ACC Basketball News and Notes: Four Teams in the Sweet 16

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Tonight, the second weekend of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place in arenas across the country. This part of the tournament is known as the “Sweet 16” Four teams from the ACC have made it to this stage. They are Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, and North Carolina State. They are now just two wins away from a trip to Phoenix, AZ. to play in this year’s Final Four.

In the first weekend of the tournament, the league had a record of 8-1. The eight wins were by an average of 18.4 points and six of those wins were by double figures. This is the 45th time the ACC has had at least one team in the Sweet 16 which is the longest streak in the nation. In the past nine years, beginning in 2015, 31 of 60 teams from the league have made it to the second weekend. That is the most of any league. Since the tournament expanded to 64 in 1985, 214 ACC teams have earned bids, and 105 of them have advanced to the Sweet 16 (49%).

Tonight in Los Angeles in the West Region, the #1 Tar Heels (29-7) will face the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide (23-11). N.C. took care of Wagner 90-62, then Michigan State 85-69 in the second round. The Crimson Tide came into this tournament as the best-scoring offense in the country at 90.7 points a game. The Tar Heels are 49th in the country in assists/turnovers at 1.42 (519 assists/365 turnovers in 36 games). Alabama likes to get out and run when they have the chance. They are 18th in the country in fastbreak points averaging 14.4 points in 34 games played.

Also in Los Angeles, the #6 seeded Clemson Tigers (23-11) will meet the #2 seeded Arizona Wildcats (27-8). For the Tigers, this will be their first appearance in the Sweet 16 since the 2018 season. They got here with wins over New Mexico 77-56, then a solid win over Baylor 74-66 on Sunday. The Wildcats do a good job of sharing the basketball. They are #4 in the nation in assists per game at 18.6. They are also 26th in the nation in effective FG pct. at .549. Arizona is 21st in assists/turnover at 1.55 (651 assists 421 TO). Clemson is 39th (501 assists/345 turnovers) for an average of 1.45.

On Friday, the other two ACC teams will play. In the South Region, the #4 seed Duke Blue Devils (26-8) will take on the #1 seed the Houston Cougars (32-4). Duke took care of business last weekend with wins over Vermont 64-47, then over James Madison 93-55. The Cougars are the number one scoring defense in the country averaging 57.7 points allowed. Duke is 31st at 66.5 points. The Blue Devils are 33rd in rebound margin at five in 34 games. Houston is #1 in field goal percentage defense at 37.8% (686 points in 36 games). They are seventh in steals per game at 9.9 (358 in 36 games). The Blue Devils are 12th in three-point percentage at 38% (287-of-754).

North Carolina State (24-14) is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2015 and will face the #2 seed Marquette Golden Eagles (27-9). The Wolfpack, who are the #11 seed, have won seven games in a row after winning five games in five days to capture the ACC Tournament Championship in Washington, DC. Last weekend, they defeated the #6 seed Texas Tech by an 80-67 score. Then, they took out Oakland in overtime 79-73. Marquette does not foul much. They are 39th in the country in fouls per game at 15 (541 in 36 games). They are also 24th in the nation in turnovers forced per game at 14.7 per contest.

By Sunday night, we’ll know if any of the four teams left will have one more weekend of basketball to play.