North Carolina vs. NC State score: Wolfpack win fifth game in five days to capture ACC Tournament title

The No. 10 seed Wolfpack upset the top-seeded Tar Heels with a improbable run in the ACC Tournament

WASHINGTON -- NC State is partying like it's 1987 … and partying like no ACC team has ever partied before. The Wolfpack claimed their first ACC Tournament title in 37 years by winning its fifth game in five nights, topping top-seeded North Carolina 84-76 on Saturday.

The Wolfpack came out strong and led 16-6 after six minutes before RJ Davis and the Tar Heels got their offense back on track. Cormac Ryan canned a corner 3-pointer to beat the first-half buzzer and give the Tar Heels a 40-39 lead at the break.

But NC State -- as was the case all week in the nation's capital -- would not be denied. Kevin Keatts' pack surged ahead in the second half and pushed its lead to 11 on a DJ Horne layup. If the Wolfpack had heavy legs, they didn't show it. The defensive effort remained fantastic, and the lead even increased to 12 with under a minute left before Kevin Keatts emptied his bench to raucous applause.

Horne led the Wolfpack with 29 points, and DJ Burns had 20.

Meanwhile, North Carolina's ACC Tournament title drought extends to eight years. RJ Davis and Armando Bacot combined for 48 points, but the Tar Heels went ice cold -- 11 for 39 from the field -- in the second half.

Below is the full schedule and tip times for the tournament.

2024 ACC Tournament schedule, scores

Location: Capital One Arena -- Washington, D.C.
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)  | Follow live: CBS Sports App  

All times Eastern; some start times approximated

ACC Tournament Championship Game -- Saturday, March 16
Game 14: No. 1 North Carolina 84, No. 10 NC State 76 | Recap

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First round -- Tuesday, March 12
Game 1: No. 12 Notre Dame 84, No. 13 Georgia Tech 80 | Recap
Game 2: No. 10 NC State 95, No. 15 Louisville 85 | Recap
Game 3: No. 11 Boston College 81, No. 14 Miami 65 | Recap

Second round -- Wednesday, March 13
Game 4: No. 9 Florida State 86, No. 8 Virginia Tech 76 | Recap
Game 5: No. 5 Wake Forest 72, No. 12 Notre Dame 59 | Recap
Game 6: No. 10 NC State 83, No. 7 Syracuse 65  | Recap
Game 7: No. 11 Boston College 76, No. 6 Clemson 55  | Recap

Quarterfinals -- Thursday, March 14
Game 8: No. 1 North Carolina 92, No. 9 Florida State 67 | Recap
Game 9: No. 4 Pitt 81, No. 5 Wake Forest  69 | Recap
Game 10: No. 10 NC State 74, No. 2 Duke 69 | Recap
Game 11: No. 3 Virginia 66, No. 11 Boston College 60 | Recap

Semifinals -- Friday, March 15
Game 12: No. 1 North Carolina 72, No. 4 Pitt 65 | Recap
Game 13: No. 10 NC State 73, No. 3 Virginia 65 (OT) | Recap

Follow below for updates, analysis and highlights throughout the event.

[Mar 16, 2024 at 10:55 pm ET · Zachary Pereles]

Final: No. 10 NC State 84, No. 1 North Carolina 76

One day after pulling off a miracle, NC State pulled off the impossible. The 10th-seeded Wolfpack defeated top-seeded North Carolina 84-76 in the ACC Tournament title game to complete a stunning five-wins-in-five days run and clinch the ACC's automatic bid out of nowhere. It's the program's first ACC Tournament title since 1987, when Jim Valvano was in charge of the program. 

D.J. Burns Jr. -- in a heavyweight battle with ACC All-Defensive team member Armando Bacot much of the night -- scored 20 points. DJ Horne led the scoring effort overall with 29 despite battling foul trouble much of the night. One night after Michael O'Connell's heroics forced overtime against Virginia, the Wolfpack needed no such drama, pushing the lead to as large as 11 late and holding on from there.

North Carolina's conference tournament title drought goes on, with its last coming in 2016. The Tar Heels' offense went cold in the second half especially. RJ Davis (30 points) and Armando Bacot (18) were the only Tar Heels with more than 10 points.

