ACC ‘Party’ Over for Tar Heels

Roy Williams’ first trip to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament as a head coach -- a four-day affair he likened this week to a “cocktail party” because of how meaningless he considers it to be -- was a short one Friday when No. 16 North Carolina was eliminated in an 83-82 loss to No. 14 Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals at Greensboro, N.C.

“I didn’t say I didn’t like the tournament,” Williams said. “I don’t like it as much this year, there’s no question, because we just got our butts beat and I’m going back home.”

The Tar Heels (18-10) have Jarrett Jack to blame for that.

Jack made a game-winning 15-foot jump shot with 1.4 seconds to play to save the Yellow Jackets (23-8) after they had blown an 11-point lead over the final 8:15.

Georgia Tech trailed, 82-81, after Sean May made one of two free throws with 9.8 seconds left. After two timeouts, Jack inbounded the ball to Marvin Lewis and then scrambled for position on the court. He ended up all alone at the top of the key, where Lewis found him with a crisp pass.

“The play wasn’t even designed for me, but I just found a seam in the defense and ripped the ball through,” said Jack, his eyes locked on a nearby television showing a replay of his shot.

“It was kind of scary how open I was. If nothing else, I knew I had to rim it to give us a chance. But it went through and there’s nothing like being the hero in an ACC tournament game.”

May tried a quick inbound pass to Rashad McCants after Jack’s shot, but Lewis stole the ball to secure the victory and send the Yellow Jackets into the semifinals for the first time in three seasons.

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In other ACC games:

Sophomore Shelden Williams had a career-high 27 points and eight rebounds to lift No. 5 Duke past Virginia, 84-74.

Duke (26-4) has won a record 16 consecutive ACC tournament games, and is seeking to become the first team to win six championships in a row.

The Blue Devils, who play Georgia Tech today, haven’t lost a tournament game since North Carolina beat them, 83-68, in the 1998 final.

Freshman J.R. Reynolds scored 20 points to lead the Cavaliers (17-12), who have lost 19 of 21 to Duke dating to the 1995-96 season.

John Gilchrist made one of two free throws with 3.7 seconds left to help Maryland (17-11) upset No. 15 Wake Forest, 87-86.

With the score tied at 86-86 with 12.9 left, Gilchrist was fouled by Taron Downey as he drove toward the basket.

He made his first free throw, Wake Forest called timeout, and Gilchrist purposely missed the second shot. The Demon Deacons (19-9) scrambled for the rebound and Downey missed a last-second shot.

Maryland (17-11) will play No. 17 North Carolina State (20-8). The Wolfpack advanced with a 78-71 victory over Florida State. It was its 12th consecutive victory over the Seminoles (18-13).

ATLANTIC TEN

Lionel Chalmers matched his career high with 26 points -- including 10 during a 22-6 first-half run -- to lead Xavier (22-10) to a 70-47 victory over George Washington (18-11) in the conference semifinals at Dayton, Ohio.

The Musketeers will play Dayton (24-7), a 58-56 winner over Richmond (20-12). Sean Finn made the second of two foul shots with 1:07 left to give Dayton the lead for good at 55-52.

BIG EAST

Carl Krauser scored six points in the final minute at Madison Square Garden and defending champion Pittsburgh (29-6) advanced to the title game for the fourth consecutive season with a 62-53 victory over Boston College. (23-9).

The sixth-ranked Panthers will play No. 9 Connecticut (26-6). Ben Gordon scored 29 points and the Huskies won again without Emeka Okafor -- sidelined because of back spasms -- beating Villanova, 84-67.

The Wildcats (16-16) beat Seton Hall and Providence to become the first team in the tournament’s 25-year history to enter with a sub-.500 record and win two games.

BIG TEN

No. 12 Illinois (23-5) outscored Indiana, 17-5, in the final five minutes of the quarterfinal game at Indianapolis to beat the Hoosiers, 71-59. The Hoosiers (14-15) posted their first losing season since 1969-70, when they went 7-17. The win sent the Illini, the regular-season champions, into the semifinals for the seventh consecutive season. They will play Michigan, a 79-70 winner over Iowa.

No. 10 Wisconsin advanced to the semifinals with a 66-52 victory over Minnesota (12-18). The Badgers (22-6) will play Michigan State (18-10), a 68-55 winner over Northwestern (14-15).

BIG 12

No. 11 Texas (22-6) ended Oklahoma’s grip on the conference tournament with a 66-63 victory over the three-time defending champion Sooners (19-10) in the quarterfinals at Dallas. Brandon Mouton scored five points in the final 26.8 seconds, capping the Longhorns’ comeback from a 12-point deficit with 7:09 left.

Texas will play No. 18 Kansas (21-7), a 94-69 winner over Missouri (16-13). Wayne Simien had 31 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats.

No. 7 Oklahoma State (25-3) took the lead for good with a 14-3 run with less then eight minutes left and beat Iowa State, 83-75. The Cyclones (17-11) were hoping to avenge a 21-point rout in February.

The Cowboys will play Texas Tech (22-9), who used a 12-3 run to break open a tight game and beat Colorado, 79-69. The Buffaloes (18-10) had won five of six, including an 85-75 win over Texas Tech last month.

CONFERENCE USA

No. 13 Cincinnati (23-6) advanced to the conference title game for the third in time in four seasons, making five of six three-point baskets during a 19-point run in the second half at Cincinnati to rout Saint Louis, 66-46.

In the other semifinal, DePaul (21-8) rallied from a 16-point deficit to beat Alabama Birmingham, 75-74, in overtime, setting up a rematch between teams that played last week. Cincinnati lost at DePaul, 68-65.

SOUTHEASTERN

Georgia (16-13) was in position to become only the second team in 84 seasons to sweep three games from Kentucky in a season, but the eighth-ranked Wildcats (24-4) used a late 12-3 run to beat the Bulldogs, 69-60, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta and advance to the conference semifinals.

The Wildcats will play South Carolina (23-9). The Gamecocks advanced with an 85-64 victory over Louisiana State (18-10).

Vanderbilt (21-9) upset fourth-ranked Mississippi State in overtime, 74-70, and probably denied the Bulldogs (25-3) a chance of being a top-seeded team in the NCAA tournament.

SEC player of the year Lawrence Roberts had a chance to win it in regulation for the Bulldogs, but his three-point shot at the buzzer hit the back of the rim.

The Commodores will play Florida (19-9), which advanced with a 75-73 overtime victory over Alabama (17-12). Lee Humphrey’s only basket of the game, a 17-foot buzzer-beater, gave the Gators the win.