ATLANTA -- No. 2 Virginia, overcoming foul problems by All-America center Ralph Sampson, unleashed a blistering fastbreak attack directed by junior guard Othell Wilson to trounce Duke 109-66 Friday night in first-round action in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
The Cavaliers, who have yet to win the ACC showcase during the Sampson era, joined 6th-ranked North Carolina and North Carolina State in the Saturday semifinals.
The Tar Heels, led by 28 points each by Matt Doherty and Michael Jordan, routed Clemson 105-79, and North Carolina State nipped Wake Forest 71-70 on sophomore forward Lorenzo Charles' free throw with three seconds left.
Maryland (19-8) faced Georgia Tech (12-14) in a later game.
The 7-foot-4 Sampson played only 14 minutes because of foul trouble but still scored 18 points. Wilson led the Cavaliers with 23.
The 109 points by Virginia broke the old ACC tourney mark for a regulation game and equaled the record for an overtime game.
Virginia, 26-3, broke a 35-35 tie by outscoring Duke 15-2 over a 4-minute stretch late in the first half and led 50-41 at intermission. The Cavaliers then scored the first 11 points of the second half, with Wilson getting seven, for a 61-41 lead and turned the game into a rout.
Craig Robinson added 19 points for Virginia. Duke, 11-17, was led by freshman guard Johnny Dawkins with 17.
North Carolina State, 18-10, got its chance against Wake Forest when guard Sidney Lowe picked off a cross-court pass with 20 seconds left to break up a stall by the Deacons, who had held the ball for 3:40 with the game tied 70-70 hoping for the last shot.
The Wolfpack called timeout with 10 seconds left to set up a play and Charles was fouled by Wake Forest's Alvis Rogers as he went up for an inside shot with three seconds remaining. Charles, who had 12 points, missed the first free throw but made the second.
After a timeout, the Deacons had one last chance but guard Danny Young was far off the mark with a desperation 35-footer at the buzzer.
Thurl Bailey led North Carolina State with 25 points and guard Dereck Whittenburg had 13. Wake Forest, 17-11, had six players in double figures, led by Anthony Teachey and Young with 14 each.
The game was tied six times in the second half -- the last at 70-70 when Lowe hit two free throws for the Wolfpack with 4:25 left. That was when the Deacons went into their stall.
Doherty, who set a career-high scoring mark, hit five 3-pointers and Jordan and Jimmy Braddock had four each for North Carolina, 26-6, which tallied 42 points on shots behind the ACC's 19-foot stripe.
Clemson, led by sophomore Raymond Jones with a career-high 27 points, stayed close and trailed only 56-52 after Marc Campbell's 3-pointer with 13:52 left. But the Tar Heels, who led throughout the game, outscored the Tigers 11-2 over the next three minutes for a 67-54 lead.
Braddock, who scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half, had consecutive 3-pointers inthat spurt and reserve Cecil Exum added a 3-point play on a drive and free throw.
After Clemson cut its deficit to 74-65, Braddock, Jordan and Doherty hit consecutive 3-pointers to raise North Carolina's lead to 83-65.
The Tar Heels played without All-ACC center Sam Perkins, sidelined with a sprained big toe.
The Tigers, who finished 11-20 for the first losing season in Bill Foster's coaching career, also got 16 points from Murray Jarman and 13 from freshman Chris Michael.
