News / Sports
College Basketball: North Carolina Tar Heels Shake Off N.C. State in ACC Championship Game
Brandan Wright and Wayne Ellington each had 16 points and Tyler Hansbrough finished with 15 points as the North Carolina Tar Heels (28-6) beat the N.C. State Wolfpack (18-15) 89-80 for their first ACC tournament title since 1998.
The Wolfpack stayed close to the Tar Heels throughout the first half and were tied up 32-32 with 3:46 remaining but North Carolina went on an 11-2 run to close the half and led at the break 42-34.
North Carolina built their lead to 56-40 with 13:51 left in the second half but N.C. State responded with a 29-14 run that cut their deficit to just one with five minutes on the clock. The Tar Heels answered with a pair of buckets and their lead never slipped under four after that.
Both teams shot well from the floor, the Tar Heels hit 57 percent from the floor while the Wolfpack shot 54 percent.
Brandon Costner led N.C. State with 28 points in the loss.
North Carolina now awaits the decision of the NCAA Tournament selection committee to see where they will be seeded in the tournament. N.C. State will have to hope their ACC tournament performance was enough to earn an NIT bid.
