No. 7 NC State returns to ACC tournament final, takes on No. 11 Duke

No. 11 Duke hasn't won an Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship in a dozen years, and No. 7 North Carolina State is standing in the way. The longtime rivals will meet Sunday afternoon in the tournament final in Greensboro, N.C. The Wolfpack are the top seed in the tournament and appearing in the title game for the fifth time in six years. They've won it all three times since Duke, seeded third, last reached the final in 2017. "I'm really proud of my team to advance, to have the opportunity to play for an ACC championship," Duke coach Kara Lawson said. Both teams grinded through tough matchups in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, yet there should be no shortage of energy when they clash for the hardware. "We're built for moments like this," NC State guard Saniya Rivers said. "We've prepared mentally and physically." Duke knocked off regular-season co-champion Notre Dame 61-56 in the second semifinal on Saturday, negating what would have been a much-anticipated NC State-Notre Dame rematch of a double-overtime 104-95 game won by the Wolfpack on Feb. 23. The Blue Devils topped Louisville 61-48 in the quarterfinal, so both of their outcomes have avenged regular-season losses. They'll look to make it three in a row; NC State rallied from 13 points down to beat the visiting Blue Devils 89-83 on Feb. 3 in the only meeting of the regular season. Duke's defense was up to the task in the semifinal. NC State (26-5) has firepower that the Blue Devils (25-7) will look to contain. "We have a lot of respect for NC State, and we had a tough loss over there, but it was a great game," Lawson said. NC State avenged its regular-season loss to North Carolina in Saturday's 66-55 semifinal victory. The Wolfpack have been boosted by large fan turnouts, and they're expecting huge support Sunday in another encounter with an in-state opponent. "The fans here are amazing, so giving that back to them as well will be amazing," NC State guard Madison Hayes said. Rivers said the championship opportunity is something she's excited about. "I've never won a conference tournament," she said. "When I was a freshman at South Carolina, we ended up losing to Kentucky and then here unfortunately I didn't get to win it with them. I think (Sunday) is just going to be special." These teams last clashed in the title game in 2010, when Duke prevailed. --Field Level Media