The NCAA men’s basketball tournament is turning into an ACC showcase. The conference had an 11-1 record going into Thursday with two teams taking the court in the Sweet 16. Three more will play Friday.
Notre Dame, the ACC tournament champion, was up first, and the Irish ended Wichita State’s season with an impressive second half.
Blue-blood North Carolina was going for an upset, trying to take down the top seed in the West Region as the Tar Heels played Wisconsin in a game that started 30 minutes after the Irish and Shockers tipped off.
In the final two games of the night, hot favorite Kentucky was to play West Virginia and Arizona was to face off with Xavier.
Notre Dame runs away with it
The Irish found the right balance in the second half, putting the Shockers away for a 81-70 victory in the Midwest Region. Notre Dame trailed by 1 with 16:43 left when it went on a spurt that saw six different players score as the lead grew to double digits.
Demetrius Jackson, who started the run with back-to-back three-pointers, led the Irish with 20 points. Two-sport star Pat Connaughton had 16. Steve Vasturia, who one CBS analyst called a baby-faced assassin, chipped in 13 points.
Jerian Grant, a national player of the year candidate, had a rough night shooting, so he set up his teammates for buckets instead. He had nine points but 11 assists.
Junior Fred VanVleet led the Shockers with 25 points while Darius Carter maneuvered inside for 22.