ESPN Men's Basketball

1. Expect Michigan's Trey Burke to sweep through all the player of the year awards. If not, I will be shocked. After winning the AP player of the year award on Thursday, Burke added the Oscar Robertson trophy Friday morning. A few weeks ago it looked like the awards would be shared by players like Indiana's Victor Oladipo or Georgetown's Otto Porter. But Burke surged ahead with his play, including his performance in the NCAA tournament. And that should count. I know the Kemba Walker camp would have liked to have had his postseason play count against BYU's Jimmer Fredette. Even if it did, in that particular season, it would have been still close and Fredette may have still won. These awards should all wait until the Monday of Final Four week before accepting ballots.

2. NC State blocked Rodney Purvis from transferring to any ACC school or Missouri or Cincinnati, two schools on the Wolfpack's upcoming schedule. NC State athletic director Debbie Yow said she was OK with that because Purvis could be playing at NC State. I don't get this. It is being petty. It may not matter with Purvis likely headed to UConn. Still, blocking a player from transferring to a possible non-conference opponent, for one game a season, just looks small. I understand blocking teams from the conference; every league essentially looks to do that. But blocking transfers to a non-conference opponent is a weak response. Coaches have freedom of movement, even within a league, but players don't without having to give up a scholarship or fight for a waiver. UPDATE: Coach Mark Gottfried said the school is now reworking the release and has no problems releasing him to any school outside of the ACC.

3. Providence coach Ed Cooley will find out Tuesday if Ricky Ledo will return for his redshirt freshman season or declare for the NBA draft, he said Friday. Ledo was a big-time get for the Friars but was unlikely to ever get eligible this season. He sat out and was apparently an instrumental part of the team in practice. Now, Ledo may leave without ever playing a game for the Friars. Ledo and the school may have still benefited from his year in between high school and the NBA. If he became a better player, and more importantly more mature, then it would help him in the league. Having a year of college is better than none.

1. Minnesota coveted VCU’s Shaka Smart, but his former boss, current Golden Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague, couldn’t convince Smart to come to the Twin Cities (he should know Smart is loyal to VCU) for the head-coaching job from which Tubby Smith was just fired. According to sources, the Gophers have now turned their attention to Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg and Butler’s Brad Stevens. We’ll see, but I’ll be shocked if either were to go to Minnesota. Hoiberg is the Mayor in Ames (it's his alma mater) and has Iowa State in a good place after back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. If Hoiberg were to leave for Minnesota, the NBA's Timberwolves, not the Gophers, would make more sense. I can’t see Stevens bolting, either, with how much he loves the Butler way and working for AD Barry Collier. Stevens can have a lifetime contract at Butler, much like Mark Few has at Gonzaga. If they can't convince either of these two, the Gophers may make a play for Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin. But Cronin is from Cincinnati and loves his gig, too. The only reason he might listen is if he sees the need to go to a school in a more stable conference.

2. NC State has made it clear that coach Mark Gottfried hasn’t heard anything from UCLA. Athletic director Debbie Yow also is quick to remind everyone of the $3.75 million buyout in Gottfried’s contract, which she terms non-negotiable. Much as he got many in the Research Triangle to warm to NC State, Gottfried would fit at UCLA. But it would be too hard for UCLA to pry him out of Raleigh. Multiple sources continue to think the Bruins may have to go with an NBA coach. But there are other options out there -- Washington’s Lorenzo Romar, a former UCLA assistant, hasn’t been contacted; apparently neither has Colorado’s Tad Boyle, who has recruited Los Angeles well. USC, meanwhile, might end up going with a quality coach, albeit not a huge name. Remember, Oregon didn’t get its first choice, but did land a big-time talent in Dana Altman. It can be done.

3. Hofstra athletic director Jeff Hathaway has made it clear he wants a current head coach for its vacancy, according to sources, making it seem more realistic he would lean toward coaches like Iona’s Tim Cluess and/or Tom Moore of Quinnipiac. Quality openings like Old Dominion and Siena remain. Meanwhile, sources close to former UCLA coach Ben Howland anticipate he’ll sit out next season rather than take a job.

DAYTON, Ohio -- NC State was never the sixth-best team in the country. We should probably get that out of the way.

NC State's now-infamous preseason ranking was less the product of the team's quality and more of the hype that accompanies tournament wins and top recruiting classes, particularly when they arrive in tandem, as they did in Raleigh, N.C. Expectations ballooned. They were always unrealistic.

It would be unfair to grade NC State on that curve. It would also be unfair to overlook the brilliance of Temple guard Khalif Wyatt, who scored 31 points, including a 12-of-14 performance from the free throw line, in Temple's 76-72 win Friday -- or to ignore that this is now Temple's eighth win in its past nine games and the best Fran Dunphy’s team has played all season.

It would not be unfair, however, to say that even if the Wolfpack weren't a top-10 team, ultimately they still had a disappointing season; that a No. 8 seed was far less than a team with one of the best offensive arsenals in the country could have achieved, that Friday's first-round tournament exit was an ending far below their considerable talent and that, above all, their defense -- or lack thereof -- was to blame.

"At times we were really good defensively. At times we were not," NC State coach Mark Gottfried said. "This particular team never seemed to get to a point where we could sustain and maintain great defensive effort the entire game."

That was the case on Friday, particularly during the Wolfpack's nightmare of a first half. NC State began stagnant and sluggish, and as shots failed to fall (it shot 10-of-25 in the first half), whatever defensive energy NC State typically derives off its offensive potency waned. Shoulders slumped. Wyatt, one of the best scorers in the country, and forward Jake O'Brien (who went 5-of-7 in the first frame) took immediate advantage, as the Owls made 16 of their 30 field goal attempts and shot 5-of-11 from 3.

By halftime, NC State trailed, 38-22. When its offense went quiet -- and it happens to every team at least once in the tournament, though usually not in their very first minutes -- the Wolfpack couldn't get stops.

The second half was better. Lorenzo Brown came alive, T.J. Warren created a pair of turnovers and the Wolfpack started feasting on their typical combination of low-post looks to the tune of 50 points while going 19-of-27 from the field. If anything, the second-half spurt might be even more frustrating for NC State fans, not only because it highlighted their team's inability to stop a totally fearless Wyatt -- who made every big shot and got to the line 12 times (and made 11) in the second half -- but also because it presented such a striking contrast from the first half. Accusations that NC State had attitude issues, that the reason it didn't guard people was because it didn't try, rumbled off and on all year.

