ACC Basketball Standings: Duke Not In UNC's Class
By Cem Yolbulan
The first Duke-North Carolina matchup of the season is in the cards. After winning both games in the Battle of the Blues last season, Duke coach Jon Scheyer suffered his first loss in the historic rivalry after falling to the Tar Heels 93-84 on Saturday. The Blue Devils were overmatched as they only led for 16 seconds the entire game, demonstrating their need to improve if they want to make any noise this season.
The Tar Heels extend their home winning streak to 10. Not only that, they haven't even played a close game at home, beating every opponent by at least three possessions. They are deep, physical, and highly talented. They will continue to be the team to beat in the ACC and will be playing for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Duke, on the other hand, is continuing their up-and-down season. They have plenty of talent, but they are consistently inconsistent. Their lack of sustained effort, intensity, and discipline was evident against North Carolina over the weekend. Scheyer needs to find a way to get more out of this group.
ACC Basketball Standings
Team | Conference | Overall |
|---|---|---|
UNC | 10-1 | 18-4 |
Virginia | 9-3 | 18-5 |
Duke | 7-3 | 16-5 |
NC State | 7-4 | 15-7 |
Wake Forest | 6-4 | 14-7 |
Florida State | 6-4 | 12-9 |
Miami FL | 6-6 | 15-8 |
Syracuse | 5-6 | 14-8 |
Pittsburgh | 5-6 | 14-8 |
Virginia Tech | 5-6 | 13-9 |
Clemson | 4-6 | 14-7 |
Boston College | 4-6 | 13-8 |
Georgia Tech | 3-8 | 10-12 |
Louisville | 2-9 | 7-15 |
Notre Dame | 2-9 | 7-15 |
North Carolina is hosting Clemson on Tuesday night and visiting Miami on Saturday. Every game matters for the Tar Heels at this stage of the season as they try to build their case to be a No. 1 seed in March.
Duke, on the other hand, has a relatively easy schedule this week. They need to have dominant home wins over Notre Dame on Wednesday and Boston College on Saturday to keep their top-10 ranking nationally.
North Carolina has the fifth-best odds (+290) in the country to make the Final Four, while Duke is 11th with +575 odds.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.