There are very few instances of a team going through the regular season in the ACC without suffering a loss. The league has generally been filled with numerous quality teams who regularly beat each other. There was a time when the conference was smaller that there were home and home scenarios that made for exciting games, It was very difficult for the best teams to sweep the season against their quality rivals. Now, with expanded conferences, there are many instances where only one regular season matchup occurs.
On Saturday, Duje takes it's undefeated conference record and #2 national ranking to Winston-Salem to face Wake Forest. Wake is riding a six games conference win streak and just bat rival UNC on Tuesday night in Winston. While Wake had its big game with UNC, Duke has been off since a Saturday night win at Boston College.
Can Wake upset Duke and end its conference unbeaten streak? The answer is yes, they can, but will they be able to do so? Duke is led by All-American candidate Cooper Flagg, but they have many other weapons other than Flagg. So can Wake stop all the weapons Duke can offer? Duke shoots the three very well (much better this year than Wake)., but also has been able to go inside. Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Tyrese Procter, and Isiah Evans are all very capable of making threes., so Wake will have to defend very well to limit the open looks from three. With Flagg, Khaman Malusch, and Maliq Brown, Duke has very good inside players who can score with ease. Wake cannot get caught trying to defend the three and give up easy inside baskets.
Of course, Duke has got to stop Wake; despite their lack of three-point shooting, Wake has several good options. Hunter Sallis is having an all star year and is a difficult matchup for anyone. Cam Hildreth has had some outstanding games (although a bit inconsistent) and is a gritty, hard-nosed player. The insertion of Ty-Laur Johnson into the starting lineup had paid great dividends for Wake. Inside, Elton Reed and Tre'Von Spillers give Wake a formidable inside presence.
I believe Duke's offense is better than Wake's. The main difference is at the three-point line, where Duke has certainly been better. Both teams defense is good, so that's probably a wash. Wake has the intangible of playing at home, where they have not lost this year but have yet to face a team of Duke's talent.
With all that said, I believe Duke has too much talent for Wake and comes away with a close victory. While Duke may lose a conference game down the road, I think it won't come Saturday in Winston.