Virginia Tech capped its magical run in the ACC Tournament on Saturday with a fairytale ending, knocking off No. 1 seed Duke 82-67 to claim its first-ever ACC Tournament title in men's basketball. The Hokies were led by a career-high 31 points from junior sharpshooter Hunter Cattoor, who drained seven of his nine 3-point attempts, and got 19 points to go with it from Keve Aluma as they cruised with ease down the stretch over a Blue Devils team that dominated the ACC regular season race.
The Hokies were featured as a bubble team lurking as a potential bid thief in Jerry Palm's Bubble Watch on Saturday, as the CBS Sports Bracketology Expert noted they were likely out of the NCAA Tournament field unless they stole a win. That's exactly what they did, earning the ACC's automatic bid in stunning fashion by becoming the first team in the conference tournament as a 7 seed or higher to win the whole thing. It marks their 13th win in the last 15 outings as they head to March Madness as one of the hottest teams in the sport.
"Holy cow!" said Virginia Tech coach Mike Young on ESPN after the game. "We capped off a really incredible six weeks, and I'm really proud of my team."
Virginia Tech's week featured four wins in four days at the ACC Tournament which had only been accomplished once in the history of the ACC Tournament -- by Duke in 2017. The Hokies have now earned their fifth straight NCAA Tournament berth.
Duke made things interesting in the second half with Paolo Banchero's 10 second-half points helping push the Blue Devils. But it never led in the second half, shot just 4 of 20 from 3 for the game as a team and struggled defensively by allowing Storm Murphy to pressure the rim and Cattoor to score at will. The loss likely cost Duke a chance, however small, at a 1 seed after entering the day as a 2 seed in Palm's bracket.
2022 ACC Tournament scores
First round -- Tuesday, March 8
Game 1: No. 13 Boston College 66, No. 12 Pittsburgh 46 | Recap
Game 2: No. 10 Clemson 70, No. 15 NC State 64 | Recap
Game 3: No. 11 Louisville 84, No. 14 Georgia Tech 74 | Recap
Second round -- Wednesday, March 9
Game 4: No. 9 Syracuse 96, No. 8 Florida State 57 | Recap
Game 5: No. 13 Boston College 82, No. 5 Wake Forest 77 (OT) | Recap
Game 6: No. 7 Virginia Tech 76, No. 10 Clemson 75 (OT) | Recap
Game 7: No. 6 Virginia 51, No. 11 Louisville 50 | Recap
Quarterfinals -- Thursday, March 10
Game 8: No. 1 Duke 88, No. 9 Syracuse 79 | Recap
Game 9: No. 4 Miami 71, No. 13 Boston College 69 (OT) | Recap
Game 10: No. 7 Virginia Tech 87, No. 2 Notre Dame 80 | Recap
Game 11: No. 3 North Carolina 63, No. 6 Virginia 42 | Recap
Semifinals -- Friday, March 11
Game 12: No. 1 Duke 80, No. 4 Miami 76 | Recap
Game 13: No. 7 Virginia Tech 72, No. 3 North Carolina 59 | Recap
ACC Tournament Championship Game -- Saturday, March 12
Game 14: No. 7 Virginia Tech 82, No. 1 Duke 67