams to the 900-win mark on this day, with a trio of first-year guards in Kerwin Walton (13 points), RJ Davis (12) and Caleb Love (12) supplementing Kessler's scoring efforts. For FSU, junior forward RaiQuan Gray led the way with 17 points and eight boards.

Neither team had a good offensive performance. FSU shot just 38.8 percent from the field and committed 17 turnovers, and UNC made just 38.3 percent of its buckets while having 21 turnovers.

The difference ultimately came at the free-throw line, with UNC making 14 more shots from the charity stripe. UNC went 27-of-30, while FSU was just 13-of-20.

Kessler was the best player on the floor, though. The big man entered Saturday averaging just 3.4 points per contest, but he had averaged 9.75 points over his last four matchups.

He then proceeded to double his previous collegiate career high of 10, enabling UNC to pull off the upset victory.

Kessler's buckets proved timely. His dunk early in the second half gave UNC a 46-44 advantage:

Heels take the lead on the Kessler dunk! 🐏@UNC_Basketball | @WalkerKessler13

📺: https://t.co/PTbpyx9tFj pic.twitter.com/GMceMRKef6

— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) February 27, 2021

The 7-footer also scored back-to-back buckets to turn a 55-52 edge into a 59-52 lead:

WALKER KESSLER IS PUTTING ON A SHOW!@UNC_Basketball | @WalkerKessler13

📺: https://t.co/qQI6OogARL pic.twitter.com/uR9xyU5IpZ

— ACC Men's Basketball (@accmbb) February 27, 2021

Kessler earned much-deserved praise for his efforts, including comments from Jeff Goodman of Stadium and Taylor Vippolis of Inside Carolina:

Walker Kessler is North Carolina’s FOURTH big man. Gonna be so damn good.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) February 27, 2021

Give Walker Kessler ALL of the minutes.

— Taylor Vippolis (@tvippolis) February 27, 2021

Florida State led 41-29 at halftime, but the Tar Heels stormed back with a Kessler-fueled 10-0 run. The big man scored three buckets in that span.

Seminoles junior guard Anthony Polite ended the drought with a three-pointer, but UNC responded with a 7-0 run capped by a Kessler bucket.

The two teams proceeded to go back and forth, with FSU cutting the UNC lead to 61-58 following a Polite two-pointer.

But UNC responded with a 6-1 run to maintain some distance, with senior big man Garrison Brooks' tip-in helping the Tar Heels earn a 70-62 lead.

UNC made enough free throws down the stretch to keep FSU at arm's length en route to the win.

UNC improved to 15-8 overall and 9-5 in the ACC. FSU fell to 14-4 and 10-3 in the conference but still holds first place in the ACC by percentage points over Virginia (11-4 ACC).

FSU will look to rebound at home against Boston College on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET. UNC will visit Syracuse on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

Duke freshman Jalen Johnson has withdrawn from the university a week after opting out of the remainder of the 2020-21 season, according to Steve Wiseman of the News & Observer.

Johnson announced his intention to declare for the NBA draft on Feb. 15 after averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 13 games under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. If the Blue Devils (11-8, 9-6 ACC) make the NCAA tournament this year, Johnson's departure could make a deep run tougher. 

As of Thursday, Duke's roster no longer listed the power forward.

Per Wiseman:

"[Withdrawing] ahead of the school’s March 24 deadline for undergraduates allowed Johnson to leave school with a W, or withdrawn, on his academic record rather than an F. That means Johnson, having completed his course work in the fall semester, is leaving Duke in good academic standing and will not hurt the program’s Academic Progress Rate score with the NCAA.

"... As is the case with all players, Johnson will continue to have access to Duke’s medical staff, both physical and behavioral health services, until he signs with an agent."

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman has Johnson pegged as a lottery pick this summer and is the No. 10 pick in his latest mock draft: "At 6'9", 220 pounds, Johnson has a standout physical profile for finishing, rebounding and defending. But it's the ability to handle the ball at his size that sets him apart and creates enticing playmaking-4 potential."

