Duke is the hottest team in the Atlantic Coast Conference and Pitt is probably the biggest surprise in the league.

One of them will end up closer to a conference championship after they meet in the ACC tournament quarterfinals on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

No. 21 Duke (23-8), which is the tournament’s fourth seed, holds a season-best six-game winning streak after receiving byes through the first two rounds.

“No matter how you ended up the regular season, no matter how you did overall, it really has no impact on what you do in the ACC tournament,” first-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer said. “And you need to address it like a new season.”

Fifth-seeded Pitt (22-10) is in the ACC tournament quarterfinal for the first time since 2016. The Panthers held off Georgia Tech 89-81 in Wednesday afternoon’s second round.

Duke beat visiting Pitt 77-69 on Jan. 11.

“It seemed like forever ago,” Panthers coach Jeff Capel said. “They’re really good. They’re probably the hottest team in the league. I think they’ve won six in a row. Those freshmen have grown up. Obviously, we know that they’re very, very talented. It’ll be a heck of a game.”

Capel, who will face his alma mater on Thursday, and Scheyer are former Duke assistant coaches.

“We worked together for, I think, it was five years, and you just saw him become more confident and to grow and to get better,” Capel said. “He’s a guy that wants to be really good. He’s passionate about what he does.”

With Duke having its best stretch of the season at an ideal time, there could be more in terms of the team’s growth.”

“Our guys have been as consistent as any group in terms of the work ethic and the approach,” Scheyer said. “And we’ve done it a different way. We’ve really done it with our defense, and we’ve had to play a little bit differently because of our roster and that’s worked out to help us in a major way.”

Pitt is the only league member that Duke has never faced in the ACC tournament, something that changes Thursday.

The Panthers shot a season-best 56.4 percent from the field against Georgia Tech, marking the best shooting mark in 16 all-time games in the ACC tourney.

Pitt has had sizable disadvantages in offensive-rebounding margin in its past two games. Duke is the ACC’s top offensive-rebounding team statistically.

“That’s why they beat us at their place,” Capel said. “They dominated the glass. We have to be better there if we want to have a chance against them.”

Duke forward Kyle Filipowski is the ACC Rookie of the Year, averaging 15.0 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

The Blue Devils rely on a lineup that is stocked with freshmen along with junior guard Jeremy Roach.

“I don’t think any of us feel like we are freshmen in a sense anymore,” freshman guard Tyrese Proctor said, “just because of the roles that we’ve had on the team.”

Duke has a long history of success at the Greensboro Coliseum, holding a 99-40 record in the building. That includes a 41-18 record in ACC tournament play with eight championships.

–Field Level Media

Will the real Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year please stand up?

That question is appropriate now because ninth-seeded Wake Forest, led by Tyree Appleby, is set to challenge top-seeded Miami, powered by Isaiah Wong, on Thursday in quarterfinal game at the ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

Wong is the ACC Player of the Year as voted on by the league. Appleby is the ACC Player of the Year as selected by the Associated Press.

Miami, which shared the ACC regular-season championship with Virginia, is ranked 14th in the nation. The Hurricanes (24-6), who received a double bye, are the top-seeded team in their conference tournament — regardless of league — for the second time. They won the 2013 ACC tourney as the No. 1 seed.

Wake Forest (19-13) played on Wednesday, defeating Syracuse 77-74 when Davien Williamson sank a last-second 3-pointer.

“I had the confidence to knock it down,” Williamson said of his game-winning shot from the right elbow, “and I did.”

It was Wake Forest’s first ACC tournament win since 2017.

Appleby, who posted 15 points and a game-high 12 assists against the Orange, had a stellar regular season. He led the ACC in scoring (18.8 points per game), assists (6.3 per game) and minutes (36.5). He also ranked sixth nationally in assists.

Wong led Miami in scoring (15.1), assists (3.4) and steals (1.4). He shot 82.9 percent from the foul line.

Aside from Wong, Miami teammates Jordan Miller and Norchad Omier made the All-ACC second and third team, respectively.

Miller tied for second in the voting for the league’s most improved player. He averaged 15.1 points while ranking sixth in the ACC in field-goal percentage (.540).

Omier averaged 14.1 points and paced Miami in field-goal percentage (.590, second in the ACC), rebounds (10.0 per game), double-doubles (13) and blocks (1.3).

“I’m so proud of all our All-ACC honorees,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said. “They are fantastic representatives of our program.”

Larranaga, who finished second in the voting for ACC Coach of the Year, has also received stellar performances this season from Nijel Pack, who topped the squad with 69 3-pointers. Pack is averaging 13.4 points while shooting 87.2 percent from the foul line and 40.6 percent from 3-point range.

