ACC Tournament play ramped up Wednesday with second-round action that began with No. 7 seed NC State earning a much-needed 98-88 win over No. 15 seed Pitt. It snapped a four-game losing streak for the Wolfpack, who had slipped onto the NCAA Tournament bubble. No. 11 seed SMU wasn’t as fortunate, as the bubbly Mustangs fell 62-58 against No. 6 seed Louisville in the day’s second game.

In the evening session, No. 8 seed Florida State continued its late-season surge by eliminating No. 9 seed Cal with a 95-89 win that may have have been enough to pop the Bears off the NCAA Tournament bubble for good. No. 5 seed Clemson capped off Day 2 of the ACC Tournament with a 71-62 win over No. 13 seed Wake Forest.

Thursday’s ACC Tournament quarterfinals will bring the debut of the event’s heavy hitters, as the top four seeds will start their postseason journeys. The action starts with No. 2 seed Virginia taking on No. 7 seed NC State in a battle of first-year coaches Ryan Odom (UVA) and Will Wade (NC State). Another of the league’s first-year coaches will be in action next, as Miami’s Jai Lucas leads his team against No. 6 seed Louisville. That game will be a rematch of Saturday’s thriller that the Cardinals won 92-89.

Thursday’s evening window will put a hobbled Duke team in the spotlight. The No. 1 seed Blue Devils are the No. 1 overall seed in CBS Sports Bracketology, but they will be operating without starters Caleb Foster and Patrick Ngongba II for an ACC Tournament journey that begins against No. 8 seed Florida State. Finally, No. 4 seed North Carolina will cap quarterfinal action by taking on No. 5 seed Clemson as the tournament’s field gets whittled down to just four teams.

More conference tournament scores, brackets: Big Ten | Big 12 | Big East | SEC

2026 ACC Tournament bracket, schedule

Location: Spectrum Center — Charlotte, North Carolina
Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)  | Follow live: CBS Sports App  

All times Eastern; some start times approximated

Second round — Wednesday, March 11
Game 4: No. 7 seed NC State 98, vs. No. 15 Pitt 88 | Recap
Game 5: No. 6 seed Louisville 62, No. 11 seed SMU 58 | Recap
Game 6: No. 8 seed Florida State 95, No. 9 seed California 89 | Recap
Game 7: No. 5 seed Clemson 71, No. 13 seed Wake Forest 62 | Recap

Quarterfinals — Thursday, March 12
Game 8: No. 2 seed Virginia vs. No. 7 seed NC State | Noon on ESPN2
Game 9: No. 3 seed Miami vs. No. 6 seed Louisville | 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2
Game 10: No. 1 seed Duke vs. No. 8 seed Florida State | 7 p.m. on ESPN
Game 11: No. 4 seed North Carolina vs. No. 5 seed Clemson | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN

Semifinals — Friday, March 13
Game 12: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner  | 7 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2
Game 13: Game 10 winner vs. Game 11 winner  | 9:30 p.m. on ESPN/ESPN2

ACC Tournament Championship Game — Saturday, March 14
Game 14: Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner | 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

2026 ACC Tournament scores, results

First round — Tuesday, March 10
Game 1: No. 15 Pitt 64, No. 10 Stanford 63 | Recap
Game 2: No. 11 seed SMU 86, No. 14 seed Syracuse 69 | Recap
Game 3: No. 13 seed Wake Forest 95, No. 12 seed Virginia Tech 89 (OT) | Recap

The hockey player who lost three family members in a mass shooting at a Rhode Island rink last month played the role of hero for his team Wednesday night.

Senior Colin Dorgan scored on a breakaway in double overtime, lifting Blackstone Valley Co-op over Portsmouth to a 3-2 victory and into the Rhode Island Division 2 hockey final.

“Greatest moment of my life,” Dorgan told WPRI TV after his goal sent teammates pouring onto the ice in celebration and fans at Schneider Arena in Providence roaring with applause.

A month earlier, Dorgan’s brother, mother and grandfather were killed when a shooter, identified as Robert Dorgan, opened fire on spectators at Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, during Blackstone Valley’s senior day game. Officials have said the shooter, who died of a self-inflicted gun wound, was specifically targeting family members. Two others were critically injured.

All high school sports in Rhode Island were postponed for a week after the shooting. Blackstone Valley didn’t play for nearly three weeks, finally returning to the ice for the start of the D-2 quarterfinals late last week. All players on the team have a heart stitched on the front of their jerseys, with the initials of the three who died within it.

Dorgan scored a pair of goals in No. 5-seed Blackstone Valley’s clinching game of that best-of-three quarterfinal series, putting the team back on the ice in the semifinals Wednesday night.

“The biggest thing for us after the tragedy took place was to keep them together as a family,” coach Chris Librizzi told WPRI. “I was with [Colin] every single day, and his sister, and we as a group, as well, got together for 14 days straight. And I believe it made a difference. The bonding that this team went through every day the last two weeks has been nothing less than superior.”

That was evident against top-seeded Portsmouth, with Dorgan putting the finishing touches on the upset with his 2OT winner with 48.1 seconds left.

“These are all my brothers out here,” he told WPRI. “I love these kids, and I know they love me, too.”

Added Librizzi of the storybook ending: “How much better can that be, right there?”

The D-2 final is March 18 at Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence.