North Carolina and Duke will renew their rivalry on Saturday night in Durham with the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season title on the line.
After beating Notre Dame, the Tar Heels clinched at least a share of the ACC regular season title. But they can still win it outright by beating Duke on Saturday night. A win by the Blue Devils would mean the two teams will share the title going into the ACC Tournament.
But before they meet, four ESPN analysts made their predictions for the upcoming ACC Tournament. Of the four, only one picked North Carolina to win the ACC Tournament, with the rest picking Duke.
Jeff Borzello, Myron Medcalf, and John Gasaway all picked the Blue Devils, with Lunardi being the solo UNC pick:
Why Duke will win: The Blue Devils have woken up since losing in Chapel Hill on Feb. 3, winning seven of eight. (The lone loss came in the infamous court-storm game at Wake Forest.) They’ve bought in on the defensive end, holding six of those eight opponents to fewer than one point per possession — and they’re really starting to shoot the ball effectively, making double-digit 3s in four of the past five games. — Borzello
Why North Carolina will win: One year after the colossal disappointment of missing the NCAA tournament as the preseason No. 1 team, the Tar Heels are back with a vengeance. The inside-outside duo of RJ Davis and Armando Bacot is as good as any in the country, and let’s not forget their Final Four experience just two years ago. The best is yet to come for North Carolina. — Lunardi
There will be bragging rights and an outright tile in play for the Tar Heels on Saturday but the bigger picture remains in view with the NCAA Tournament.
And if UNC wants any chance at a No. 1 seed, they are going to have to finish strong and win the ACC Tournament as well.
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