CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Day one is done at the ACC Tournament and three ACC teams live to see another day inside the Spectrum Center.
A little bit of drama and a little bit of history opened the ACC Tournament, with the 14 and 15 seed surviving to the second round. All three winning teams play again on Wednesday, bringing in the four teams who secured a first-round bye.
Here are takeaways from Day One of the tournament.
Game 1: No. 12 Notre Dame 55, No. 13 Pitt 54
The miracle that prevented overtime was exactly what the Fighting Irish needed, though it came with fireworks.
In a slow moving, low scoring slugfest, Notre Dame narrowly survived a second half attack from Pitt. The game was supposed to be headlined with a battle between Jaland Lowe and Markus Burton, but Burton struggled to score his 10 points. Instead, Tae Davis scored a team-high 11 points, compared to Lowe’s game-leading 17, and knocked down the game-winning free throw.
That was after Davis was given a Flagrant 1 just five minutes, too. The Fighting Irish forward made just one of two free throws after a Panthers foul was called with 0.5 seconds on the clock.
Jaland Lowe and Zack Austin emotional after Pitt’s loss pic.twitter.com/CRutFOWICt
— George Michalowski (@MichalowskiCBB) March 11, 2025
“I’m in disbelief,” Lowe said postgame. “I’m hurt. Nobody should have to go out like this.”
Takeaway: Life without a scoring Burton can get tough
Burton scored just two points in the first half. Granted, neither team played a stellar basketball game, but the former Rookie of the Year was just 4-for-14 from the floor against Pitt.
That won’t work against North Carolina on Wednesday.
Burton’s role with the Fighting Irish has always been a large one. The sophomore has averaged 22 points per game, and while one player doesn’t make or break a team, his lack of scoring was felt against Pitt.
“He just kept his head down, kept plugging, kept encouraging guys in the huddle,” Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “He helped us win this game, despite not playing — he made some huge plays down the stretch, but despite not playing his best game, he was a huge factor in our win.”
Game 2: No. 15 California 82, No. 10 Virginia Tech 73
For just the second time in ACC Tournament history, a 15 seed lives to play another day.
California has played six overtimes in its last two games, including a double overtime battle against Virginia Tech. After the Hokies forced the first overtime, the Golden Bears tied it late again to force another round. From there, California scored three straight baskets to separate itself from the No. 10 seed.
The only other time a 15 seed reached the second round was in 2019, when Notre Dame defeated Georgia Tech, 78-71.
Andrej Stojakovic scored a game-leading 29 points, with Mady Sissoko recording 12 points and 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the year. The Golden Bears forced 19 turnovers, a statistic the Hokies have struggled to manage all season long.
“I thought we were better than the 15 seed,” Rytis Petraitis said. “So this is our opportunity to prove ourselves and prove to other people. This is just the first step of it.”
The second game of the tournament was also the 600th ACC Basketball Tournament game ever played.
Takeaway: West Coast rivalry heading to Charlotte
A pair of former Pac-12 rivals get to bring their storied history to the Spectrum Center court — California and Stanford. And although it’s a battle filled with lots of history, it’ll be the first time a pair of West Coast teams take their business to the East Coast.
These are two teams that have played each other twice during the regular season, and the Cardinals have taken both games by single digits.
Stojakovic immediately began setting the stage, saying this rivalry is one ACC basketball fans won’t want to miss.
“In my eyes it’s just as big as any other rivalry in the country,” Stojakovic said. “To have a West Coast rivalry on the East Coast, we’re excited to show that tomorrow. Obviously they’re a really good team, but everyone in this locker room believes we’re a good team too.”
Game 3: No. 14 Syracuse 66, No. 11 Florida State 62
JJ Starling has been Syracuse’s star all season long. He didn’t disappoint in the ACC Tournament.
Although the Orange have struggled to close out games throughout this season, Syracuse prevented Florida State from taking a lead at any point in its conference tournament matchup. Both teams struggled to make triples, just four made between the two, but Starling’s 27 points helped propel the Orange to day two.
Eddie Lampkin Jr. and Jyare Davis combined for 28 points and 15 rebounds, with Lampkin one rebound shy of a double-double. Syracuse opted to play just nine players to Florida State’s 10, where the Seminoles had three players reach double figures.
A 10-0 Syracuse run led by Lampkin and Davis helped secure the Orange’s win, even though Florida State made it a one possession game in the final seconds.
“I just thought today was the first time that our offense did not affect our defense,” Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry said. “It was really good, whether it was the zone or man-to-man. We were aggressive.”
Takeaway: Farewell, Coach
With Florida State’s loss, head coach Leonard Hamilton’s tenure as the Seminoles head coach comes to an end after 23 years.
Hamilton announced his resignation back in February, and is the third ACC head coach to step down since the start of this basketball season. Hamilton is the winningest coach in Florida State history and is inside the top five in ACC history.
“I’m comfortable that I’ve given all I have, and I hope people appreciate it and I hope they feel that we’ve left it in pretty good shape,” Hamilton said. “But I’ll let someone else judge my work because I did the very best I could.
Leonard Hamilton walks off the court for the very last time.
The Florida State head coach announced he’s resigning earlier this season. The ACC honored Hamilton in a brief pregame ceremony, recognizing him for his efforts as the Seminoles’ leader on and off the court. pic.twitter.com/0hnDFKdCnO
— Madison Hricik (@SportingMads) March 12, 2025
The Seminoles leader led Florida State to eight NCAA Tournament appearances and a regular season championship in 2020.
Florida State Athletics announced on Sunday it’s hired former Seminole and two-time NBA champion Luke Loucks as the program’s new head coach beginning this offseason.
Next up for Notre Dame: 5. North Carolina at Noon EST on ACC Network
Next up for California: 7. Stanford at 7 p.m. EST
Next up for Syracuse: 8. SMU at 9:30 p.m. EST