Forward Scott Wood testily dismissed that notion in the postgame news conference -- "You can come watch us in practice and tell us if you think the same," he said -- but Gottfried was more open.

"I think this team struggled with a lot of things," Gottfried said. "Number one, we had some immaturity at times. It just seemed hard at times to have everybody buy in all the way. And for us to get better in the future, everybody needs to. Our young guys need to learn that lesson.

"At times this year, that just seemed to be a struggle for our group," Gottfried said. "That was a hard thing for us to overcome basically all year long, from the way we started. Some of the young guys, some of the older guys, and building character every day and doing things right every day, putting the team first, and then personal success and glory comes later. It always does. But you have to trust that. We struggled with some of that this year."

Whatever the intangible root causes, the end result was a defense that ranked 192nd in the country in points allowed per possession (1.017) despite a lineup chock full of lanky, athletic, NBA-coveted talents. At times that talent was enough to get NC State by, but not Friday. Not against Wyatt, a quirky but dominant scoring guard, and not against a less-talented team that nonetheless trusts in him and each other.

On the penultimate possession of the game, before Wyatt iced the game with two free throws, and while NC State players reminded him of the importance of the shots ("they were talking a little bit," Wyatt said), he turned to his teammates assembled near the half-court line and said "I got this."

"They trusted me to to make two shots at the end," Wyatt said. And then he did.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Miami guard Durand Scott’s coaches had been reminding him to hold his follow-through after shots.

“On the ones I missed, I hadn’t been,” he explained.

So you couldn’t blame the senior for holding the pose an extra moment (or two) with about 11 minutes left in Saturday’s 81-71 win over NC State in the ACC tournament semifinals.
After the fifth-seeded Wolfpack put together a 13-4 rally to cut a once 19-point lead to 50-44, Scott buried a 3 from near the top of the arc to halt the rally. That marked his 25th, 26th and 27th points in what would be a career-high 32-point outing.

“I didn’t know how many points I had at that point,” Scott said of that key 3-pointer. “I just knew that shot felt good.”

Know what feels better? Securing top-seeded Miami’s first trip to the ACC tournament championship game at Greensboro Coliseum on Sunday.

“These are times you dream about -- and I feel like I’m living somebody else’s dream,” Scott said. “I feel happy.”

Scott set the tone early, scoring Miami’s first two buckets. He outscored the Wolfpack 11-5 at one point (when the Canes led 14-5), and gave his team as much as a 39-20 advantage near the end of the first half when he buried his 18th and 19th points on a pair of free throws.

“Today he had a jump shot going, so if you play off him and give him a one-arm-length gap, he would step up there and drill a 3 on you,” Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried said.

And if the Wolfpack defended closer? “He beat us off the dribble,” Gottfried said. “He was tough today, very good.”

Scott’s offensive ability isn’t exactly surprising. The media-notes-described “junkyard dog” had posted games with 20 or more points twice this season. And then there was that performance in this building when he was a freshman, when he recorded 21 points in a 2010 semifinal loss at Duke.

But this year -- one that has seen Miami reach its best-ever national ranking (as high as No. 2) and win its first league regular-season title -- he’d been lauded more for his abilities on the other side of the ball and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year earlier this week.

It’s an award he is proud of (and it should be noted that NC State’s Scott Wood scored most of his team-high 21 points Saturday when Scott wasn’t guarding him), but he -- and his teammates -- were glad he was able to display so many facets of his game.

Especially with so much -- perhaps a number No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament? -- on the line.

“I don’t think Durand gets the media attention he should get,” said Hurricanes point guard Shane Larkin, who finished with 23 points. “He’s one of the best guards in the country, not just the ACC. He’s proven that over his four years here, with the amount of points he has, the steals, rebounds. He’s the leader, [the] heart and soul of the team, definitely.”

In the end, Scott made 12 of 18 shots, including five 3-pointers, before he fouled out, as Miami shot 45.6 percent for the game.

And he actually held his shooting pose twice, the second time coming with 7:41 left, when his 3-pointer gave his team a 61-48 cushion (and it gave him the first game with 30-plus points of his career).

Still, it’s likely that run-stopping 3 earlier in the second half is what will be his most memorable of this game.

“That’s probably the longest I’ve ever held my follow-through,” he said, smiling.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- The Miami Hurricanes have secured a bunch of “firsts” this season: first defeat of a No. 1 team, first No. 2 national ranking (their highest ever), first ACC regular-season title.

Now they’ll try to add another to the list: first ACC tournament championship.

Paced by senior guard Durand Scott’s career-high 32 points -- remember, he was named the league’s defensive player of the year earlier this week -- the top-seeded (another first) Hurricanes beat No. 5 seed NC State 81-71 on Saturday to advance to Sunday’s title game at Greensboro Coliseum.

A quick look at the game:

Turning point: NC State, which trailed by as many as 19 points after a listless start, put together a 9-2 run to cut Miami’s advantage to 41-29 at halftime and then had a 13-4 rally early in the second half to cut the lead to 50-44. But Scott -- who else? -- halted the comeback with a 3-pointer.

With 8:28 left, another Scott drive gave Miami a 58-45 cushion (and tied the guard’s previous career high of 29 points). About 30 seconds later, yet another Scott 3-pointer pushed him past 30 points for the first time in his career.

Player(s) of the game: Um, I think I’ll choose Scott. He made 12 of his 18 shots, including five 3-pointers, before fouling out with about two minutes left. Shane Larkin added 23 points for Miami.

Scott Wood led NC State with 21 points.

Numbers(s) to know: Miami shot 51.7 percent in the first half. … NC State big man Richard Howell posted another double-digit rebounding game despite a deep thigh bruise sustained during Friday’s quarterfinal win.

Up next: Miami will play either third-seeded North Carolina or seventh-seeded Maryland in Sunday’s ACC tournament title game.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- NC State’s upperclassmen well remember the intestine-churning anxiety of entering the ACC tournament on the NCAA bubble, of knowing that each win or loss would impact their chances of making the field of 68.

Thus, they understood Virginia’s plight Friday.

And they showed absolutely no sympathy.

