Virginia 68, Boston College 62
No. 8 seed Virginia took down ninth-seeded Boston College behind 21 points from Sammy Zeglinski. Zeglinski, who scored 16 of those points in the first half, was one of four Cavalier starters to finish in double figures. Other Virginia starters with 10 or more points were Mustapha Farrakhan, Jeff Jones and Jerome Meyinsse. Those four combined with Mike Scott, who scored 11 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, helped the Cavs snap a nine-game losing streak and advance to quarterfinal play. The nine-game losing streak was not the only trend UVA fans were happy to see come to an end. The win was also the first tournament victory for the Wahoos since Virginia defeated in-state rival Virginia Tech in the first round of the 2006 tournament. Up next for the Cavs will be a tilt with top-seeded Duke and first-team All-ACC selections Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler. Virginia’s quarterfinal showdown with the Blue Devils will tip off at noon.
Miami 83, Wake Forest 62
Prior to this year’s conference tournament, coaches throughout the league spoke of the wide open play they expected out of this season’s postseason tourney. No. 12 seed Miami provided ACC fans with a glimpse of what those coaches were talking about with a shocking 21-point romp over fifth-seeded Wake Forest. The Canes were led by Reggie Johnson’s, who had the best performance of his young career, as the redshirt freshman from Winston-Salem came off the bench and did not miss a shot, pouring in 22 points on eight for eight shooting from the field and six for six shooting from the free throw line. The Hurricanes made the game the blowout many expected it to be, except that Miami played like the higher-seeded team from the opening tip to the final whistle. Miami jumped out to a 27-15 lead midway through the first half, took a 14-point cushion to the locker room for halftime, then extended the lead to as many as 25 late in the second half. Miami will square off with fellow former Big East member and No. 4 seed Virginia Tech at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Georgia Tech 62, UNC-Chapel Hill 58
UNC’s season might very well be over after the Heels’ third loss of the year to the Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech came out in the second half and wasted little time erasing the 34-24 deficit they faced at the half. The Jackets reeled off seven straight points in the first minute and seven seconds of the second half to pull within three of the Heels at 34-31. The teams were tied at 36 a little more than a minute later, and played each other tight the rest of the way. Georgia Tech took advantage of UNC’s inability to score down the stretch, as Carolina’s last field goal was a jumper by Will Graves that tied the game at 56 all with 5:11 remaining. Marcus Ginyard made two foul shots, but his trip to the line with 47 seconds to play gave the Heels their only points of the game’s final four minutes. Georgia Tech will take on No. 2 seed Maryland Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.
