ATLANTA -- N.C. State’s 61-52 ACC victory against Georgia Tech on Thursday was built on the memories of what happened the last time the two teams played.

It was a month ago, when the Yellow Jackets exposed the Wolfpack defensively, shooting 51 percent in an 82-71 win in Raleigh.

“That hurt us,” said Wolfpack Mark Gottfried.

But it also served N.C. State well on Thursday in Philips Arena. The Wolfpack (18-7, 7-3 ACC) clamped down defensively on Georgia Tech (9-15, 2-8), forcing the Yellow Jackets into a 32.2 percent shooting night on its way to a third consecutive triumph.

RALEIGH — With eight losses in its first 15 games, including the nonsensical variety to Mercer and Fordham, Georgia Tech isn't the kind of team a resurgent N.C. State was expected to lose to in ACC play.

Shouldas and couldas don't count in the standings, though, only the results. With 22 points from Glen Rice, the Yellow Jackets handed the Wolfpack a humbling 82-71 defeat on Wednesday night at the RBC Center, in one of the first setbacks of an otherwise relatively smooth first season for coach Mark Gottfried.

Senior Cam Holland may have been the happiest player on UNC’s football team to hear last Sunday that Pittsburgh will leave the Big East for the ACC.

Holland, a center and one of the top offensive linemen in the ACC, is a Pittsburgh native and would have played for the Panthers had it gone down to his No. 2 choice in recruiting.

updated 6:30 p.m.

GREENSBORO -- Georgia Tech threw full-court presses, zones and everything else it had in its defensive arsenal at the Duke women’s basketball team.

None of those tactics worked against the top-seeded Blue Devils, who were slowed down but ultimately overcame the feisty fifth-seeded Yellow Jackets with a 74-66 victory in the semifinals of the ACC women’s basketball tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Duke (28-3) started with a blazing offensive first half, opening a 10-point halftime lead, but distinguished itself defensively in the second half when the game grew tight over the final six minutes. The Yellow Jackets (23-10) remained within striking distance until the final seconds.

Correction: It marked UNC's lowest field goal percentage since 1956

ATLANTA – North Carolina coach Roy Williams felt so fortunate Sunday that his team was trailing by only one point at halftime, he figured his Tar Heels would pull off a third straight come-from-behind victory.

Not even close.

Georgia Tech, ranked last in the league in field goal percentage and field goal percentage defense, stifled the Tar Heels for a 78-58 win. UNC (12-5, 2-1 ACC) couldn’t stop Iman Shumpert (30 points) or Glen Rice Jr. (24) and turned the ball over 18 times. To top it off, the Heels went the final 8:47 of the game without hitting field goal.