Wolfpack wing Scott Wood lit it up from the outside (23 points, seven 3-pointers), big man Richard Howell (12 rebounds, six points) dominated the boards despite a late first-half thigh injury, and forward C.J. Leslie recorded another double-double en route to a 75-56 blowout in the ACC quarterfinals.

Fifth-seeded NC State (24-9), which has found its “groove” according to coach Mark Gottfried and appears to be in pretty safe territory for at least an at-large NCAA bid, will play top-seeded Miami in the semifinals on Saturday.

The Cavaliers (21-11), who shot only 38.9 percent, got outrebounded by 11 and saw their leading scorer, Joe Harris, make only 4 of his 13 shots, are left to wait and wonder about their bubble hopes. They now have lost three of their past four games.

“If we play like this, we don’t deserve to play in the NCAA tournament,” Virginia guard Jontel Evans said. “If we play the way we play like Duke and Maryland and North Carolina, we should deserve to play.”

And there’s the conundrum for the NCAA selection committee.

While the Cavs boast quality regular-season wins over Duke, NC State, UNC and Wisconsin, they also have seven losses to teams outside of the RPI top 100, including three CAA teams (George Mason, Delaware and Old Dominion) and four of the ACC's worst (Georgia Tech, Boston College, Wake Forest and Clemson).

At the beginning of Friday, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi projected the Cavs as a No. 12 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament, and this loss didn’t help.

“What will be, will be,” Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “We have some quality wins, we have some bad losses and who knows what will happen. I’m sure people won’t give us much of a chance. The committee will make their decision.

“[Winning] this would have helped and I thought we had the right mindset going in. We prepared hard and knew the keys.”

Even so, NC State dominated from the outset, beating the Cavs at what they are usually known for: defense. The Wolfpack held Virginia to 31.2 percent shooting and just a 1-for-10 tally on 3-pointers in the first half.

The Wolfpack led 30-21 at halftime, and a Wood-centric 11-4 run (he had three 3-pointers) to open the second half gave them a 41-25 cushion. The Cavs never cut to within single digits after that. Not with Howell -- who got kneed in the right thigh twice, but kept battling in the lane despite a limp -- continuing to pull down rebounds. And not with Leslie and Wood continuing to hit shots.

“It was a really good win for our team,” Gottfried said. “I think our team is beginning to find that groove; I think we’re getting in a good spot.”

And a slightly different spot than a season ago, when the Wolfpack knew they had to keep winning to secure an NCAA berth. Although they lost in the ACC semifinals last year, they were the last team announced on the selection show -- and ended up in the Sweet 16.

With even bigger goals in mind this time around, they’re aiming for even bigger wins -- and longer tournament runs.

Which means no sympathy for Virginia, or anyone else.

“No, definitely not,” Howell said, smiling. “We know how it felt, we were in their shoes last year … but our focus is on what we can do.”

So what was more surprising on Thursday night: Michael Snaer's fourth game winner this season (and sixth over the past two seasons), or another loss by Virginia, which continues to play slip-and-slide with the NCAA tournament bubble? With one more weekend left in the ACC’s regular season -- and it could be a doozy -- here’s another attempt at the league’s power rankings:

1. Duke. Ryan Kelly missed two months with a foot injury, but he sure hasn’t looked like it. The Blue Devils forward has averaged 27 points in the two games since his return, scoring 36 in Duke's down-to-the-wire nail-biter Saturday against then-No. 5 Miami, and then 18 on Tuesday's Senior Night against Virginia Tech. Duke is now 17-0 this season with Kelly in the lineup -- and will be trying for 18-0 in Saturday’s showdown at UNC.

2. North Carolina. One of the keys to the Tar Heels going small? Getting some big play out of wing Reggie Bullock. The junior has posted three double-doubles in UNC’s past four games, and is averaging 15.5 points and 9 rebounds during his team’s six-game winning streak. The Tar Heels have secured a first-day ACC tournament bye. And as for that NCAA tournament bubble -- what bubble?

3. Miami. Just two weeks ago, it looked as if the Hurricanes were going to win the ACC regular season in a runaway. But they’ve now dropped three of their past four -- including the down-to-the-wire classic at Duke last weekend and Wednesday's loss to Georgia Tech when they squandered a double-digit lead. Miami can still clinch the outright regular-season title versus Clemson on Saturday. But the Canes drop in these power rankings after an 0-2 week.

4. NC State. In his last game of the season at PNC Arena on Wednesday, forward C.J. Leslie played his most complete game of the season -- recording 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks against Wake Forest. The Wolfpack have now won six of their past seven games and this weekend still could earn the third seed in the league tournament.

5. Michael Snaer. Florida State could be lower in these rankings, but the senior guard deserves an upper-half slot all by himself. After all, if not for his four game winners this season -- the latest on a left-handed runner with 4 seconds left against Virginia on Thursday night -- the Seminoles would be 4-13 in ACC play, instead of 8-9. FSU has now won two of its past three games, with Snaer averaging 18.3 points during that stretch.

6. Virginia. Is there an odder team out there, NCAA projection-wise, than the Cavaliers? Thursday night’s last-second loss at Florida State means UVa now has lost four of its past six games -- and its past two, at Boston College and at FSU, have come against teams with sub-.500 ACC records. Entering the game, the Cavs already had won four games this season against teams with a top-50 RPI, but lost four games against teams with RPIs below 150. What would you do if you were on the selection committee?

7. Maryland. Too many turnovers; too much inconsistency. As a result, the Terps are now 2-3 since their Feb. 16 upset of Duke, and they’re probably going to need the league’s automatic bid (via winning the ACC tournament) to make the NCAA field. It has been a disappointing, frustrating few weeks for coach Mark Turgeon and Maryland fans, and for good reason.

8. Georgia Tech. Talk about a confidence boost: Marcus Georges-Hunt's tip-in at the buzzer against Miami secured the Yellow Jackets’ first victory over a top-25 team since March 2010. Chris Bolden's career-high 21 points were also key to Tech winning for the second time in three games.

9. Boston College. It was a positive week for the Eagles, who got a game-winning 3-pointer from Joe Rahon with 8.2 seconds left against Virginia, followed by a solid Olivier Hanlan-led victory at Clemson. It marked the first time Rahon has scored in double figures in back-to-back games in league play, and it was Hanlan’s fourth conference game with 20 or more points.