[Mar 16, 2024 at 12:01 am ET · Zachary Pereles]

Semifinals: No. 10 NC State 73, No. 3 Virginia 65 (OT)

NC State has more than a little madness left in its stunning March run. The Wolfpack pulled off a miraculous comeback to force overtime and then turned to D.J. Burns in the extra session to win their fourth game in four nights, stunning third-seeded Virginia, 73-65.

The Wolfpack trailed by six with 43 seconds left when a combination of Virginia errors and NC State shot-making created true madness. First, Casey Morsell was fouled shooting a 3-pointer and made all three free throws. After empty trips from both teams, Virginia's Isaac McKneely missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Michael O'Connell banked in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime.

In overtime, it was the D.J. Burns show, with the bruising center scoring seven of the Wolfpack's first nine points in the extra session, the final three on an and-one to give NC State a 67-65 lead, a lead for good.

NC State faces top-seeded North Carolina tomorrow in the ACC Tournament title game, looking for its fifth win in as many nights.

[Mar 15, 2024 at 9:09 pm ET · Zachary Pereles]

Semifinals: No. 1 North Carolina 72, No. 4 Pittsburgh 65

Top-seeded North Carolina is into the ACC Tournament title game, fending off a valiant effort from 4-seed Pittsburgh, 72-65. It's the Tar Heels' first appearance in the tournament final since 2018 when they lost to Virginia.

Pitt's Jaland Lowe knotted the game at 62 with 4:23 left, but the Tar Heels responded with a 7-0 spurt fueled by two RJ Davis 3-pointers. The ACC Player of the Year finished with a team-high 25 points, and Armando Bacot added 19 points and 11 rebounds. Overall, 31 of the senior duo's 44 points came in the second half after Pitt led 35-33 at halftime.

Jerry Palm had the Panthers as the last team in the NCAA Tournament in his Bracketology projections entering Friday, and Jeff Capel's bunch now have a long two days until Selection Sunday after narrowly missing out on a massive résumé booster. Carlton Carrington had a team-high 24 points in the loss.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 11:54 pm ET · Zachary Pereles]

Quarterfinals: No. 3 Virginia 66, No. 11 Boston College 60 (OT)

Virginia is into the ACC semifinals after a hard-fought 66-60 overtime win over Boston College. The Cavaliers got it done in their typical fashion this season: with a terrific defensive effort, just enough timely offense and, somehow, another close win. They're 9-0 in games decided by six points or fewer this season.

After Mason Madsen's buzzer-beater forced overtime, the Cavaliers took what was then their largest lead of the night on an Isaac McKneely 3-pointer. Reece Beekman's 3-pointer and Jordan Minor's layup gave the Cavaliers all the breathing room they needed.

Virginia will face 10th-seeded NC State in the semifinals. The Wolfpack won their third game in three days earlier Thursday, stunning Duke 74-69.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 9:18 pm ET · Zachary Pereles]

Quarterfinals: No. 10 NC State 74, No. 2 Duke 69

Madness has officially arrived in Washington, D.C. NC State took down second-seeded Duke, 74-69, thanks to a wonderful all-around effort with five players reaching double figures. DJ Horne led the way with 18 points, the most important two coming from the free throw line with 15 seconds left.

The Wolfpack led by as much as 11 and by 10 late, but a long list of errors -- three consecutive missed free throws and a blown dunk that resulted in a technical among them -- helped Duke claw back to within two. That's when Horne stepped to the free throw line, and after his makes, Duke had finally run out of rallies.

NC State made seven of 16 3-pointers (compared to five of 20 for Duke), but the biggest difference came via NC State's 18-8 edge in second-chance points. Thirteen of those 18 came in the second half, as the Wolfpack answered every Duke surge. Kyle Filipowski had 28 points and 14 rebounds for the Blue Devils, who go one-and-done in the nation's capital.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 4:57 pm ET · Zachary Pereles]

Quarterfinals: No. 4 Pittsburgh 81, No. 5 Wake Forest 69

Survive and advance -- and maybe clinch an NCAA Tournament spot in the process. That's what Pittsburgh did in a bubble battle that included plenty of the madness that comes with March. The Panthers -- the first team out in Jerry Palm's Bracketology entering Thursday -- blew nearly all of a 19-point lead before holding on for an 81-69 win over Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons, meanwhile, entered Thursday as the first team in Palm's "Next Four Out."

