Duke’s Grayson Allen (3) jumps to attempt a dunk against UNC’s Luke Maye. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)

UNC may have no tougher ACC tourney road than Duke.

The 2018 Tar Heels proved again that they have only one way to beat good teams, and that’s to shoot the ball well for most, if not all, of the game. They built a ten-point halftime lead like that, but without much inside game this season had to keep hitting against a Duke run they knew was coming.

There is a way to beat the Blue Devils, who have starting talent as good as any in the country, and Carolina did not shoot as well or play the same defense as in Chapel Hill to do it. When All-ACC guard Joel Berry goes 3-for-11, he needs to find another way to help or the Heels have trouble winning big games.

The margin of losing this one was thinner than the ten-point differential, but Carolina did not shoot well or take care of the ball over the final minutes, and that was that. Losing the last two games of the regular season is punitive, and now Ol’ Roy’s club has a fight on its hands in Brooklyn.

Despite dropping to a six seed and having to play on Wednesday, Carolina’s road to a third game against the Blue Devils may not be so bad. An improving Syracuse team should handle Wake Forest Tuesday night, and the Tar Heels will be ready to beat the Orange again and avoid a quick ouster and third straight L.

Their Thursday game against Miami is a chance to avenge that pretty incredible loss to The U last week. If so, they would get Duke again in the semi-finals – if the Devils get by underrated Virginia Tech, which has already beaten them, or more likely Notre Dame with Bonzi Colson back.

The Irish know how to play Duke as well as anyone in the ACC, and with Colson getting his groove on would give the Dukies a very tough game. The Blue Devils would have to beat Carolina for a second time in six days, which will be a task should the Heels shoot better than they did in Durham.

If UNC reaches the championship game, four games in four days will be very tough for them to handle favored Virginia on both ends of the court. But just getting to Saturday night should restore UNC’s NCAA seeding, which is the real point of the ACC tournament, after all, these days. Isn’t it?

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