Busting Brackets
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North Carolina vs. Virginia: 3 keys to the ACC title game

By Tristan Freeman

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina's game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina's game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images) /
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CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina’s game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – FEBRUARY 27: Head coach Tony Bennett of the Virginia Cavaliers and head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels shake hands before North Carolina’s game against the Virginia Cavaliers at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Chet Strange/Getty Images) /

Virginia looks to complete the conference sweep of both the regular season and postseason titles. Can North Carolina stop that from happening?

TV schedule: Saturday, March 10, 8:30 p.m. ET. ESPN

Arena: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York

The time has come for the finals of the ACC Tournament. Although the seeds don’t say it, this is between two of the best teams in the conference. No. 1 seed and No. 1 ranked team in the country Virginia, and the six seed North Carolina Tar Heels.

There’s no question who had the tougher road to get here, with North Carolina having to play an extra game while having to go through three tough games. They had to outlast a desperate Syracuse squad, before coming back from an early deficit to beat Miami.

The win the night before was their most important, beating Duke 74-69 to win the season series between the rivals. Five Tar Heels were in double figures while assisting on 24 of the team’s 28 total made field goals.

Virginia got here a bit smoother thanks to the double-bye they earned. After five Cavaliers scored at least 10+ points to beat Louisville in the quarterfinals, they shut down Clemson’s best scorer to beat the Tigers 64-58.

These teams played just once, with Virginia shutting the Tar Heels down. But things have changed since then for both teams. Here are three keys that will decide the rematch.

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