Duke and UNC in ACC Final: Would You Expect Anything Less?

Two of the biggest powerhouses in recent NCAA memory will meet once again in the ACC Tournament championship game, and who else would have been expected?

UNC and Duke will meet for the first time since 2001 in the finals of the ACC Tournament and both teams are on a roll. The Tar Heels have now won nine straight games—two in the tournament—and the Blue Devils, while losing two of their last three in the regular season, have rolled over both Maryland and Virginia Tech on their way to meeting UNC for an ACC dream matchup.

While Duke coasted to today’s victory over the Hokies, getting 27 points from senior guard Nolan Smith, UNC had a bit of a tougher time, needing overtime to advance to tomorrow’s final with a hard-fought 92-87 win over the Clemson Tigers.

A day after rallying from 19 down in the final 10 minutes to defeat the Miami Hurricanes, UNC relied on a career game by forward Harrison Barnes, who set a freshman tournament record with 40 points. UNC, who trailed by as much as 14 in the first half, were still down by seven points with just four minutes to play. However, with Barnes leading the attack, all the Tigers could do was watch in awe. Barnes then cool-handedly sunk two free throws with 8.3 seconds left to give the Tar Heels a five-point lead.

UNC will be looking for their 18^th tournament title all-time, which would tie Duke for the overall lead in ACC history.

For both Clemson (21-11) and Virginia Tech (21-11), they will now have to await their NCAA tournament fate when the Selection Committee meets on Sunday night to select the at-large teams.

However, for Duke and UNC fans, this is the matchup they have been waiting on for 11 long years.

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