In a thrilling finish at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C., Ryan Conwell emerged as the decisive factor for 24th-ranked Louisville, netting five crucial points during the game’s final 77 seconds to secure a 62-58 triumph over SMU in Wednesday’s second-round matchup.
Despite missing freshman star Mikel Brown Jr., the Cardinals found offensive contributions from multiple sources, with Conwell finishing with 16 points total. Adrian Wooley contributed 14 points while Isaac McKneely added 10 to the winning effort. The Mustangs went scoreless over the game’s final 2 minutes and 43 seconds.
The sixth-seeded Cardinals (23-9) will face third-seeded Miami (24-7) in Thursday’s quarterfinal round, marking a rematch of Saturday’s regular-season finale that Louisville won on the road.
For the 11th-seeded Mustangs (20-13), Jaron Pierre Jr. topped all scorers with 17 points. Jaden Toombs contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, while Corey Washington chipped in 10 points. However, leading scorer Boopie Miller struggled significantly, managing just eight points on 4-of-17 shooting after averaging 19.5 points per game during the season. Miller missed all eight of his three-point attempts, part of SMU’s overall 9-for-27 performance from beyond the arc.
NC State 98, Pittsburgh 88
The Wolfpack dominated with exceptional shooting in their second-round triumph over the Panthers, led by Quadir Copeland’s outstanding 24-point, eight-assist performance.
NC State’s balanced offensive attack featured Ven-Allen Lubin with 18 points, Paul McNeil Jr. contributing 15, Tre Holloman adding 14, and both Darrion Williams and Matt Able scoring 12 points each. The Wolfpack connected on an impressive 60.8% of their field goal attempts and drained 13 of 23 three-point shots. Seventh-seeded NC State (20-12), winning just their second game in eight outings, earned a Thursday quarterfinal meeting with 10th-ranked, second-seeded Virginia.
Pittsburgh’s 15th-seeded squad (13-20) received a stellar 27-point effort from Cameron Corhen, who shot 9-for-12 from the field. Nojus Indrusaitis connected on five three-pointers and Omari Witherspoon each tallied 19 points, while Barry Dunning Jr. added 11. Despite shooting 57.1% as a team, the Panthers couldn’t match NC State’s offensive firepower.
Florida State 95, California 89
Robert McCray V’s explosive 30-point, eight-assist performance powered the eighth-seeded Seminoles past the ninth-seeded Golden Bears in their tournament clash.
Florida State (18-14) received additional scoring from Lajae Jones with 15 points and Chauncey Wiggins with 14. Kobe MaGee provided a crucial spark off the bench, scoring all 13 of his points in the opening half. The hot Seminoles have captured 10 victories in their past 12 games under rookie head coach Luke Loucks and will challenge top-seeded Duke in Thursday’s quarterfinals.
California’s tournament run likely ended their NCAA Tournament hopes, as the Golden Bears entered the week listed among the “next four out” in ESPN’s bracket projections. Dai Dai Ames paced Cal (21-11) with 27 points, while Chris Bell added 17, Justin Pippen scored 15, John Camden contributed 11, and Lee Dort recorded seven points alongside 18 rebounds.
Clemson 71, Wake Forest 62
The fifth-seeded Tigers used their characteristic defensive intensity and balanced scoring to eliminate the 13th-seeded Demon Deacons, with RJ Godfrey leading the way with 11 points and eight rebounds.
Clemson’s depth showed as Nick Davidson, Ace Buckner, Butta Johnson, and Dillon Hunter each scored eight points, while Chase Thompson added nine. The Tigers (23-9) advance to meet fourth-seeded North Carolina in Thursday evening’s quarterfinal as they chase their first ACC tournament championship since the event began in 1954.
Clemson’s signature aggressive defense created 12 turnovers while holding Wake Forest to 44.0% shooting from the field. The Tigers protected the basketball with just four turnovers and received a 34-20 scoring advantage from their bench players over the Deacons’ reserves. Juke Harris led Wake Forest (17-16) with 22 points.