10. Wake Forest. The Deacs have now lost three straight since upsetting Miami -- including Wednesday at NC State, where they were missing point guard Codi Miller-McIntyre because of strep throat. Senior C.J. Harris has made only 9 of 31 shots over his past three games.

11. Clemson. The Tigers have now lost five straight, and eight of their past nine. Senior forward Devin Booker is finishing strong individually, however, averaging 17.6 points over the last quintet of losses. Clemson travels to Miami on Saturday for its regular-season finale.

12. Virginia Tech. Guard Erick Green enters his final regular-season ACC game (at Wake Forest on Sunday) as the nation’s leading scorer (25 points per game). How many ACC Player of the Year votes will he get?

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski often has said he doesn’t believe in revenge games. But after losing at Miami by 27 points in January, and getting beaten at Virginia on Thursday night, is there much doubt there will be some extra, er, motivation for the Blue Devils when they host the Hurricanes on Saturday? In the meantime, here's an attempt at this week’s ACC power rankings:

1. Miami: The now-No.-5 Hurricanes bounced back from their first ACC loss of the season (by 15 points at Wake Forest) by beating up on Virginia Tech. Since then, they’ve been able to focus on the game everyone’s been talking about: Saturday’s rematch with Duke: "It's going to be a blast," guard Trey McKinney Jones said, according to The Associated Press. "We beat them here this year, and we beat them there last year, so they're going to be gunning for our heads."

2. Duke: Plus, the No. 3 Blue Devils should be especially fired up after shooting worse than 40 percent and never leading during the 73-68 loss at Virginia on Thursday. Forward Ryan Kelly, sidelined since January with a foot injury, returned to practice this week, but isn’t expected back until after Saturday’s game.

3. Virginia: Nothing like beating the No. 3 team in the nation to bolster your NCAA tournament hopes. Joe Harris scored a career-high 36 points and teammate Akil Mitchell added a double-double Thursday night as the Cavs toppled the Blue Devils and remained tied for third place in the ACC standings.

4. North Carolina: The Tar Heels are now 4-1 since they went to a four-guard starting lineup, and as their momentum grows, so does their NCAA tournament résumé. UNC secured another 20-win season with Thursday night’s victory at Clemson, and junior Reggie Bullock has averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds the past two games.

5. NC State: The Wolfpack bounced back from their loss at UNC by blasting Boston College, securing back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since Herb Sendek was coach. Next up: a trip to Georgia Tech, with an eye on trying to work back into the top four of the conference standings. State now stands in fifth place, a game behind the Cavs and Tar Heels.

6. Maryland: The Terps are 1-6 on the road in conference play after losing at Georgia Tech, with their only ACC road win coming at last-place Virginia Tech. They still travel to Wake Forest and Virginia, and play UNC at home, during the regular season, but Maryland’s at-large NCAA tournament bid hopes are diminishing.

7. Florida State: The Seminoles remain the worst rebounding team in the league (31.3 per game) but could get a boost when 6-foot-8 Terrance Shannon -- who suffered a neck injury on Jan. 19 but has been cleared to play -- returns. FSU beat Wake Forest earlier this week, but has still lost four of its past six games.

8. Wake Forest: After scoring 23 points en route to a court-storming win over then-No. 2 Miami, Demon Deacon C.J. Harris made only one field goal, and finished with nine points, in a loss at Florida State. So continue Wake Forest’s road woes. As some consolation, two of its final three games are at home.

9. Georgia Tech: Yellow Jackets coach Brian Gregory called his team’s win over Maryland earlier this week the most consistent 40 minutes of basketball it has played this season. Freshman forward Robert Carter Jr. posted his fourth double-double; and at 15-12 with three games left, Tech is guaranteed at least a .500 regular-season finish.

10. Clemson: Even with double-doubles from big men Milton Jennings and Devin Booker, the Tigers couldn’t outmatch the Tar Heels’ smaller starting lineup. Thursday’s defeat marked Clemson’s third consecutive loss and sixth in its last seven games, as the Tigers continue to struggle to score.

11. Boston College: It was a tough week on Tobacco Road for the Eagles, who followed a 21-point loss at Duke with an 18-point loss at NC State. Ryan Anderson averaged 17.5 points in the two defeats.

12. Virginia Tech: The Hokies snapped a nine-game losing streak by besting FSU, only to lose at Miami. The Canes held senior guard/nation's-leading-scorer Erick Green to 16 points, only the second time during the conference season that he’s failed to score at least 22.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams didn’t have to tell point guard Marcus Paige that he needed to play a whole lot better Saturday than the previous time the Tar Heels faced NC State.

Paige knew.

And he did.

The freshman, who looked lost and performed like it when the Tar Heels got whipped by the Wolfpack last month in Raleigh, rallied his team with an inspired, confident, 14-point, eight-assist effort during UNC’s 76-65 victory at the Smith Center.

NC State coach Mark Gottfried called Paige’s shots down the stretch Saturday “timely.”

And they were. But not just for that game -- also for the future of a Tar Heels team that finally seems to be putting its pieces together cohesively after switching to a smaller lineup four games ago.

“It’s just confidence and experience -- he has those now," senior guard Dexter Strickland said. “For [Paige] to be able to step up and hit those shots now, that’s huge for us, and where we are as a team.”

Where they are now, at 19-8 overall and 9-5 in the ACC, is third place in the league standings -- a half-game ahead of Virginia (which plays Sunday) and a full game ahead of the Wolfpack (19-8, 8-6). That’s important because only the top four teams earn a first-day bye in the ACC tournament.

And where they are now is looking calmer and more capable, going 3-1 since 6-foot-5 wing P.J. Hairston was inserted into the starting lineup, in place of 6-9 forward Desmond Hubert. The switch has made the Tar Heels faster, put another scorer on the floor, and opened more lanes for both Paige and Strickland to get to the basket.

“I think we’re starting to click more a little bit," Paige said.

A big part of that click is Paige, who went 2-for-11 with four assists and three turnovers during the Tar Heels' 91-83 loss last month at NC State. During that game, the freshman got outclassed by Wolfpack point guard Lorenzo Brown, who pushed a strong transition game -- and pushed past Paige on a regular basis. And the Tar Heels, Paige said, "got a little bit embarrassed," falling behind by as many as 28 points.

