Duke never needs additional motivation to beat North Carolina, especially in Cameron Indoor Stadium in front of home fans. No Blue Devils can easily stomach even one loss to the Tar Heels in a season, much less two.
If you are looking for an additional layer, however, keep an eye on NCAA Tournament projections.
USA TODAY Sports released its latest full-field bracket projections earlier this week, and the Blue Devils are the No. 3 seed in the East region while UNC finished as the No. 2 in the South.
Both ACC powerhouses are top-10 teams by every national metric, meaning the Blue Devils can’t be far away from one of those second slots in a region. Perhaps they are close enough for one more big win and a share of the conference title to make the difference? Only one way to find out.
Duke occupies the East with No. 1 Connecticut and No. 2 Iowa State as the top seeds, and the Blue Devils would play High Point in the opening round. Depending on one of the First Four games, they would play South Carolina, Seton Hall, or Colorado in the second round if they get past the Panthers.