“I told everybody—I’m here for two years, then I’m leaving.” From overlooked at West Craven to Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year at Mercer, Brayden Manley is now at Georgia Tech, ready to prove the ACC ain’t ready for what’s coming.

North Carolina’s season hung by a thread after a brutal 10-minute scoring drought, but a game-changing block by Ven-Allen Lubin, RJ Davis’ clutch shooting, and a dominant closing run kept the Tar Heels dancing—setting up a high-stakes showdown with Duke in the ACC semifinals.