BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Duke had a humbling loss at home to rival North Carolina to end the season. Did that throw away any hope at a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament?
Duke dropped to No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25 poll after the loss, meaning they would need to jump a few spots in order to attain a No. 1 seed. On Thursday, they'll play the winner of Florida State and Syracuse.
Candace Cooper of the Locked On ACC podcast joined Peter Bukowski on the Locked On Today podcast to discuss why she thinks Duke will have a chip on their shoulder in the ACC Tournament.
SUBSCRIBE: The Locked On Today podcast hosted by Peter Bukowski gets you caught up every morning on the biggest stories in sports without taking up your free time.
"I think Duke is the scariest team right now because they're coming off that loss and they're trying to avenge what was supposed to be a really good weekend," Cooper said on Locked On Today. "But North Carolina also, can they maintain some consistency. They had a great win, can they keep it up and not get stuck in trap when they're probably going to have to play a team like Virginia in their first game."
What will it take for Duke to sneak back into a No. 1 seed? Cooper said it's going to take some near-perfect basketball.
"They would have to win every game handedly," Cooper said. "They've had some great wins this year against Gonzaga and Kentucky, so it's not like it's impossible. But they're going to have to have a strong tournament from start to finish."
SUBSCRIBE to the daily Locked On ACC podcast, covering basketball and football conference-wide
So which teams in the ACC can really make a name for themselves ahead of the NCAA Tournament in this ACC finale?
"Miami is always hungry, always gritty and they love to be in pressure situations. But, I think Virginia is probably the one where they've gotten better as the season has progressed," Cooper said. "They're trying to get themselves back in position and hey, they beat the No. 1 team in Duke so it's not impossible for them to make a good run here."
Duke, North Carolina, Miami, Notre Dame and Wake Forest are teams that likely have a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Virginia is on the outside looking in, but if they can win their first matchup against Louisville and then defeat North Carolina and another team in the semis to play in the finals, they have a chance to squeak in.
While North Carolina, Virginia and Miami have all defeated Duke this season and could make a run to win the ACC Tournament, Cooper said she believes it will be Duke that wins the tourney.
"They love being the villain, it's the Batman energy. They're Two Face right now. They're coming out after that loss on Saturday and they're ready to be the ultimate villain," Cooper said.
SUBSCRIBE to the Locked On Blue Devils podcast, your daily podcast covering all things Duke basketball.