Here is the latest ACC sports news from The Associated Press
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Isaiah Evans scored 19 points to help No. 1 Duke beat No. 11 Virginia 77-51. That win clinched the top seed for the upcoming Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. Evans hit five 3-pointers, with three coming in the opening minutes. Star freshman Cameron Boozer had 18 points with most of that production coming at the foul line. Thijs De Ridder scored 16 points for the Cavaliers. Virginia had won nine straight but fell to 0-17 against top-ranked Duke teams. Duke led 41-26 at the break.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — Henri Veesaar matched a season-high with 26 points, Seth Trimble scored 20 points, and No. 18 North Carolina pulled away in the second half to beat Virginia Tech 89-82. Jonathan Powell got 15 points off the bench, 13 of which came before halftime. Neoklis Avdalas finished with 19 points for the Hokies, who lost for the third time in four games. Tobi Lawal and Ben Hammond had 16 points apiece. North Carolina played without leading scorer and rebounder Caleb Wilson for the fifth straight game. The star freshman fractured his left hand against Miami on Feb. 10. The Tar Heels are now 4-1 in his absence.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Benny Gealer powers Stanford past SMU, and he does it with a career night from long range. On Saturday, Gealer pours in 30 points and drills seven 3-pointers as Stanford wins 95-75. He shoots 8-for-12 and breaks his old best in points and 3s. Stanford grabs the lead early and goes into halftime up 34-27. SMU closes within six in the second half, but Stanford answers with a big run to pull away. Ebuka Okorie scores 22 for Stanford. Boopie Miller leads SMU with 26.
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Tre Donaldson scored 15 points, Miami took control with a huge first-half run, and the Hurricanes defeated Boston College 76-54. Miami trailed 13-6 early in the first half but the Hurricanes outscored the Eagles 30-6 over the final 15 minutes to lead 36-19 at halftime. A 13-2 run near the midway point of the second half helped the Hurricanes push their lead to 55-31. Later in the half, reserve guard Noah Dovrat drilled 4 of 5 3-pointers and Miami’s lead reached 27 points. Ernest Udeh Jr. had 11 points and 12 rebounds and Tru Washington scored 14 points for Miami. Dovrat scored a season-high 12 points. He has made 5 of his last 7 3-point tries. Boden Kapke scored 18 points for Boston College.
SOUTH BEND, ind. (AP) — Cole Certa scored 32 points, including 12 in overtime, Jalen Haralson added 25, and Notre Dame defeated N.C. State 96-90. The loss damages N.C. State’s hopes of finishing in top four of the ACC. The top four teams in the regular season earn byes into the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. N.C. State drops from a tie for fourth place into seventh place with two games remaining. Certa drained three 3-pointers in overtime, helping the Fighting Irish take a 93-88 lead with 1 1/2 minutes remaining. N.C. State went 1 for 8 from deep in overtime while trying to catch up and Certa’s two free throws with 19 seconds left sealed the win for Notre Dame.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Myles Colvin scored 32 points on a near-perfect shooting effort and Wake Forest rallied in the second half to defeat Syracuse 88-83. Colvin made seven of eight 3-pointers and his only 3-point miss came with 1:22 remaining in the game. He shot 9 of 12 overall and was 7 for 7 at the free-throw line. Tre’Von Spillers scored 16 for Wake Forest and Juke Harris added 13. Donnie Freeman scored 28 points and Nate Kingz 20 for Syracuse. A driving layup by Freeman had Syracuse within 84-80 in the final minute, but an offensive rebound and putback by Cooper Schwieger gave Wake Forest a six-point margin with 30 seconds left.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Pittsburgh controls the game from start to finish and beats California 72-56 behind big nights from Nojus Indrusaitis and Cameron Corhen. On Saturday, Pitt never trails and leads by eight at halftime. Cal makes a push and cuts the margin to 47-44 with about 13 minutes left. Indrusaitis answers fast with 10 points in a key run. Barry Dunning Jr. adds 15 points and 12 rebounds as Pitt pulls away. Cal gets 11 points from Dai Dai Ames and 10 from Lee Dort. Pitt next hosts Florida State on Wednesday. Cal visits Georgia Tech on Wednesday.
UNDATED (AP) — Athletes and college sports administrators continue to end up in court less than a year after the House vs. NCAA class-action lawsuit was settled. Legal experts see no end in sight without federal legislation codifying rules on NIL and eligibility or a a totally new structure for the enterprise. Duke and Cincinnati sued quarterbacks who entered the transfer portal alleging breach of contract. More athletes are suing the NCAA to gain extra eligibility years. Attorney Mit Winter says federal law, a Supreme Court ruling or collective bargaining will stop the chaos.
