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Beltway Basketball Beat: Bracket Racket V — one thrilling Thursday

By Dave Preston

Two days until Selection Sunday there remains hope on the hilltop in Northwest D.C., renewed enthusiasm in College Park, elation in Charlottesville and question marks in Blacksburg. March has a way of doing that.

In the span of less than one hour Thursday afternoon, we saw the following:

  • Maryland hold on to complete its rally past Michigan State 68-57 and cement its hold on an NCAA Tournament at-large berth;
  • Virginia nip Syracuse 72-69 on a last-second shot from freshman Reece Beekman (his first made basket of the day);
  • Georgetown upset Big East regular season champ Villanova 72-71 on a pair of free throws from freshman Dante Harris with 4.7 seconds left.

While the next few weeks will provide plenty of thrills, chills and spills, we’ll be hard-pressed to equal the early afternoon electricity.

Virginia Tech’s 81-73 loss to North Carolina Thursday night felt anti-climactic, and not just because it was a stand-alone game due to Duke’s withdrawal from the ACC Tournament after a positive COVID-19 test. With the Blue Devils’ Athletic director saying that the team’s season is over, the NCAA Tournament will be minus Duke AND Kentucky for the first time since 1976.

March has a way of making the unlikely happen sometimes.

Friday’s Games:

Big Ten Quarterfinals — No. 8 Maryland (16-12) vs. No. 1 Michigan (19-3), 11:30 a.m. (Big Ten Network). The win over Michigan State should solidify the Terps’ NCAA hopes. Once again Eric Ayala (21 points and 9 rebounds) and Aaron Wiggins (19 points with 6 boards) did the heavy lifting, especially at the line (a combined 17-20 from the charity stripe). The Wolverines won both regular season meetings by double digits, shooting over 50% in each game. Fritz Wagner (younger brother of Wizards forward Mo) averaged 17 points in those two victories while DeMatha graduate and Big Ten Freshman of the Year Hunter Dickinson dropped 26 with 11 rebounds on the Terps in Xfinity Center. Could we see a defensive duel? The Terps allow the second fewest points per game in the league while the Wolverines rank third (Michigan leads the Big Ten in defensive field goal percentage, holding foes to 39% shooting).

Big East Semifinals — No. 8 Georgetown (11-12) vs. No. 5 Seton Hall (14-12), 6 p.m. (FS1). From 2014 to 2020 the Hoyas won just a pair of Big East Tournament games. The Hoyas’ victory over regular season champ Villanova gives them two wins in two days. Even though Coach Patrick Ewing was asked for his credential at Madison Square Garden, this has been a winning week for a program that hasn’t posted a winning record since 2015. Can the Hoyas reach the finals for the first time since 2010? They split the season series, with the backcourt tandem of tandem of Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale combining for 56 points on 20-35 shooting during a December win in D.C. while the pair shot 7-24 and combined for 17 points during the February loss in New Jersey. The Pirates also boast 6-foot-11 big man Sandro Mamukelashvili who’s posted five double-doubles in his last seven games and paces the team with 18 points and 8 rebounds per game.

ACC Semifinals — No. 1 Virginia (18-6) vs. Georgia Tech (16-8) – CANCELED due to COVID-19. The top two shooting teams in the conference— Virginia and Georgia Tech — had been scheduled to get together Friday evening after each had to rally in the second half to avoid upset.

“The cancellation follows a positive test, subsequent quarantining, and contact tracing within the Virginia men’s basketball program,” a news release issued Friday morning from the ACC said.

With the cancellation Georgia Tech advances to the ACC Tournament championship game and will play the winner of the Florida State vs. North Carolina game that will now tip at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN.

