ACC Tournament Brackets 2016: Results, Scores From Day Three Include Duke, North Carolina Games

ACC tournament bracket for 2016 are heading into the quarterfinals. The 2016 ACC tournament results from day two included one upset, as No. 10 Georgia Tech beat No. 7 Clemson 88-85 to advance. It took an overtime period to decide the outcome and as a reward for the victory, Georgia Tech now has a very tough game against Virginia in third-round play. Both teams that won first-round games (Florida State and NC State) lost in the second round to close out their seasons.

The other three ACC tournament results from day two were Pittsburgh beating Syracuse 72-71, Duke beating NC State 92-89, and Virginia Tech beating Florida State 96-85. The Duke vs. NC State was much closer than the college basketball analysts had predicted. Some NC State fans may have even felt that an upset was brewing as the team had a lead at halftime and kept the game close for nearly the full 40 minutes.

The ACC tournament brackets have the quarterfinals to be played on Thursday, March 10. No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 8 Pittsburgh starts day three at 12 p.m. ET. No. 4 Notre Dame vs. No. 5 Duke serves as the second early game at 2 p.m. ET. Then No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 10 Georgia Tech opens the night games at 7 p.m. ET. Finally, No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech wraps up the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. ET.

Four nationally-ranked schools serve as the better seeds for the quarterfinals in the 2016 ACC tournament brackets. Virginia is ranked No. 4 overall at 24-6, North Carolina is No. 7 at 25-6, Miami is No. 11 at 24-6, and Duke is No. 19 at 23-9. It would certainly be considered an upset if Virginia, North Carolina, Miami, or Duke were to lose before reaching the semi-finals. That’s why they play the games, though, as Pittsburgh is 21-10, Notre Dame is 20-10, Virginia Tech is 19-13, and Georgia Tech is 19-13 on the season.

The ACC tournament brackets head to the semi-finals at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET on Friday, March 11. This then leads to the ACC Championship Game at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 12. At the midway point the 2016 ACC Tournament, Joe Lunardi at ESPN.com has seven conference teams getting invites to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. That would tie the conference with the Big 12 for most schools receiving invites. There is also a chance that the North Carolina Tar Heels could also emerge with a No. 1 seed should the school run the table in the ACC Tournament.

There are a number of players to keep an eye on during third-round games of the ACC Tournament. Several players from the conference are expected to be selected early in the upcoming NBA Draft. They include Duke forward Brandon Ingram, North Carolina forward Brice Johnson, Notre Dame point guard Demetrius Jackson, Duke shooting guard Grayson Allen, Miami guard Sheldon McClellan, and Virginia guard Malcolm Brogdon. Each player could improve his draft stock by helping get his team to the ACC Championship Game.

Based on the ACC tournament results from March 10, conference fans could soon see a North Carolina vs. Duke match-up in the semi-finals. Duke has a tough game against Notre Dame to make that happen, but it would certainly bring in more viewers for the March 11 broadcast. It’s possible that the other semi-final match-up could be Virginia vs. Virginia Tech based on the other ACC tournament results.

ESPN will be providing live coverage for all four games from the ACC tournament brackets on Thursday, March 11. It will be a day packed with college basketball for the network, showcasing some of the best teams in the country. The NCAA Selection Committee will be watching all the games very closely, with the potential that the ACC Tournament results could lead to as many as eight invites for the 2016 NCAA Tournament later in March.

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