Bracketology 2024: Duke, Kansas, and Boise State highlight the last weekend of the regular season

North Carolina (24-6, 16-3 in ACC) at Duke (24-6, 15-4 in ACC), Saturday, March 9, 6:30 PM ET, ESPN

Saturday evening, in Durham, North Carolina with the ACC title on the line, the Tar Heels and Blue Devils will do battle once again. UNC enters the game with a slim one-game lead over Duke and a season sweep would give them the title. The Blue Devils have lost just twice since Christmas and what better way to earn the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament and their first title under Jon Scheyer than defeating your arch-nemesis in the finale? These two teams are safely in the big dance so in addition to bragging rights, this game gives each a chance to better themselves in the eyes of the committee before postseason play.

North Carolina has been a two-seed for most of the year and was corroborated by the committee during the reveal when they were the No. 5 overall seed. The Blue Devils find themselves on the three-line in my latest seed list but could join the tar heels as a No. 2 seed by continuing their strong play. The Tar Heels are poised to jump back into the No. 1 seed conversation, should others such as Arizona and Tennessee take an unexpected loss, but a loss here would likely end that conversation. A win for Duke would earn them a split with North Carolina and give them their best win of the year. Whoever wins this game will likely be a No. 2 seed, and if it is Duke, both residents of Tobacco Road might end up on the No. 2 seed line.