Wake Forest, which is 0-3 against Miami over the past two years, relies heavily on its starting five of Appleby, Williamson, Cameron Hildreth, Andrew Carr and Bobi Klintman.

Carr and Klintman, who are both 6-foot-10, are the only Demon Deacons starters taller than 6-4.

Wake Forest got just three bench points on Wednesday — all of them from Lucas Taylor — and it will be interesting to see if the Demon Deacons wear down against the well-rested Hurricanes, who haven’t played since Saturday.

When Wake Forest visited Miami on Feb. 18 — a 96-87 win for the Hurricanes — Wong had 27 points and Pack added 24.

The Demon Deacons had six players score in double figures but no one with more than Appleby’s 15 points. Appleby, though, committed 12 turnovers in that contest.

Since that game, Wake Forest lost starting wing Damari Monsanto for the rest of the season due to a left knee injury. He was the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game.

–Field Level Media

During the past two-plus months, Marquette piled up plenty of points en route to an unexpected first outright Big East regular-season title.

Perhaps no opponent knows about Marquette’s offensive prowess more than St. John’s.

Top-seeded Marquette seeks another big showing from its offense and another chance to possibly improve its seeding for the NCAA Tournament when the sixth-ranked Golden Eagles face the Red Storm on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big East tournament in New York.

Marquette is seeking its first trip to the semifinals since 2019, when it routed St. John’s 86-54 before losing to Seton Hall.

The Golden Eagles (25-6) earned the top seed by averaging 81 points per game and shooting 49.5 percent from the floor, with both figures placing second in the league. After being picked ninth in the league’s preseason poll, Marquette heads into the tournament with six straight wins.

“We went into the season wanting to win for us,” Marquette leading scorer Kam Jones said, “but we didn’t forget us being picked ninth. That was always in the back of our minds. That was always motivating.”

Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart added, “I think that it’s really easy in your mind to feel like something should happen or could happen or it might happen or you’d like it to happen. But for this team to go 17-3 (in conference games) is very unlikely relative to pretty much what anybody thought this time last year, the summer, the fall, even starting conference play.”

The Golden Eagles were 9-1 when scoring at least 80 in conference games, including both wins against the Red Storm.

On Jan. 3 in New York, Marquette turned a seven-point halftime deficit into a 96-85 win when it outscored the Red Storm 55-37 in the second half. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles held on for a 96-94 victory over St. John’s in Milwaukee despite nearly blowing a 16-point lead.

Jones scored 23 points to lead all five Marquette starters in double figures, including Tyler Kolek, the Big East Player of the Year. Kolek contributed 18 points and 10 assists for his third straight double-double.

The Red Storm (18-14) advanced to a third meeting with Marquette by leading for the final 37 minutes and by as many as 21 in a 76-63 win over Butler on Wednesday. St. John’s is looking for its first semifinal appearance since winning the tournament in 2000 and is hoping for another big day from Joel Soriano.

Soriano notched his NCAA-high 24th double-double by collecting 19 points and 15 rebounds. He led five Red Storm players in double figures, and he helped St. John’s produce a 53-28 margin on the glass.

Soriano also logged double-doubles in the two games against Marquette, getting 22 points and 13 rebounds in the first meeting and then 14 and 11 on Saturday.

“We know Marquette,” Soriano said. “Marquette will come in and give us a great fight. They’re a very well-coached team. They demonstrated that.”

St. John’s coach Mike Anderson added, “They’re a very good basketball team. We have our work cut out for us.”

–Field Level Media

Warren Washington scored 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds as sixth-seeded Arizona State beat 11th-seeded Oregon State 63-57 on Wednesday in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament in Las Vegas.

Desmond Cambridge Jr. and DJ Horne scored 13 points apiece for Arizona State (21-11), which held the Beavers to 34 percent shooting from the field and 16.7 percent (3 of 18) from 3-point range.

Glenn Taylor Jr. led Oregon State (11-21) with 17 points. Jordan Pope scored 12, and Tyler Bilodeau tallied 11 points and seven rebounds. The Beavers have lost their last five meetings against Arizona State, including all three meetings this season.

Arizona State advances to face third-seeded Southern California in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Sun Devils dropped both games against the Trojans this season, including a 68-65 defeat on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Oregon State remained within single digits for much of the Wednesday game despite several extended scoring droughts. The Beavers cut a 12-point deficit to 55-49 on Pope’s 3-pointer with 6:14 remaining.

Arizona State led 61-53 before the Beavers scored four straight to make it a four-point game with 1:15 left. Oregon State missed 11 of its final 12 field-goal attempts, and the Sun Devils’ Jamiya Neal made two foul shots with 17 seconds left for the final margin.