“That was the first time I played against a really big-time player, and he got the best of me in that matchup," Paige said. “[But] I couldn’t let him have a big night this time, because he kind of makes their whole offense go. I just wanted to try to contain him and make things as difficult for him as I could. And it ended up working out.”

Brown, still not quite 100 percent after an ankle sprain that sidelined him for two games earlier this month, finished with 12 points and 12 assists Saturday. But this time around, Paige was the aggressor -- especially when it mattered most.

After NC State used a 13-2 run early in the second half to turn a 10-point deficit into a 43-42 lead, Williams used his pull-'em-all approach, and inserted Paige, Luke Davis, J.P. Tokoto, Jackson Simmons and Hubert to give his more-used players a few minutes to ponder their lack of focus. Paige hit a 3-pointer -- a key shot considering Wolfpack wing Scott Wood countered with back-to-back 3s to extend his team’s run to 19-5.

But it was a few minutes later, with State still leading 55-52, when Paige really made his presence felt.

During what would become an 18-2 breakaway, and with the regulars back on the floor, he buried a 3-pointer to give the Tar Heels a 57-55 lead. After two Leslie McDonald free throws and a Reggie Bullock 3, he drove past Wood for a three-point play. And after another Bullock 3-pointer, Paige buried two free throws to give his team a comfy 70-57 cushion with less than four minutes left.

“I just think you’ve got to be able to step up and make big shots in times like that," Paige said. “And if defenses are going to leave you open, they’re challenging you to make shots like that. So to step up and make shots like that, that was big for me.”

And his team.

Bullock, who finished with a game-high 22 points and a career-high-tying 13 rebounds, also was big for UNC. As was the fact that NC State star forward C.J. Leslie finished with as many turnovers as points (6), and that the Tar Heels scored 24 points off turnovers (the Wolfpack had 16 for the game).

But Paige’s obvious growth since the previous time he faced NC State on Jan. 26 pulled it all together. It kept the rival Wolfpack from sweeping the Tar Heels for the first time since 2002-03. And it propelled the Tar Heels to their third consecutive victory.

He needed to improve. He knew it. And he did.

“My freshman is a tough little nut," Williams said. “And he’s getting better and better.”

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Small lineup? Doesn’t mean you can’t play big. North Carolina withstood a couple of rally attempts by taller NC State to avenge last month’s loss to its in-state rival, avoid the Wolfpack’s attempt at a regular-season sweep for the first time since 2002-03 and push its record to 3-1 since it went to a four-guard starting lineup.

A quick look at the Tar Heels’ 76-65 victory at the Smith Center.

Turning point: The Tar Heels -- who led by as many as 10 points early in the second half -- trailed 55-52 with eight minutes left. They countered with an 18-2 run, which included eight points from Reggie Bullock and a 3-pointer, three-point play and two free throws from freshman point guard Marcus Paige, to take a 70-57 lead with under four minutes to go.

Player(s) of the game: Bullock finished with 22 points and tied his career high with 13 rebounds. Paige, who looked lost in UNC’s defeat at State last month, had 14 points and eight assists.

Scott Wood led the Wolfpack with 19 points, and Richard Howell finished with 17 rebounds.

Number(s) to know: UNC scored 24 points off turnovers. NC State had 16. ... The Wolfpack outrebounded the Tar Heels 39-32.

Next up: NC State faces Boston College on Wednesday; UNC plays at Clemson on Thursday.

With roughly two weeks left in the regular season, the race is on for a top-four seed (and first-day bye) in the ACC tournament. In the meantime, here are this week's rankings based on myriad factors, including how teams have performed lately and the foes they've faced:

1. Miami. Clemson and Virginia both tested the Canes, but a late 3-pointer from Kenny Kadji at the Tigers and Reggie Johnson's tiebreaking layup versus the Cavs kept Miami undefeated in league play. The 13-0 record marks the hottest league start since Duke went 16-0 en route to the conference title in 1998-99.

2. Duke. The Devils bounced back from a close loss at Maryland with a blowout win at Virginia Tech as Mason Plumlee followed a four-point, three-rebound performance with a double-double Thursday night. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is now third on the career list for victories at one school (877), behind Dean Smith and Jim Boeheim.

3. NC State. The Wolfpack got a big boost by inserting 6-foot-8 T.J. Warren into the starting lineup this week. Not only did he turn in a 31-point, 13-rebound performance against FSU, but the team grabbed a season-best 45 boards. The Pack have won three straight, and it will be interesting to see whether they stay big against the Tar Heels this weekend.

4. North Carolina. Coach Roy Williams continues to start a smaller lineup with sophomore P.J. Hairston at the 4, and the Tar Heels continue to look faster and more aggressive with another scorer on the floor. Forward James Michael McAdoo's double-double at Georgia Tech, after he scored in single digits for three straight games, is a good sign, too.

5. Virginia. The Cavs are in the midst of a tough stretch. They lost at both UNC and No. 2 Miami in the past week, play a Georgia Tech team this weekend that beat them earlier this month, and then face another test in No. 6 Duke coming up next week. Junior Joe Harris, though, continues to be on a tear, averaging 22.4 points over his past five games.

6. Maryland. Another (way) up and (way) down week for the Terps, who upset the then-second-ranked Blue Devils at home, only to lose on the road to a focused Boston College team that had won just three previous ACC games. After posting an impressive 19-point, nine-rebound game against Mason Plumlee, Maryland big man Alex Len managed only four points against the Eagles.

7. Florida State. For all his last-second shots this season, Seminoles point guard Michael Snaer hadn’t managed 20 points against an ACC foe this year, until this week. He followed a 21-point game in a win against Boston College with 20 during a loss at NC State. Next up: a trip to Virginia Tech.

8. Clemson. Another week, another home heartbreaker for the Tigers, who lost to Miami on Kadji’s 3 after losing to NC State on a Scott Wood 3 on Feb. 10. At least they won a close one in the middle at Georgia Tech. Devin Booker posted his fifth double-double of the season in Clemson’s latest loss.

9. Georgia Tech. Freshman Robert Carter Jr. hit two free throws in the final 10 seconds to beat Wake Forest before Georgia Tech lost by double figures to the Tar Heels. The Yellow Jackets were an ouch-worthy 4-for-11 from the free throw line in their latest game and remain the worst foul-shooting team in the league (63.2 percent).

10. Boston College. And to build on the above note about the importance of free throws: The Eagles hit 16 straight down the stretch to protect the lead in their win over Maryland. Freshman Olivier Hanlan scored a career-high 26 points in that game, and BC has won two of its past three.

11. Wake Forest. A three-point loss at Boston College followed by a one-point loss to Georgia Tech? The bottom tier of the ACC likes to make things interesting, at least. The Deacs are second in the league in steals, sandwiched between UNC and Duke, and C.J. Harris continues to lead the team with 14.8 points per game.

12. Virginia Tech. Erick Green is still really good, adding a 22-point game against Duke to his nation-leading scoring average. His team still is struggling, though, losing nine in a row -- including two in overtime and Thursday's loss to the Blue Devils.

Saturday wasn't packed with as many high-quality, top-10 games as we've become used to -- we're spoiled, us hoops fans -- but it did feature a plethora of variously shaky NCAA tournament hopefuls looking to add further credentials to their respective résumés. Here's a look at who won and lost, and who survived and missed out, in a jam-packed day of bubble action.

WINNERS

Maryland: For Maryland fans, there's nothing in the world better than beating Duke, particularly after a three-year drought against their hated rivals. The same can be said for Maryland's place on the bubble. The Blue Devils are hardly the best team in the country (even if this week's coaches poll inexplicably disagreed) but they did enter Saturday with the No. 1 RPI in the country, the product of victories over Minnesota, VCU and Louisville in the November Battle 4 Atlantis (as well as a home win over Ohio State). Maryland entered Saturday planted about as firmly as possible on the tournament bubble, with prohibitive RPI (70) and SOS numbers (SOS: 119; nonconference SOS: 301), and with just one top-50 win, a 51-50 home defeat of NC State, to its name. Duke presented the right combination of a beatable team with a hugely flattering NCAA tournament profile, and the Terps took advantage.

Does that mean they're a lock? Hardly. The Terps would do well to avoid some potential scares on the road (at Boston College, at Georgia Tech, at Wake Forest) and take down North Carolina at home March 6, which is probably their last chance to beat a fellow potential tournament team. And they're still just outside the bracket in Joe Lunardi's latest configuration. But Saturday's win was a huge step forward, no doubt about it.

North Carolina: Speaking of North Carolina, the Tar Heels still have plenty of work to do themselves before they can feel safe about their spot in the NCAA tournament. But this was a good week. Not only did Roy Williams' team get a promising 93-81 win over Virginia on Saturday -- if you can stretch Virginia to that many possessions, let alone 93 points, you are officially in control of the ballgame -- but it played probably its best game of the season in Wednesday night's close loss to Duke. For strict RPI purposes, that Duke loss will go down as nothing more than that -- a loss to a good team on the road. But the committee was surely watching (it happened to be gathered in Indianapolis for meetings and mock selection), and for a committee never shy about applying the "eye test," UNC's week was a winner.

Philly trio: Philadelphia hoops might not be at its vintage best these days, but things are trending upward. Villanova backed up its back-to-back wins over Syracuse and Louisville -- the wins that made it a bubble entity in the first place -- with a solid road victory at Connecticut. Temple, which lost to Duquesne 84-83 this week, saw karma return the favor in an 83-82 win at fellow bubbler Massachusetts. And sneaky-good La Salle just keeps winning, this time in a Big 5 matchup victory over St. Joe's.

Arkansas: For the first two months of the season, the Razorbacks were among the most disappointing teams in the country. After all, why shouldn't this team be good? At the very least, why can't Arkansas play in the tournament? The Razorbacks have an NBA guard in BJ Young and some nice pieces around him, and Mike Anderson's Nolan Richardson-inspired up-tempo system isn't just perfect for Arkansas' basketball climate, it's also effective. But soft defense plagued this group throughout November and December as it embarked on what appeared to be yet another mediocre campaign.

That might still be true -- Arkansas did lose at Vanderbilt 67-49 just seven days ago, somehow -- but it's at least worth noticing the Hogs' big wins. On Feb. 5, they handed Florida its first SEC loss of the season, and Saturday afternoon, Young's two late and-1 plays helped Arkansas notch a win over Anderson's former school, Missouri. There is a long way to go before the Razorbacks will start getting serious tournament looks, but at least they seem interested in the postseason.

UCLA: The Bruins aren't in dire bubble shape but they don't have a ton of room for error, and they had a tough assignment Saturday, playing a surging Stanford team on the road. They got out of Palo Alto with an 88-80 win -- say this much for Ben Howland's team: It can really score -- to remain on the right side of the bubble conversation.

Arizona State: What a wacky week for the Sun Devils. After last week's three-point home loss to Stanford, ASU fell at Utah, which is better than it was last season (by a lot) but still not one of the 100 or even 150 best teams in college basketball. The only way Arizona State could erase the damage of that defeat was with a big, unlikely win at Colorado -- itself coming off a 13-point win over Arizona -- which, of course, is exactly what happened. Given Colorado's top-20 RPI, ASU's victory in Boulder puts a check in all the boxes the committee holds dear and should help the Sun Devils' own No. 76 RPI to boot.

LOSERS

Kentucky: There were plenty of questions to ask in the wake of Nerlens Noel's season-ending ACL injury at Florida, among them what it meant for Noel's professional career, what (if anything) it said about the one-and-done rule in the NCAA and so on. But chief among them was what the injury would mean for Kentucky's season, and how the Wildcats -- already a somewhat shaky bubble proposition -- would respond. The answer, received Saturday, was "not well." In its first post-Noel game, Kentucky was blown out at Tennessee, 88-58. It was a fair bet to assume the loss of Noel would hurt UK's defense; he is, after all, one of the nation's best shot-blockers-slash-turnover-creators. But no one could have assumed Kentucky would suddenly become the type of defense that allows 88 points to the Volunteers, themselves an often-brutal offensive outfit.

This is all bad news. Because the NCAA tournament selection committee appraises teams based on what they'll be when the tournament begins, it doesn't pay much attention to what happens before a key player gets hurt. The first three months of the season are essentially moot; the committee will evaluate Kentucky on what it does from now until Selection Sunday, and if Saturday was any indication, that appraisal will not be favorable.

Indiana State: The Sycamores were one of the feel-good stories of the season, an unheralded bunch that emerged from the tough Missouri Valley in lieu of popular preseason tourney picks such as Northern Iowa and Illinois State. Unfortunately, after Saturday's loss at Bradley (RPI: 175) -- which followed a loss earlier this week at Missouri State (RPI: 207) -- much of the bloom has come off this rose. To wit, Lunardi moved Indiana State out of the field in his late bracket update Saturday. Indiana State has four games left in the regular season and one major bubble opportunity: Tuesday night's home date against Wichita State. If ISU can't manage to take down the Shockers in Terre Haute, its final three games (Iona, Drake, at Evansville) won't do much to help.

Air Force: Between Jan. 19 and Feb. 2, Air Force rattled off five consecutive Mountain West Conference wins, beginning with Boise State and ending with a home victory over San Diego State. The Falcons lost a pair of road games in early February, at New Mexico and Nevada, but came back with another huge home win over UNLV on Feb. 13. All of which made Saturday's home game against Colorado State and its top-15 RPI something like a must-win. Instead, the Falcons fell short, 89-86. I wouldn't count this team out just yet -- it has proved it can play with pretty much anyone in the MWC -- but with its current computer numbers (including an RPI in the 60s and a noncon SOS ranked outside the top 250), Air Force's at-large margin for error is now drastically slim.

The middle portions of the Atlantic 10: Those of you waiting for the Atlantic 10 to start making some sort of sense can keep waiting, but I'm done. It simply isn't going to happen. But with all that chaos governing the league, it seemed possible some of the more middling teams -- Xavier, Charlotte, UMass -- could extend this one-year-only 16-team's NCAA tournament contenders deeper than anyone previously assumed. But all three of those teams lost Saturday: Xavier lost at Dayton, Charlotte was handled at Saint Louis and UMass missed a big opportunity in a one-point loss to Temple. Much like the A-10 in general, there are varying degrees of résumé in that group. But the overwhelming impression of that trio is mediocrity.

SURVIVORS

NC State: The Wolfpack are in much better bubble shape than most of the teams above, but the fact remains that a home loss to Virginia Tech on Saturday would have called into question just how tourney-built the Wolfpack really are. Since its Jan. 12 home win over Duke, NC State has lost at Maryland, at Wake Forest, at Virginia and in Durham (as well as a one-point home loss to Miami), and last Sunday only barely got by at Clemson (final score: 58-57) in one of its ugliest offensive outings of the season. NC State entered Saturday's game with a 6-5 record in ACC play and a 2-5 record on the road. And things were dicey in Raleigh. NC State needed a five-minute second-half Hokies drought and a 14-point run, plus overtime, to get past Erick Green (who notched 29 points and eight assists) and company. We might not remember it in March, but that might end up being the best -- or at least the most important -- win of NC State's up-and-down season.

Creighton: Two weeks ago, in my first edition of Bubble Watch, I put the Bluejays on the lock line because ... well, because, why not? Of course they were going to make the tournament. Two weeks later, after Creighton lost consecutive games at Indiana State, at home against Illinois State and at Northern Iowa, the Bluejays' profile -- two top-50 wins (over Wisconsin and Akron), an RPI of 50, a SOS of 114 -- suddenly looked like anything but a lock. That made Saturday's trip to Evansville fraught with intrigue, and the Purple Aces were more than happy to play the spoiling role. But thanks to Doug McDermott's 21 points and 10 rebounds and a 9-for-18 night from 3, Creighton held on 71-68, avoiding its fourth loss in a row and -- much more importantly -- avoiding making me break my "I don't unlock locks; that's why they're locks" Bubble Watch rule. At least for now.

Ole Miss: For all the hype Ole Miss guard Marshall Henderson has received at various times this season, Ole Miss is not a guaranteed tournament team. The Rebels' only marquee win came at home against Missouri, which hasn't played like a marquee-win type of team in months, and besides, Missouri blitzed Ole Miss in Columbia one month later. The Rebels' is the type of profile that is safe only in so far as it's not as shaky as the Villanovas of the world, but it is just as vulnerable to bad losses in an SEC full of them. In other words, Saturday's rally and eventual 84-74 OT victory over Georgia was crucial, if expected.

MISSED OUT

Virginia: The Cavaliers were hardly the favorite in Chapel Hill on Saturday, but they could have very much used a road win over an ostensible ACC team, and they bossed the game so handily when UNC visited Charlottesville that it seemed entirely plausible the same could happen in a different venue. It didn't -- UNC hung 93 -- and so the Cavs and their truly bizarre at-large profile remain in precarious position.

Oklahoma: Advanced stats tell us Oklahoma has been playing some very good basketball for the past couple of months, even as the Sooners failed to clinch big results in close games against Kansas State (twice) and at Kansas. When they toppled the reeling Jayhawks in Norman last week, they proved they could break through against a top team, and we shouldn't have been surprised when the Sooners pushed Oklahoma State to the brink in Stillwater on Saturday afternoon. Nor, perhaps, should we have been surprised when Oklahoma State sealed a tight five-point win. But man, would that one have been huge for OU.

Boise State: Unlike fellow MWC bubble-crasher Air Force, we've seen the Broncos coming since Nov. 28, when they upset Creighton in Omaha. Unfortunately, Boise hasn't gained Air Force-esque steam as the season has progressed, its only notable victory a home win over UNLV. On Saturday, the Broncos played New Mexico tight for 37 minutes and trailed by just two points with three minutes left to play. Then the Broncos faded. There's no shame in losing at New Mexico, but when you have the nation's third-ranked RPI squad on the ropes in its own building, it has to hurt when you can't come through.

DURHAM, N.C. -- The last time Duke played NC State -- an eight-point loss in Raleigh last month that snapped a 15-game Blue Devils winning streak and pushed them out of the top spot in the national polls -- it was still searching for an offensive identity without senior forward Ryan Kelly.

Looks like the fourth-ranked Blue Devils have found it.

Using a bevy of pretty 3-pointers, No. 4 Duke ripped off a big lead to open Thursday's rematch at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Using some patience and emotion and a whole bunch of free throws, it withstood a Wolfpack rally down the stretch and won 98-85.

“We’d love to have Ryan back, but we’ve learned how to play with this group,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “I’m not saying we’re a great team -- but we’re a good team now, with this group.”

They were a group with a lot of question marks mere weeks ago, when the 6-foot-11 Kelly -- a key component of the attack, what with the way he could draw defenses away from the lane with his 3-pointers -- was sidelined with an injured right foot.

The Blue Devils looked befuddled in their first game without him, allowing State to score (and score, and score) in transition on Jan. 12, while Duke struggled to hit 3s.

And they looked downright bad two games later, when they went to Miami on Jan. 23 and got embarrassed by 27 points.

With its fourth consecutive victory on Thursday, though, Duke (20-2, 7-2 ACC) showed that all of its talented pieces have re-formed a cohesive unit.

There were guards Seth Curry and Quinn Cook, accounting for eight of Duke’s 10 first-half 3-pointers to build a 21-point cushion at the break.

There was forward Mason Plumlee, recording his second 30-or-more-point game in three outings -- including two technical free throws with 3 minutes, 41 seconds left, when State’s Richard Howell earned a flagrant foul on an elbow and fouled out.

And there were Alex Murphy (four points, highlight-worthy two-handed dunk), Tyler Thornton (six assists in 18 minutes), Amile Jefferson (four points, five rebounds), and Rasheed Sulaimon (11 points) contributing and doing their parts -- key because the Devils were down to eight healthy scholarship players (forward Josh Hairston was sidelined with an infection).

“When Ryan goes down, a lot of guys started keying on Mason and Seth, so that gives all of us the opportunity to be more aggressive,” Cook said. “We have to step up. And I think everybody is answering the call.”

State, playing its second game without starting point guard Lorenzo Brown, made it interesting in the second half, shooting a net-burning 65.5 percent and cutting the once-22-point lead to as little as eight on a Scott Wood 3-pointer with 68 seconds left.

But with Howell (23 points, nine rebounds) and C.J. Leslie (16 points, six rebounds) benched by five fouls, the Wolfpack ran out of firepower, and time. Duke make sure of it.

“For two teams that have key players out, what a performance by both teams,” Krzyzewski said. “That was ACC basketball tonight. I thought both teams played their hearts out. I don’t know if we can play any harder or better in the first half. [But] they’re so talented, especially on the offensive end, they’re never out of a game, they’re good.

"They’re just really good.”

But so, again, is Duke, which is competing not for the chance at revenge, Krzyzewski said, but for the opportunity to improve.

Looks like it has.

“For sure,” Plumlee said. “And when [Ryan] gets back, we’ll just get better. Because we’ll have more guys with experience; it won’t be a thing like, ‘How do people respond when he gets back?’ Because me and Seth have played with him, and the young guys have played with him. We’re going to be a better team because of this.”

DURHAM, N.C. -- Playing at fourth-ranked Duke without starting point guard Lorenzo Brown? That was going to be difficult. Losing starting big man Richard Howell to a foul-out during a second-half comeback? That pretty much sealed it for NC State.

The Blue Devils, although undermanned themselves, nonetheless led the Wolfpack from start to finish, surviving a second-half rally and winning 98-85 to hand State its third straight loss while winning their fourth in a row. A quick look at the game:

Turning point: Trailing by as many as 19 points early, State cut into Duke’s lead with an 8-0 run that made the score 41-29 with about five minutes left in the first half. But as Wolfpack rookie T.J. Warren was scoring to complete the run, teammate Scott Wood was on the floor at State’s defensive end. His injury was not immediately clear, but with Wood in the locker room, the Blue Devils outscored the Wolfpack 17-8 to close the half, and took a 58-37 lead into the break.

Wood started the second half, and NC State immediately started making shots -- converting 85.7 percent through the first 12 minutes and cutting their deficit to 84-75 on back-to-back buckets by Richard Howell with 4 1/2 minutes left. But Duke guard Quinn Cook countered with a bucket, and Howell, who had 23 points and nine rebounds, picked up his fifth foul and earned a technical for catching Mason Plumlee with an elbow. That pushed Duke’s lead back to 88-75, and it was enough of a cushion.

Player(s) of the game: Plumlee finished with 30 points and nine rebounds, and Duke guard Seth Curry had 26.

NC State freshman point guard Tyler Lewis, starting in place of Brown, finished with 13 points.

Number(s) to note: The victory marked Duke’s 29th 20-win season under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he is currently one of five in NCAA history to have that many 20-win seasons along with Jim Boeheim (34), Dean Smith (30), Bob Knight (29) and Lute Olson (29). ... It marked the third time this season NC State has allowed an ACC foe to score at least 50 points in the first half.

Etc.: The Blue Devils played without forward Josh Hairston, who hasn’t practiced since the Feb. 2 win at Florida State because of an infection that developed in his right arm. Also still without Ryan Kelly (foot injury), the Blue Devils were left with eight scholarship players. ... Without Brown, NC State was down to seven scholarship players.

Up next: The Blue Devils play at Boston College on Sunday; NC State plays at Clemson the same day.

(No. 4 Duke hosts North Carolina State, Thursday at 9 ET on ESPN3.)

When North Carolina State beat the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils last month, it was the Wolfpack’s 10th straight win.

Since then, Mark Gottfried’s team is 2-4 and heads to Cameron Indoor Stadium on a two-game losing streak -- the first time this season that NC State has lost back-to-back games.

If NC State is going to win in Cameron Indoor Stadium for the first time since January of 1995, what will the Wolfpack have to replicate from their Jan. 12 win over the Blue Devils?

NC State averages 22.0 points per game in transition, that’s second in the nation behind Northwestern State (22.8). In the win against Duke, the Wolfpack scored 27 transition points, the second-most allowed by Duke in a game this season.

Under Gottfried, NC State is averaging an ACC-best 19.9 transition points per game. However, NC State has a total of 25 transition points in its past two games, losses to Miami and Virginia.

As for Duke, the Blue Devils are one win shy of their 29th 20-win season under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. He’s currently fifth in NCAA history in 20-win seasons trailing only Jim Boeheim (34), Dean Smith (30), Bob Knight (29) and Lute Olson (29).

Duke was undefeated before senior Ryan Kelly got hurt but the Blue Devils are 4-2 in his absence. The biggest difference has been on the defensive end, where they have allowed 10 more points per game without Kelly. In those six games, their opponents have shot nearly nine percentage points higher.

Duke is getting by without Kelly, but can NC State do the same without Lorenzo Brown? The point guard matched his career-high with 13 assists in NC State’s win over Duke, but he missed Saturday’s loss to Miami with an ankle injury and is not likely to play on Thursday.