The Panthers held a 12-point advantage at halftime and stretched it to 19 with under 13 minutes left, but Hunter Sallis, Cameron Hildreth and Andrew Carr led a furious comeback to get the Demon Deacons to within three multiple times. That was as close as they would get. Ishmael Leggett (season-high 30 points) stemmed the tide with several strong finishes at the rim, and Blake Hinson added 20 points.

Pittsburgh makes the ACC Tournament semifinals for just the second time -- it'll face No. 1 seed North Carolina -- and adds a huge boost to its NCAA Tournament resume in the process.

[Mar 14, 2024 at 2:10 pm ET · Zachary Pereles]

Quarterfinals: No. 1 North Carolina 92, No. 9 Florida State 67

ACC regular-season champion North Carolina flexed its muscles literally and figuratively in its first game of the ACC Tournament, blowing out No. 9 Florida State 92-67. The Seminoles hung tough early, but North Carolina used a 20-7 burst to lead 46-30 at halftime and never looked back.

Four Tar Heels reached double figures scoring, led by RJ Davis with 18. Cormac Ryan continued his hot streak of late with 14 points on 5 of 7 shooting. Armando Bacot added 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Tar Heels' regulars got plenty of rest late. Seth Trimble added 12 points and provided the exclamation point to the dominant win. Florida State, meanwhile, found it tough sledding after an 86-76 win over Virginia Tech in the second round. Primo Spears led the way with 15 points.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 11:33 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Boston College 76, Clemson 55

No. 11 seed Boston College is surging at the right time and knocked off No. 6 seed Clemson 76-55 behind 27 points from Claudell Harris Jr. Jaeden Zackery added 22 for BC, which led for nearly 38 minutes. The Eagles built a 40-28 halftime edge and never looked back while running a projected NCAA Tournament team out of the gym. BC will play No. 3 seed Virginia in Thursday's quarterfinals.

Clemson was a projected No. 6 seed for the NCAA Tournament in Jerry Palm's Bracketology entering the day. But a first-round exit from the ACC Tournament exit with a loss to a BC team that entered ranked No. 96 in the NET could ding the Tigers a bit on Selection Sunday. P.J. Hall led Clemson with 21 points on 8 of 14 in what was otherwise an offensive clunker for the Tigers.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 9:05 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: NC State 83, Syracuse 65

No. 10 seed NC State used a 21-2 run early in the second half to bury No. 7 seed Syracuse and reach the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Leading scorer DJ Horne returned to the lineup for the Wolfpack after missing Tuesday's opening-round win over Louisville due to injury, contributing 16 points in just 20 minutes. Jayden Taylor led the way with 18. Michael O'Connell scored 16 and D.J. Burns Jr. finished with 15. Judah Mintz led Syracuse with 21.

NC State will play No. 2 seed Duke in Thursday's quarterfinals in the second meeting between the teams after Duke won the first 79-64 on March 4. The Wolfpack appeared to be trending toward at-large candidacy for the NCAA Tournament when it started ACC play 7-4. However, after losing seven of its final nine games entering the conference tournament, NC State's path to reaching the Big Dance will likely require five wins in five days. Wednesday's win marked the second in that quest.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 5:04 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Wake Forest 72, Notre Dame 59

Wake Forest needs a big week to get on the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, and the No. 5 seed Demon Deacons began it in style with a win over No. 12 seed Notre Dame. Kevin Miller led the way with 17 points for the Demon Deacons, who outscored Notre Dame 38-14 in the paint and 16-7 in second-chance points. After leading 40-34 at halftime, Wake Forest built its edge to 10 in the early second half and never let Notre Dame back within single digits. The Demon Deacons will play No. 4 seed Pitt in Thursday's quarterfinals in a battle between two bubble teams.