2022 ACC Tournament Bracket: How to watch, dates, preview, location

By Matt Weyrich
ACC Tournament Bracket and preview originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe ACC has been one of the most dominant conferences in the history of NCAA men's basketball. With three of the last six March Madness champions calling the conference home, the 2022 ACC Tournament will feature some of the NCAA’s premier men’s basketball programs going head-to-head before the big event the following week.However, this is a bit of an unusual year for the ACC — there are only four teams you could actually claim to be tournament 'locks' at this point in the season. There are three more on or around the bubble and everyone else is in an auto-bid or bust mentality. Duke is projected to earn the best seed for the NCAA Tournament. In head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season, the Blue Devils could be anywhere from a No. 2 seed to a No. 4 seed. Where they fall in the ACC Tournament will likely dictate where Duke is slotted. Early season losses put them in a hole, but the unpredictability of the rest of the conference evened the score to help them claim the No. 1 seed.That could create a more competitive field than in years past. North Carolina, Miami, Florida State and Virginia all have shown they can best the Blue Devils. Three of those losses even came on their own floor. And on top of that, Wake Forest, the Cavaliers, the Seminoles, Syracuse and more are playing for their seasons.How will the 2022 ACC Tournament shake out? Here’s everything you need to know.ACC TOURNAMENT 2021 INFORMATION:  When is the 2022 ACC Tournament?The ACC Tournament will be held from March 8-12. The ACC Championship Game is on Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET.Where is the 2022 ACC Tournament? The ACC Tournament will be held at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. This is just the second time the event has been held in Brooklyn.How to watch the 2022 ACC Tournament The First Round of the ACC Tournament will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Second Round will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be on ESPN and ESPN2. The ACC Championship will be broadcast on ESPN.All ESPN programming is available for streaming at Watch ESPN with a valid cable subscription.Who is the defending 2021 ACC Champion? Georgia Tech shocked the ACC - thanks to an assist with Virginia missing their semifinal contest due to a positive coronavirus test - to win the 2021 ACC Championship over Florida State. Head coach Josh Pastner became a household sensation with his face shield.2022 ACC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:ACC Tournament First Round (3/8, Times ET) - No. 13 Boston College d. No. 12 Pittsburgh 66-46- No. 10 Clemson d. No. 15 NC State 70-64- No. 11 Louisville d. No. 14 Georgia Tech 84-74ACC Tournament Second Round (3/9, Times ET)- No. 9 Syracuse d. No. 8 Florida State 96-57- No. 13 Boston College d. No. 5 Wake Forest 82-77 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 10 Clemson 76-75 (OT)- No. 6 Virginia d. No. 11 Louisville 51-50ACC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/10, Times ET)- No. 1 Duke d. No. 9 Syracuse 88-79- No. 4 Miami d. No. 13 Boston College 71-69 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 2 Notre Dame 87-80- No. 3 North Carolina d. No. 6 Virginia 63-43ACC Tournament Semifinals (3/11, Times ET) - No. 1 Duke d. No. 4 Miami 80-76- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 3 North Carolina 72-59ACC Tournament Championship (3/12, Time ET) - No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 1 Duke 82-672022 ACC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Far and away, Duke is the best team in the ACC this season. The Blue Devils are coached by the best coach in the league, have a top-three NBA Draft pick on their roster and may have a multitude of playmakers - which is rare in the rest of the conference.Yet, the consistency is not there for the team with the No. 1 seed. Quiet nights by ACC Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero paired with off-shooting performances by Wendell Moore Jr. are huge reasons for their four conference losses.Then again, no one in the ACC has shown any level of consistency either. Notre Dame has silently put together a solid year behind Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin. A favorable schedule - where they never played any of the top eight teams more than once - led them here and the Fighting Irish took advantage. The lack of playmaking guards that run an offense, though, and a deep bench are concerning. It's not conducive to winning three games in three days.North Carolina - after their stunning upset in Cameron Indoor over the weekend - and Miami both showed they have what it takes to topple Duke and have a favorable bracket to see the Blue Devils later in the tournament.Injuries are no longer a hindrance for the Hurricanes, following the lead of Kameron McGusty's 17.5 ppg and 36.8% shooting mark from deep.Let's not forget ACC Player of the Year and the conference's second-leading scorer Alondes Williams at Wake Forest. His Demon Deacons are the deepest team in the conference. Can they finally put it all together for one weekend? If so, they may be the darkhorse team to try and make the semifinals.Everyone else, though, is in desperate mode besides those five teams. Virginia Tech and Virginia need a significant win or two to be considered for an at-large bid. The teams behind them just have eyes only on a championship to extend their seasons.Pick: No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
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