UNC basketball’s 10-game winning streak from late December to late January, which propelled the team to No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, was not without its challenges. During that stretch, however, third-year head coach Hubert Davis’ team repeatedly counterpunched opponents with knockout blows.
Not so much lately.
Following Tuesday night’s 86-79 road loss to Syracuse, which lost by 36 points in Chapel Hill one month prior, the No. 7 Tar Heels (19-6, 11-3 ACC) have lost three of their last five games. And they are just four points away from going on a three-game losing streak since their home victory over archrival Duke on February 3.
On that note, the Tar Heels have opened the door for the No. 9 Blue Devils (19-5, 10-3), who now have a better overall record than UNC and are on a three-game winning streak since their clash in the Dean E. Smith Center two weeks ago, to join them and Virginia as teams in control of their own destiny in the ACC.
The No. 21 Cavaliers (19-6, 10-4) lost 74-63 at home to Pitt on Tuesday night, but they could still win and own the tiebreaker against either Duke or UNC, as they will face each for the first and only time this regular season in the coming weeks. They host UNC on February 24 and visit Duke the following Saturday.
UNC and Duke will face off in Durham on March 9. That regular-season finale could decide the No. 1 seed in the ACC Tournament.
Of course, they both have important business to take care of first.
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