(Todd Melet)
Could you handle playing Duke three times for the third straight year? If the ACC tournament were this weekend, Carolina and Duke would in all likelihood be playing tonight in the semifinals – once again six days after their second meeting of the regular season.
The tournament is still two weeks away, and things could change, but probably not enough to avoid the scenario that occurred in Brooklyn for the last two years: a Carolina-Duke semifinal match-up Friday night.
Going into Saturday’s game at Clemson, the Tar Heels hold the second seed behind Virginia for the tournament at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. They are tied for first in the ACC standings, but the Cavaliers get the tie-breaker by virtue of beating Carolina in their one meeting.
UVa still has to play at Syracuse, where the Wahoos could lose. Carolina has to win at Clemson and BC Tuesday night and then beat Duke in the rematch in Chapel Hill on March 9 for any chance at the top seed. So odds are the Blue Blood rivals will be the second and third seeds, in whatever order, in the semifinals two weeks from tonight.
They would both have to win quarterfinal games Thursday, but would be favored to advance for a rubber match in the tournament.
UNC defeated Duke in the Smith Center in 2017 to win the ACC regular season for the eighth time under Roy Williams. After blowing out Miami in the quarterfinals, the Heels faced fifth-seed Duke, which had beaten Clemson by seven and Louisville by four at the Barclays Center.
The Tar Heels led the Blue Devils by 13 with 14 minutes left in the game, but with Joel Berry on the bench in foul trouble Duke erupted on a 27-9 run, went on to win and beat Notre Dame to became the first team to cut down the ACC nets after playing four games.
A year later, the Dukies rallied in the second half to win their Senior Night game in Cameron and finished second in the ACC behind Virginia. Carolina wound up the sixth seed in the tourney after a four-way tie for third place, then beat Syracuse and Miami to reach the 2018 semifinals against the Blue Devils. The Tar Heels led by 16 points with 5:24 left and this time survived a Duke comeback to pull the upset.
So can you stomach it for a third straight year, six days after facing off with Duke on an emotional Senior Night for Cameron Johnson, Luke Maye and Kenny Williams? Buckle up and get those Rolaids ready; you might have to – yet again.
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