The second of two games scheduled annually between Duke and North Carolina will be played later Saturday inside the Dean Smith Center. It should be a fun scene. But the juice that used to accompany the matchup is undeniably lacking, in part because, for the fourth time in the past six meetings, North Carolina enters without a number next to its name.
Unranked UNC?
That doesn’t even sound right, does it? But that’s the label the Tar Heels took into both games with Duke in 2023 and both games against Duke in 2025. Even more of an indicator of just how differently these rivals are operating right now is the fact that Duke is a 9.5-point favorite on the road against a North Carolina team that’s 1-10 in Quadrant 1 opportunities.
Yes, the Tar Heels are riding a six-game winning streak — and that’s certainly better than the alternative. But the reason UNC remains on the wrong side of the bubble, according to CBS Sports bracket expert Jerry Palm, is because all six of those wins are against teams ranked 89th or worse in the NET. At this risk of piling on, I’m compelled to highlight that every team in the SEC — all 16 of them, even last-place South Carolina — is better in the NET than every ACC team North Carolina has topped in this winning streak.
That’s crazy.
Bracketology: First automatic bid to 2025 NCAA Tournament field on tap as regular season winds down
Jerry Palm
Bracketology: First automatic bid to 2025 NCAA Tournament field on tap as regular season winds down
Bottom line: The ACC is down bad. Ten of the 18 members are worse than the worst team in the SEC, according to the NET. Nine of the 18 members are worse than the worst team in the Big 12, according to the NET. As of this moment, Palm is only projecting the ACC to receive three bids to the NCAA Tournament. The Mountain West could — and probably should — receive more.
Duke is No. 2 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Auburn remains No. 1 for the 59th consecutive day. The Blue Devils can secure the first outright ACC title of Jon Scheyer’s career with a win at North Carolina, or if Clemson and Louisville both lose, the latter of which seems unlikely. Tip is set for 6:30 pm ET.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
BIGGEST MOVERS
1 IOWA STATE 1 PURDUE
RK
TEAMS
CHG
RCRD
1
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AUBURN Miles Kelly was 1-of-8 from the field in Tuesday’s 83-72 loss at Texas A&M. The Tigers’ next game is Saturday at Alabama. — 27-4
2
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DUKE Cooper Flagg finished with 28 points and seven assists in Monday’s 93-60 win over Wake Forest. The Blue Devils’ next game is Saturday at North Carolina. — 28-3
3
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HOUSTON L.J. Cryer finished with 22 points and three steals in Monday’s 65-59 win over Kansas. The Cougars’ next game is Saturday at Baylor. — 27-4
4
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FLORIDA Alex Condon finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday’s 99-94 win at Alabama. The Gators’ next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. — 27-4
5
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MICHIGAN ST. Jase Richardson finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Thursday’s 91-84 win at Iowa. The Spartans’ next game is Sunday against Michigan. — 26-5
6
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TENNESSEE Zakai Zeigler was 2-of-9 from the field in Wednesday’s 78-76 loss at Ole Miss. The Vols’ next game is Saturday against South Carolina. — 25-6
7
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ALABAMA Mouhamed Dioubate was 0-of-4 from the field in Wednesday’s 99-94 loss to Florida. The Crimson Tide’s next game is Saturday at Auburn. — 24-7
8
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ST. JOHN’S RJ Luis Jr. finished with 21 points and two steals in Saturday’s 71-61 win over Seton Hall. The Red Storm’s next game is Saturday at Marquette. — 27-4
9
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WISCONSIN John Blackwell finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds in Wednesday’s 74-67 win at Minnesota. The Badgers’ next game is Saturday against Penn State. — 23-8
10
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TEXAS TECH JT Toppin finished with 30 points and 14 rebounds in Wednesday’s 91-75 win over Colorado. The Red Raiders’ next game is Saturday at Arizona State. — 24-7
11
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TEXAS A&M Wade Taylor IV finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Tuesday’s 83-72 win over Auburn. The Aggies’ next game is Saturday at LSU. — 22-9
12
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IOWA ST. Keshon Gilbert was 4-of-12 from the field in Tuesday’s 88-85 double-overtime loss to BYU. The Cyclones’ next game is Saturday at Kansas State. 1 23-8
13
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PURDUE Purdue allowed the Illini to shoot 63% from 2-point range in Friday’s 88-80 loss at Illinois. The Boilermakers’ next game will be in the Big Ten Tournament. 1 21-10
14
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MARYLAND Rodney Rice finished with 19 points and two rebounds in Wednesday’s 71-65 win at Michigan. The Terrapins’ next game is Saturday against Northwestern. — 24-7
15
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LOUISVILLE Terrence Edwards Jr. finished with 35 points and four rebounds in Wednesday’s 85-68 win over Cal. The Cardinals’ next game is Saturday against Stanford. — 25-6
16
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MICHIGAN Will Tschetter was 1-of-5 from the field in Wednesday’s 71-65 loss to Maryland. The Wolverines’ next game is Sunday at Michigan State. — 22-9
17
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CLEMSON Jaeden Zackery finished with 21 points and three rebounds in Wednesday’s 78-69 win at Boston College. The Tigers’ next game is Saturday against Virginia Tech. — 26-5
18
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ARIZONA Henri Veesaar finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday’s 113-100 win over Arizona State. The Wildcats’ next game is Saturday at Kansas. — 20-11
19
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MARQUETTE Chase Ross was 3-of-9 from the field in Wednesday’s 72-66 loss at UConn. The Golden Eagles’ next game is Saturday against St. John’s. — 22-9
20
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KENTUCKY Otega Oweh finished with 24 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday’s 95-64 win over LSU. The Wildcats’ next game is Saturday at Missouri. — 21-10
21
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SAINT MARY’S Augustus Marciulionis finished with 25 points and seven assists in Saturday’s 74-64 win over Oregon State. The Gaels’ next game will be in the WCC Tournament. — 28-5
22
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MEMPHIS PJ Haggerty finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Friday’s 84-68 win over USF. The Tigers’ next game will be in the AAC Tournament. — 26-5
23
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OREGON Jackson Shelstad finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Tuesay’s 73-64 win over Indiana. The Ducks’ next game is Sunday at Washington. — 23-8
24
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MISSOURI Missouri allowed the Sooners to shoot 57.1% from the field in Wednesday’s 96-64 loss at Oklahoma. The Tigers’ next game is Saturday against Kentucky. — 21-10
25
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BYU Richie Saunders finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday’s 88-85 double-overtime win at Iowa State. The Cougars’ next game is Saturday against Utah. — 23-8
26
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OLE MISS Jaemyn Brakefield finished with 19 points and two assists in Wednesday’s 78-76 win over Tennessee. The Rebels’ next game is Saturday at Florida. — 21-10