Around the ACC: Six teams advance to Sweet 16

After sending seven teams to the NCAA tournament, the ACC holds a 12-1 record and has six teams advancing to the second weekend of the tournament. 

1. North Carolina: The Tar Heels entered the tournament as the top seed in the East region and backed it up with a pair of victories. In the first round, North Carolina led No. 16 seed Florida Gulf Coast by just a point at halftime. But behind a big size advantage and a solid performance from big man Brice Johnson, the Tar Heels went on a 20-3 run after halftime and came away with a 83-67 win. North Carolina followed it up with another big second half Saturday against Providence to turn a second-half deficit into a 19-point victory. With two wins in the bag, the Tar Heels will travel to Philadelphia to take on Indiana in the Sweet 16.  
2. Virginia: After being upended in the first weekend of the tournament a year ago, the Cavaliers are headed to the Sweet 16 after wins against Hampton and Butler in Raleigh. Virginia used a balanced scoring performance and its stout defense to beat the 16th-seeded Pirates Thursday. The Cavaliers then got a big performance from seniors Anthony Gill and Malcolm Brogdon to rally past the Bulldogs and set up a matchup with No. 4 seed Iowa State Friday. 
3. Miami: The Hurricanes played a tight game against 14th-seeded Buffalo in their tournament opener. Miami led by only four with two minutes remaining, but six points by guard Angel Rodriguez down the stretch propelled the team to a 79-72 victory. The Hurricanes started their second round game in dominating fashion, jumping out to a 21-point lead in the first half against upset-minded Wichita State. After the Shockers rallied all the way back to take a one-point second-half lead, Miami relied on the steady hand of guard Angel Rodriguez to carry them down the stretch to a 65-57 win. 
4. Duke: The Blue Devils are headed back to the Sweet 16 after dispatching upset attempts from 13th-seeded UNC Wilmington and 12th-seeded Yale. Despite shooting just 4-of-15 from beyond the arc, Duke held off the Seahawks behind a career-high 23 points from Marshall Plumlee. The Blue Devils flipped the script Saturday when a hot start from deep propelled Duke to a 27-point first-half lead. The Blue Devils withstood a late run by the Bulldogs that cut the margin to as little as three and came away with a 71-64 victory. 
5. Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish are also making their second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16 after pulling out two close games against Michigan and Stephen F. Austin. Despite trailing by 12 at halftime, Notre Dame came out hot to start the second half and used a late V.J. Beacham 3-pointer to come away with a 70-63 victory. The Fighting Irish followed Friday's win up with an improbable 76-75 win against the 14th-seeded Lumberjacks as the seldomly-mentioned Rex Pflueger tapped in a rebound with 1.5 seconds remaining to push the team ahead to matchup against Wisconsin in Philadelphia.   
6. Syracuse: The Orange are one of two double-digit seeded teams to advance to the second weekend of the tournament and have done so in convincing fashion. Syracuse's stifling zone and the play of freshman Malachi Richardson carried the Orange to a 70-51 win Friday against Dayton.  Syracuse then easily dispatched upstart Middle Tennessee State Sunday behind 23 points from guard Michael Gbinije. Head coach Jim Boeheim will make his 17th Sweet 16 appearance Friday against fellow double-digit seed Gonzaga. 
7. Pittsburgh: The Panthers are the lone ACC representative no longer dancing after a 47-43 loss at the hands of Wisconsin. Pittsburgh shot just 37.5 percent from the floor and just generated 21 points on offense in the final 20 minutes of play. The Panthers last advanced to the Sweet 16 under head coach Jamie Dixon in 2009.