ACC Tournament: No. 1 Seed in March Madness Up for Grabs Between Duke and UNC

Saturday's meeting between Duke and North Carolina, the 234th edition of the Tobacco Road rivalry, will determine the regular-season champion of the ACC, but it won't decide which of these college basketball blue bloods, if either, will snag a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That will have to wait until next week, when the Blue Devils and Tar Heels arrive in Atlanta as the top two teams in the 2012 ACC Tournament.

Sure, Florida State will be a dangerous team after having beaten both of the conference's top dogs this season, and Virginia, North Carolina State and Miami will all be lurking.

But, realistically, Duke and UNC still maintain a rather suffocating duopoly over their particular corner of the college hoops realm. 

And yes, a victory by the third-ranked Blue Devils or the sixth-ranked Tar Heels over the other on Saturday will certainly be a boost to the winner's March Madness resume.

Still, the key to either team locking down one of the top four spots in the Big Dance will come down to what happens during Championship Week. Kentucky and Syracuse have practically sewn up their spots, regardless of what happens in their respective conference tourneys, thanks to their near-spotless records and strong RPI (28-1 and No. 1 for the Wildcats, 29-1 and No. 5 for the Orange, according to kenpom.com).

The other two will likely come down to who wins the Big 12, be it Kansas or Missouri, and, of course, who comes out on top in the ACC. Will Mike Krzyzewski's Blue Devils secure their fourth title in a row and 20th overall, or will Roy Williams' Heels close the gap between themselves and their arch rivals with an 18th tourney crown?

Forget about pride, pageantry and past history. The difference between winning and losing may well determine how favorable a path to New Orleans each of these hardwood royals enjoy.

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