Irish no match for Duke in ACC Tourney

BROOKLYN—Marvin Bagley III and No. 5 Duke jumped right over Notre Dame into the Atlantic Coast Conference semifinals.The freshman phenom had 33 points and 17 rebounds, Grayson Allen made his first five 3-pointers and Duke rolled to an 88-70 victory in the tournament quarterfinals Thursday night.

”Bagley was just … the first pick in the draft,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. ”He’s a can’t-miss star.”

Allen finished with 23 points and the second-seeded Blue Devils (26-6) advanced to play archrival North Carolina in the second semifinal Friday night. The 12th-ranked and sixth-seeded Tar Heels eliminated No. 3 seed Miami, 82-65.Duke, the defending champion after beating Notre Dame in the title game last year, earned its 100th ACC Tournament victory.

”We’re on a roll,” Bagley said. ”I definitely think we’re getting better.”

Bonzie Colson had 18 points and nine rebounds for the 10th-seeded Fighting Irish (20-14), unable to score the marquee victory over a top team that would have been a huge boost to their NCAA Tournament resume.Injuries to Colson and senior guard Matt Farrell derailed Notre Dame in the middle of the season, and now the Irish have to hope the selection committee focuses on how good they can be when healthy.

”I’m definitely going to go to church on Sunday morning,” Farrell said.

The undersized Fighting Irish had no answer for Bagley’s athleticism and rare leaping ability in the lane at 6-foot-11. The ACC Player of the Year shot 15 for 23 and came within one point of his career high set against Texas in late November. It was his fourth game with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds.