Duke and UNC must lead the way against the SEC’s elite for the ACC to regain its credibility

There’s a widespread belief that casual fans don’t start paying attention to college basketball until the first time North Carolina and Duke renew their rivalry the week after the Super Bowl.

The same concept applies to this year’s ACC/SEC Challenge.

The rivalry between the rival conferences actually began on Tuesday with 10 of the 16 games being played. But that was only the undercard to the main event, which takes place on Wednesday when the no. 9-ranked Blue Devils and no. 20 Tar Heels get their turn on the field.

UNC plays 10th-ranked Alabama at 7:15 p.m. in the Smith Center in a rematch of last spring’s Sweet 16 showdown. Two hours later at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils face a top-2 opponent for the second time in the last 3 games when they take on No. 2 Auburn.

The results of these matches will contribute to the cumulative result that will give one of the leagues bragging rights for the next year.

Or at least until March.

But that’s not the most tangible goal on the line for the ACC.

To have a chance to restore its reputation as one of the nation’s elite leagues, especially after Tuesday’s unmitigated disaster, in which the SEC already rose to the challenge by going 9-1 with 4 of its wins by 20 points or more, the conference’s No. 2 most recognizable programs must step up and show the way.

With all due respect to the NC States, Wake Forests, Boston Colleges and Georgia Techs of the world, few outside of their respective fan bases will notice or care how their games turn out this week.

However, they will be locked in on the Duke and UNC name brands.

It is therefore from a perception standpoint that “winning” the challenge as a whole is not nearly as important to the ACC as having the Tar Heels and Blue Devils rise to the occasion by looking and playing like the blue bloods that they are.

And don’t throw any red meat to the “2-bid league” crowd by losing to high-level opponents on their own home floors.

Although both teams have their work cut out for them, Duke figures to be in the best position to hold up its end of the bargain. Even as Auburn came off an impressive performance by winning the Maui Invitational last week.

Jon Scheyer’s team is just 1-2 in its first 3 games against ranked opponents. But in both losses, against Kentucky and Kansas, the Blue Devils had possessions with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final minute.

Each time, they fell short due to turnovers by their freshman stars: Cooper Flagg against the Wildcats and Kon Knueppel against the Jayhawks. Incidentally, none of the matches were with Cameron.

The experience of having been in those kinds of pressure situations will only help the growth process for both young players. So will the fact that Wednesday’s game will be played in the friendly confines of Cameron.

Duke is 274-7 against non-conference opponents at home since 1983 with 2 of those losses – to Michigan State and Illinois in 2020 – with no one in attendance due to COVID restrictions.

UNC’s home court advantage has been nearly as strong.

And the Tar Heels should have plenty of motivation against the team that ended their national championship hopes last season.

But while each team’s stars are back for the rematch, RJ Davis and Alabama’s Mark Sears are surrounded by vastly different supporting casts. That has led to some early growing pains as they work to build chemistry and develop new roles.

The Crimson Tide is 6-2 (0-1 on the road), while the Tar Heels are just 4-3 after losing 2 of 3 in Maui.

Their matchup promises to be an up-tempo, high-scoring affair with UNC ranked 7th nationally in scoring at 89.7 points per game. game and Alabama close behind in 11th with 88.6.

A quick pace should play to the Tar Heels’ advantage, given the inconsistency of their half-court offense in the absence of a true low post presence. It will also help that the Crimson Tide will be without their No. 3 leading scorer and most accurate 3-point shooter Latrell Wrightsell Jr., who according to coach Nate Oats suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon on Tuesday.

Like their rival Blue Devils, the Tar Heels usually show up with their “A” game in Challenge games on their home court.

UNC played arguably its best half of the season last December with a 100-92 win against Tennessee in the inaugural ACC/SEC event, while Duke was 10-1 in Cameron against the Big Ten in the previous version of the nonconference contest .

On Wednesday night, they will put aside their intense rivalry for a few hours to do their part in leading the way towards a common goal.

The rest of the ACC is counting on them.