The loss ends Notre Dame's season with a 13-20 record. But there were signs of progress in Year 1 under Micah Shrewsberry. After a 7-16 start, the Fighting Irish won six of their final 10. The stretch included regular-season wins over Wake Forest and Clemson. Freshman guards Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry showed excellent potential throughout the year but combined to shoot just 5 of 25 from the floor in Wednesday's loss.

[Mar 13, 2024 at 2:19 pm ET · David Cobb]

Second round: Florida State 86, Virginia Tech 76

No. 9 seed Florida State used an 11-0 run late in the second half to take command and down No. 8 seed Virginia Tech. Jamir Watkins led the Seminoles with a career-high 34 points while Jalen Warley added 18. FSU will advance to play No. 1 seed North Carolina in the quarterfinals Thursday. The 'Noles need to win the ACC Tournament in order to reach the NCAA Tournament and will face a tall task against the Tar Heels on that path. But they did play UNC close in two losses earlier this season.

This will likely be the second straight missed NCAA Tournament for Virginia Tech after fifth-year coach Mike Young took the Hokies to the dance in 2021 and 2022. Sean Pedulla scored 24 to lead the Hokies, who made things interesting in the final minute before their rally fizzled. Virginia Tech picked up high-caliber nonconference victories against Boise State and Iowa State in November, but a 10-10 record in the watered-down ACC and an early exit from the league tournament are likely to keep the Hokies on the wrong side of the bubble.

[Mar 12, 2024 at 9:07 pm ET · Cameron Salerno]

First round: Boston College 81, Miami 65

No. 11 seed Boston College cruised to a 81-65 victory over No. 14 seed Miami to close out Day 1 of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday. The Eagles have a date with No. 6 seed Clemson in the second round on Wednesday. The winner will face No. 3 seed Virginia in the quarterfinals.

Boston College star Quinten Post scored a game-high 30 points and Jaeden Zackery added 16 in the win. The Eagles are still firmly outside the bubble and would have to win the ACC tourney to secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Miami ends its season with a 15-17 record and will miss out on the NCAA Tournament less than a year after reaching the Final Four. 

[Mar 12, 2024 at 6:52 pm ET · David Cobb]

First round: NC State 94, Louisville 85

Playing without leading scorer DJ Horne, who missed the game due to a hip injury, NC State withstood a career-high 36 points from Louisville guard Skyy Clark. Horne was regarded as a game-time decision, and his status will be a significant storyline entering tomorrow's second round game against No. 7 seed Syracuse. Without him, Casey Morsell stepped up with 25 points on 13 of 13 shooting at the free-throw line. The Wolfpack hit 31 of 38 from the charity stripe as a team. Louisville hit 10 of 18 attempts from 3-point range, led by Clark's 7 of 9 mark, but the Cardinals couldn't back up the strong shooting performance with good defense.

Louisville's season ends with an 8-24 record, and attention will now turn to the fate of second-year coach Kenny Payne. He posted just a 4-28 mark in Year 1, and is now just 12-52 overall. The former Louisville star and longtime Kentucky assistant has simply been overmatched in a job that should garner significant interest if/when it comes open.

[Mar 12, 2024 at 4:19 pm ET · David Cobb]

First round: Notre Dame 84, Georgia Tech 80

No. 12 seed Notre Dame blew a 17-point lead in the second half before closing strong over the final two minutes for an 84-80 win over No. 13 seed Georgia Tech. Braden Shrewsberry led the Fighting Irish with 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while ACC Rookie of the Year Markus Burton contributed 21 points and eight assists on 8-of 15-shooting. Notre Dame will be a tough matchup for No. 5 seed Wake Forest in Wednesday's second round after beating the Demon Deacons 70-65 on Feb. 27 in their only regular-season meeting.

Georgia Tech staged a valiant rally behind 24 points from Nathan George and 22 from Bay Ndongo, but the Yellow Jackets' first season under coach Damon Stoudamire will end at 14-18. This club entered the postseason having won three of its final four games and showed a lot of grit in rallying after trailing 65-48 at one point. The relatively strong finish could be something for Georgia Tech to build on as Stoudamire establishes his program.