The freshman seems destined to become the latest one-and-done NBA star to have played for Krzyzewski. If so, he'll become one of the few not to play a full season at Duke before declaring for the draft. 

Another legendary ACC coach expressed some frustration with a reporter following a loss.

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams was asked to address those who were questioning whether the Tar Heels should have scheduled a late-February game against Marquette following Wednesday's 83-70 loss and seemed to take issue with the inquiry.

"Well if I'd known we were going to lose, God almighty, I wouldn't have scheduled the thing," Williams said. "C'mon. We can't operate in damn hindsight, God almighty. If you'd told me we were going to lose, hell yeah, we wouldn't have played the game. If you'd told me we're going to beat the Lakers, I would have scheduled them. Carolina fans are not that dumb. If they are, I got no answer."

Roy Williams with an absolute classic tonight: pic.twitter.com/sxwy1sgH8M

— Mark Armstrong (@MarkPArmstrong) February 25, 2021

This time of year is typically reserved for conference play as teams battle for positioning in the league standings and seeding for the eventual NCAA tournament.

Yet North Carolina scheduled this game against a Big East team that likely will not be in the Big Dance and paid dearly for it. David Cobb of CBSSports.com noted it was the team's first Quad 3 loss of the season, which will hurt it come Selection Sunday.

The Tar Heels are very much on the bubble and entered play as a No. 9 seed in the latest bracket projection from Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller. They were classified as a team with "work to do" in the bubble breakdown from ESPN's John Gasaway, and that was before this loss.

Marquette torched North Carolina's defense for 45 points in the first half and was largely on cruise control the rest of the way.

Williams isn't the first notable ACC coach to express some frustration with a reporter during a press conference following a loss this season. In fact, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski apologized to a student reporter after angrily responding to a question following a loss to Louisville.

North Carolina, which at least won its previous two games prior to Wednesday, will now be under the microscope even more in the season's stretch run.

It faces No. 11 Florida State on Saturday, which is an opportunity to add a marquee win to its resume to counterbalance this loss.

Chris Mack was in quite the celebratory mood after his team defeated John Calipari's Kentucky Wildcats on Dec. 26, but the Louisville Cardinals men's basketball head coach apologized for his actions after video of him enjoying the win went public.

As Shannon Russell of the Louisville Courier Journal noted, video of Mack and former Louisville and Buffalo Bills football player Eric Wood celebrating the win went viral when Wood said Kentucky's success against the Cardinals was over now that former associate head coach Kenny Payne had moved to the New York Knicks staff.

Welcome to the rivalry, @CoachChrisMack. pic.twitter.com/bJy6ATj8sx

— Drew Franklin (@DrewFranklinKSR) February 21, 2021

Mack said the video was a "joke" and revealed he called Calipari to apologize, per 247Sports. 

The Louisville coach also said his counterpart was "gracious as always" and offered some advice.

Prior to Louisville's win in December, Calipari was 11-2 in the rivalry showdowns since becoming the Kentucky head coach. The win was also Mack's first in the rivalry after he lost the first two attempts.

That Mack was so excited about the win is no surprise. After all, the Wildcats have controlled the state with Calipari at the helm, and it is up to Mack to try to turn things around as he attempts to build a consistent championship contender.

As for Wood, he played for the Bills from 2009 through 2017 and was a Pro Bowler in 2015.

Things are not looking as great for the Cardinals now as they were following that win. They played their first game since Feb. 1 on Saturday and proceeded to lose to North Carolina by 45 points. A few more performances like that down the stretch of the season would put Louisville (11-5) in a precarious position on the bubble.

Kentucky isn't even on the bubble at 8-13, although it notched an impressive victory over Tennessee on Saturday.

As for the December game, three Louisville free throws in the final minute were the difference in a 62-59 victory. If Wood is to be believed in the video, it was the start of an era of dominance for the Cardinals in the Bluegrass State.

If recent history is to be believed, it probably wasn't.