Top tourney seed on the line for Duke-UNC

If Duke can repeat its February win over North Carolina, it will give the Blue Devils the top seed in the conference tournament. Kevin Cox/Getty Images

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For all the memorable showdowns Duke and North Carolina have staged over the years, it's tough to remember one recently that combined such high stakes with such genuine curiosity over how the two teams will perform.

Saturday night's game at Cameron Indoor Stadium will be for far more than bragging rights. First of all, it's a winner-takes-all duel for the ACC's regular-season title, with both teams currently 13-2 in the league standings heading into their final game. Obviously, the winner receives the top seed for next week's ACC tournament in Charlotte.

There could be a far more important seed at stake, however: The No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament's East region. Seeing as the regional site this year is Charlotte, and seeing as there's an opening-weekend pod in Raleigh, whichever of the two lands that top seed won't have to leave the state prior to the Final Four. That's a pretty big advantage.

As the current No. 1 team in the country, the Tar Heels (28-2) hold the inside track, but a Blue Devils victory Saturday night would give them both the conference title and a season sweep of their rival. Suffice to say, Duke would move ahead UNC in the pecking order. (It's also possible 27-3 Tennessee -- whose closest regional site is also Charlotte -- could trump one or both.)

Remarkably, despite their 28 wins and despite this being their 11th week this season atop the AP poll, the Tar Heels have yet to beat a top 15 opponent. Their biggest conquest to date was an overtime victory Jan. 6 at then 19th ranked Clemson. (They also beat the Tigers, which are currently 21-8 and ranked 23rd in the RPI ratings, in double overtime Feb. 10.) UNC's other RPI top 50 wins have come against No. 24 BYU, No. 26 Miami, No. 31 Kent State, No. 45 Davidson and No. 47 Kentucky.

In other words, while the experts viewed North Carolina as the nation's best team coming into the season, and while many still do, the Tar Heels have managed to go nearly the entire regular season without a so-called "signature" victory.

Which brings us to the intrigue factor with Saturday's matchup.

Duke's own signature victory came Feb. 6 against the Tar Heels themselves. Behind a torrid shooting night from point guard Greg Paulus (6-of-8 three-pointers), the Blue Devils went into Chapel Hill and scored an 89-78 victory. Suddenly Duke, not Carolina, was the team to beat in the ACC.

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