Unbelievable game last night played in Chapel Hill. UNC looked to be in control most of the game and even held a 68-60 lead with about 7 minutes to play. Duke hung around the whole game and made a couple clutch plays to put the dagger through UNC. This is Duke's fourth consecutive win in Chapel Hill, improving their overall record against UNC to 46-44. The victory also puts Coach K on the top of the list for road wins against an AP top 5 team (15).
Now all of a sudden Duke is back. After the headlines two weeks ago were all about Duke falling out of the top 25 for the first time in 8 years, they have come back with a vengeance. Despite losing Matt Jones to a 'badly' sprained ankle, they showed that they can play without him last night. They also have a fairly easy road ahead of them before the selection Sunday. With their victory last night over #5 ranked UNC, they should be bumped into the low teens at least after being ranked in the #20 spot. Additionally, this has huge implications for the ACC. Here are what the standings look like currently in the ACC:
With Louisville being out of the playoff picture with the NCAA violation, it looks like Duke, UNC, Miami, and Virginia will be competing for the conference championship. The next Duke-UNC game is scheduled just before the tournament in Durham on 3/5. You have to believe that's going to be the game to decide the conference, but don't count out Virginia and Miami just yet. Miami has won 5 straight, so they'll be ready to take down UNC on Saturday at 1. They then go on to play Virginia on Monday, two games that could make or break their championship hopes. It should be interesting to see how the next few weeks play out with a potential #1 spot in March Madness at stake.
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