As all of these teams have double byes in the tournament it makes it extremely hard for teams playing on the first day to even make it to the semifinals. “But we’re getting better”, Krzyzewski said. This is how we have to play. Maybe we’ll develop an identity here … We have to play again tomorrow at 2 or 2:15 or 2:22, whatever it is, so we’ll play. If they can pull everything together consistently, and play as well as they are capable of, then there is no reason for anyone to think that they can’t win it all.
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But Luke Kennard made big shots down the stretch, and the No. 5 seed Blue Devils likely ended the 12th-seeded Tigers’ NCAA Tournament hopes with a 79-72 win. The game featured 24 lead changes and 14 ties before UNC finally pushed ahead for good in the final six minutes, with its final margin the biggest lead for either team all night. They still beat teams up in the post and on the backboards with seniors Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. What should have been a one-point game was instead a five-point spread. The tandem appears to have turned the corner in March, however, setting up an intriguing matchup against Louisville guards Donovan Mitchell and Quentin Snider and a deep Cardinal frontcourt. This year’s team had just two non-conference losses, both against teams heading for the NCAA tournament (Iowa State and Florida). And if anything, they should give North Carolina a good fight. I like to score the ball – it’s what I do best. Behind Kennard, not a single other Duke player cracked the double-digit mark. Clemson is 3-2 in neutral site games and 7-12 in the ACC this season.
But limited by an ankle injury late in the year, the All-American has taken a backseat to Jackson, going scoreless for the first time in nearly two years Wednesday in a season-low 12 minutes.
“Dennis never really got going”, Gottfried said.
JF: “Quentin Snider, UL – “‘Canes fans across the nation saw what a little bit of Snider can do for the Cardinals, with their backs against the wall and with the junior star coming off a three week absence from a hip injury, they gutted out a 71-66 comeback win on month ago. With a minute to go, we missed a layup for one, so…
Whatever else happens we won’t see that version of Duke and probably not that version of Louisville either.
Duke (+450) was the preseason favorite to win the ACC, but a disappointing 23-8 SU and 11-18-1 ATS regular season coupled with a 1-3 SU and 0-3-1 ATS slump to end the regular season have the Blue Devils looking purely like a speculative play at this point. The Blue Devils, however, have had issues on defense. Cardinal head coach Rick Pitino is nearly certainly going to try to use his team’s depth to decide the game again. “That’s Coach Pitino’s style”.
“We won six (ACC) games”. Luckily for Clemson, tournament time is the time for miracles.
The ACC Tournament has been held in North Carolina far more than any other state – 54 times – but was held for the first time this year in NY, creating a much different experience for fans.
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“I just always try to stay aggressive”.
