ACC March Madness Preview

Once again, Duke and North Carolina look to lead the way

Traditional powers the North Carolina Tar Heels and Duke Blue Devils will no doubt be in the mix for Final Four consideration this year, yet a lack of defense and competition during the regular season could ultimately decide each team’s fate. The ACC has not been nearly as strong this year in terms of elite teams, although some insiders believe the conference could still get as many as eight teams into the Big Dance. That certainly isn’t a stretch and could happen come Selection Sunday, but what those teams can actually do in the NCAA tournament is definitely worth discussing.

Starting at the top, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils could meet again following Sunday’s regular-season finale in Chapel Hill if both meet in the ACC conference title game as expected. While North Carolina easily boasts the most talent in the league, Duke is the better-coached squad and had been the best team defensively until a 70-68 loss at Wake Forest on January 28th. The Blue Devils had allowed more than 67 points just three times in 19 games leading up to that meeting with the Demon Deacons, but they have surrendered at least 67 in eight of 10 games since then.

North Carolina has proven to be one of the top teams in the country throughout the season, but the biggest question is whether or not Tyler Hansbrough can finish out his career with an NCAA championship run. Hansbrough is expected to break former Duke star J.J. Redick’s all-time scoring record in the ACC, but he would love nothing more than to accomplish something Redick never did and win a national title to finish off his stellar career. If the Tar Heels can play tough like they did in their 86-78 win over Virginia Tech, that might just happen. If not, they may have to ride him in the Big Dance due to a lack of depth and try to just outscore everybody.

“It was big for us, showed some toughness,” Hansbrough said after beating the Hokies. “We stayed within the team and got the shots that we wanted.”

Like Duke, North Carolina has struggled defensively down the stretch, allowing 70 points or more in nine of its last 11 games. That weakness for both could open the door for a team like Wake Forest to win the ACC conference tournament. The Demon Deacons have beaten each earlier in the season and will get the opportunity to finish strong against a ranked team when they host Clemson on Sunday. The Tigers are the only other real threat in the ACC tournament due to huge wins over Duke (74-47) and Maryland (93-64) down the stretch.