Fansided

This Duke, North Carolina stat shows how wild the ACC is this year

By Matt Verderame

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 07: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts during the second half of their game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 07, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. Duke won 89-76. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Blue Devils handled the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday night, gearing up for the ACC Tournament and March Madness.

The ACC Tournament starts next week, and it’s going to be weird.

How weird? This is the first time in the tourney’s history where the Duke Blue Devils and/or North Carolina Tar Heels haven’t been one of the top three seeds.

Instead, it will be the Florida State Seminoles, Virginia Cavaliers and Louisville Cardinals who are the top three seeds, respectively. Duke slots in fourth, while the sub-.500 Tar Heels are simply hoping to make a bit of noise before heading into a long offseason.

With Virginia trying to defend its national title, the Cavaliers are going to be seen as favorites going into mid-March regardless of how the tournament shakes out. However, statements can be made by Louisville and Florida State, two quality programs looking to take the proverbial next step.

According to ESPN’s Bracketology expect Joe Lunardi, only the four aforementioned top seeds are definitely in the Men’s Tournament. The North Carolina State Wolfpack have a good chance, but could firm up plans for the Dance by winning in the ACC Tournament’s opening round.

Beyond N.C. State, it appears the conference is going to be without a sixth bid barring a borderline miracle in the conference tourney.

With the regular season wrapping up on Sunday, Duke is hoping to springboard off its win against North Carolina towards magic in March. For the three higher-seeded ACC teams, momentum can start building in the coming days.