North Carolina sweeps the Duke without Zion

CHAPEL HILL, NC – You want to put an asterisk the size of Zion on the Duke title in North Carolina, its share of the regular season title of the Atlantic Coast Conference and its ascent to seed number 1 of the tournament NCAA? You go straight. Roy Williams is not here to stop you and he is not there to take care of you either.

Asked about Zion Williamson's absence after the Tar Heels defeated the Blue Devils 79-70 here Saturday night, the Carolina coach cut the question to the question and replied, "Frankly, darling …"

Ol 'Roy refrained from ending Clark Gable's famous phrase from "Gone With the Wind," as the product from Asheville, North Carolina, prefers to converse at Smoky Mountain Cornponese and say "dadgum" and "frickin" '"Instead of wacky words. That's how it rolls, directly from the turnip truck. But his feeling is understood and legitimate.

He does not care and should not fuck it.

Do not ask Williams to apologize for the fact that the best college basketball player played 30 seconds overall in the 80-minute home-and-away match with North Carolina. Not his problem.

In fact, the problem belongs to the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee. He must now find a way to prioritize three powerful ACC teams: North Carolina, which swept Duke; Duke who swept Virginia; and Virginia, who won the only meeting with the Tar Heels, at Chapel Hill.

Two of them very probably deserve No. 1 seed. Good luck to know which one.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The plot has certainly been twisted since & nbsp;The shoe uprising that changed university basketball on February 20. At this point, Duke was clearly # 1 and seemed to be moving closer to the No. 1 seed of the NCAA. "Data-reactid =" 38 "> The plot is certainly twisted since the collapse of the shoe that changed college basketball on February 20. At that time, Duke was clearly No. 1 and seemed to be heading for the No. 1 seed of the NCAA.

Now, it's the Blue Devils, the least-known merchandise of the three CCA powers, that need to show something at the league tournament in Charlotte to restore their reputation. Now, it is North Carolina that seems to be one of the main contenders for the national title and perhaps the CCA team that deserves the geographic preference of Big Dance (first two rounds at Columbia in South Carolina, then to Washington, DC). Unless, of course, this primacy is granted to Virginia, who is undefeated against anyone who does not call Duke and who has no bad defeat to explain.

Carolina looks really good. Virginia looks really good. Duke looks like a team waiting for the cavalry unit to the rescue.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "One night when another blue devil fell with an injury knee – this time starting center Brands Bolden, just 2 and a half minutes into the match, a disturbing panic of bad luck against the Heels – Mike Krzyzewski could still leave the Dean Dome with optimism. His exhausted team beat him. Zion must simply return to the formation and become the player of the year again. "Data-reactid =" 41 "> One night, another Blue Devil injured his knee, this time the Marques Bolden brand center only has 2 units, half a minute after the start of the encounter, the alarming panic of bad luck against the heels – Mike Krzyzewski could still leave the optimism of the Dean Dome, but his exhausted team had to fight, he just needed Zion to return to training and return to player of the year form.

"If Zion is healthy and whatever," said Krzyzewski, "we will have a chance."

Williamson is expected to return to five-on-five practice and contact drills on Monday. He should play when the Blue Devils start playing the ACC tournament on Thursday. If he looks good and that they look good – better than the team that went 3-3 in his absence – you have to consider Duke as a suitor in the national title.

"We are going to be good," said R.J. Barrett, Williamson's first-year sidekick. "We just have to go back to the lab."

Meanwhile, the lab has recruited a fully trained competitor in Carolina. But it's the rarest of Carolina teams – one that has been underrated and sidelined from the sport.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Since the opening dam of 118 points, Duke fell on Kentucky on November 6, the Blue Devils absorbed all the heat and light of the sport like a black hole. the history, to the exclusion of all others – up to a 30-kilometer program that normally attracts a lot of attention and hype. "data-reactid =" 46 "> Duke, the first dam of 118 points, was dropped on November 6, the Blue Devils have absorbed all the heat and light of the sport as a black hole. the history, to the exclusion of all others – up to a 30-kilometer program that normally attracts a lot of attention and hype.

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Hard to believe, but the little old North Carolina has screwed up with everyone.

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