Oregon State kept the game at its preferred slow pace in the first half and trailed 24-16 before going on a 10-0 run to move ahead by two.

Horne scored nine points in the half for the Sun Devils, who took a 29-26 lead into the break despite shooting 36.7 percent from the field and 3 of 12 from 3-point range.

Arizona State’s defense proved to be the difference during a critical stretch midway through the second half. Devan Cambridge’s three-point play capped a 12-1 run that put the Sun Devils ahead 46-36 with 9:50 remaining.

Oregon State went more than eight minutes without a field goal before Rodrigue Andela scored with 8:44 left. The Sun Devils then took their biggest lead of the game nearly a minute later at 55-43 on Horne’s layup.

–Field Level Media

Tucker Richardson recorded a triple-double as Colgate cruised to a 79-61 home win over Lafayette in the Patriot League tournament final on Wednesday at Hamilton, N.Y.

Richardson registered 14 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists to become the first Raiders player to produce a triple-double since Adonal Foyle in 1997. Keegan Records added 21 points and five blocked shots to help Colgate (26-8) qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the third year in a row.

Josh Rivera scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds and Devin Hines had 10 points for the Leopards (11-23), who won two games as the No. 6 seed to reach the tournament final.

Colgate took command early, using a 21-9 run to claim a 32-17 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half. The Raiders went into the break with a 17-point lead and never looked back en route to the conference title.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 75, Northwestern State 71

After being down by 16 points in the first half, the Islanders rallied past the Demons in the Southland Conference tournament championship game in Lake Charles, La.

Jalen Jackson scored 17 points and handed out six assists for Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (23-10), which is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. Owen Dease contributed 16 points, and Trevian Tennyson chipped in 14. DeMarcus Sharp poured in a game-high 32 points for Northwestern State (22-11). Ja’Monta Black added 15 points, and Jalen Hampton logged 13 points and 12 rebounds.

The Islanders came back to lead by eight points with just under five minutes to play. A layup by Sharp with 56 seconds to go cut the gap to 72-71, but Tennyson responded with a layup with 22 seconds remaining and Jackson hit a clinching free throw with five seconds left.

Montana State 85, Northern Arizona 78

RaeQuan Battle poured in 25 points to lead the Bobcats past the Lumberjacks in the Big Sky Conference final at Boise.

Darius Brown II scored 15 points, Jubrile Belo put up 14 points and Caleb Fuller added 12 points and eight rebounds for Montana State (25-9). The Bobcats earned their eighth straight win while wrapping up a second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth.

Carson Towt amassed 16 points and nine rebounds for the Northern Arizona (12-23). Xavier Fuller had 15 points, while Jalen Cone and Oakland Fort contributed 14 apiece.

–Field Level Media

Ohio State nearly squandered a 27-point lead but the No. 13 seed Buckeyes held on to defeat 12th-seeded Wisconsin 65-57 in a Big Ten tournament first-round game in Chicago on Wednesday.

Wisconsin (17-14) closed to 61-57 before Justice Sueing’s free throw gave Ohio State a five-point lead with 49 seconds left.

Tyler Wahl, who scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half, missed a jumper and Ohio State’s Felix Okpara made a foul shot for a 63-57 lead before Wahl missed a 3-pointer for Wisconsin’s last chance because Roddy Gayle Jr. clinched the win for the Buckeyes with a pair of foul shots with 11 seconds left.

Ohio State (14-18) plays No. 5 seed Iowa (19-12) on Thursday. The winner faces No. 4 seed Michigan State (19-11) on Friday.

Sean McNeil led Ohio State with 17 points, Sueing had 16 and Bruce Thornton 15.

The Buckeyes, who started four freshman, had an 18-point halftime lead.

Ohio State took its largest lead, 47-20 with 15:31 to play but later a 19-2 stretch pulled the Badgers to within 57-52 on a banked 3-pointer by Wahl with 2:13 to go.

McNeil stopped the 11-0 run with a pair of free throws with 1:20 to go.

Ohio State led 36-18 at the half, bettering the 16-point halftime advantage for the Badgers in their 65-60 win over the Buckeyes on Feb. 2.

It was all Buckeyes from the onset.

Racing to a 27-12 lead with seven minutes left in the first half, Ohio State looked more like the team that won two of its final three regular season games than the Buckeyes who had lost 14 of the previous 15, including a nine-game losing streak.

McNeil was 4 for 4 from the field in the first half and Ohio State drained 4 of 7 3-pointers, while the Badgers missed all seven of their long-range attempts.

The Buckeyes have momentum from the victory, but no Big Ten team has won five games in five days to claim the conference tourney title

–Field Level Media