UNDATED (AP) — Fourth-ranked Duke plays its final home game under Mike Krzyzewski on Saturday against North Carolina to headline the schedule for the Atlantic Coast Conference’s final weekend. The Blue Devils won the first meeting by 20 points in Chapel Hill. Duke has already clinched the program’s first outright ACC regular-season title since 2006. The schedule also includes Virginia Tech continuing its push for an NCAA Tournament bid and North Carolina State flirting with the program’s first 20-loss season. The league is holding its women’s tournament this week in Greensboro, North Carolina. The men play their tournament next week in New York.
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Retiring Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski is set to coach his final basketball game at Duke. That game comes Saturday against rival North Carolina. The 75-year-old Krzyzewski says he knows it will be an emotional experience and said he’ll have to spend time preparing to deal with the moment. He quipped that he’ll need to “have a meeting with me” to get ready. Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils have won 88% of their home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium in his 42 seasons in Durham. Current player Wendell Moore Jr. says he’s noticed Krzyzewski being “a little sentimental” this week leading up to the finale.
UNDATED (AP) — Virginia has dismissed women’s basketball coach Tina Thompson after four seasons. Athletic director Carla Williams made the announcement on Wednesday. It came one day after the 14th-seeded Cavaliers were eliminated 61-53 by Wake Forest in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. The Cavaliers were 5-22 this season and 30-63 in four years under Thompson, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and four-time WNBA champion. They were 15-38 against conference competition. Williams says the Cavaliers “have not experienced the kind of success this program has come to expect and deserve.” Williams says a national search would begin immediately to name Thompson’s successor.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Aisha Sheppard scored 20 points, Elizabeth Kitley had 19 points and 10 rebounds and No. 21 Virginia Tech beat Clemson 82-60 in the second round of the ACC tournament. Fifth-seeded Virginia Tech advances to play No. 4 seed and 16th ranked North Carolina in the quarterfinals on Friday. Virginia Tech made its first six field goals and led 25-15 after one quarter before extending it to 53-30 at halftime, shooting 79% from the field. The Hokies had three players in double figures for their most post scored by halftime in an ACC tournament game. The Hokies led by 30 points on a 3-pointer by Sheppard early in the third quarter. Delicia Washington had 19 points for Clemson.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Erin Howard scored 16 points, Morgan Jones made two key baskets in the final 1:12 and No. 9 seed Florida State held off eighth-seeded Boston College 63-58 in the second round of the ACC tournament. Florida State will play third-ranked North Carolina State in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Seminoles lost to the ACC regular-season champions 68-48 on Feb. 3. Florida State led 54-41 with 4:15 remaining in the fourth quarter before turning it over four times during a 12-1 Boston College run. Three of those came on consecutive possessions. Leading 61-58, Florida State struggled again with Boston College’s pressure defense and with the shot clock winding down, Jones drove the lane and converted a contested layup with 7.8 seconds left. Taylor Soule scored 16 points for Boston College.
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — Destiny Harden and Lola Pendande teamed up for nine straight points that gave Miami the lead for good in the fourth quarter as the Hurricanes defeated Duke 61-55 in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. The seventh-seeded Hurricanes will take on second-seeded and fourth-ranked Louisville in Friday’s quarterfinals after avenging a nine-point regular-season loss to the Blue Devils. Harden and Pendande scored 11 points apiece with Harden grabbing nine rebounds. Kelsey Marshall and Karla Erjavec added 10 points each. Celeste Taylor scored 19 points with three 3-pointers for Duke. Shayeann Day-Wilson added 13 points and Elizabeth Balogun 12.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — Syracuse forward Benny Williams will miss the rest of his freshman season because of a lower-body injury. Williams was injured Monday night in an overtime loss at North Carolina. The school said Thursday that he’s expected to make a full recovery. The 6-foot-8 small forward from Bowie, Maryland, had a disappointing season. He played in all but one of 30 games and averaged 1.9 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 11.5 minutes. In nine games he played five minutes or fewer. Williams had his best game last Saturday night in a home loss to then-No. 7 Duke, scoring a season-high 14 points and added six rebounds in a season-high 30 minutes. Syracuse closes its regular season on Saturday at home against Miami.
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