Community Picks: Florida State 0% vs Duke 0%

A short-handed roster finally took its toll on Duke at the end of a taxing four-game stretch. With two key players having a chance to heal up, the 15th-ranked Blue Devils should be in better shape for Thursday night's home game against fading Florida State. Down to six healthy scholarship players, Duke (20-7, 9-5 ACC) couldn't hold on to a 12-point lead during what coach Mike Krzyzewski called the most physical second half of the season in Saturday's 71-64 loss at then-No. 18 Louisville. Continue to Article

February 24, 2016 5:02:pm EST

North Carolina followed last week's crushing loss against its fiercest rival with a rout of its ACC co-leader at the time. To remain alone atop the conference, the Tar Heels must take care of business against another in-state foe - this time toward the bottom of the standings. Seventh-ranked North Carolina looks to avoid a letdown Wednesday night when it visits its neighbor to the east - North Carolina State. Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 10:18:pm EST

With its postseason prospects dashed, Louisville is aiming to win its first ACC regular-season title. The No. 11 Cardinals open a season-ending stretch of three of four games away from home Wednesday night when they try to beat Pittsburgh for an eighth straight time. Louisville (21-6, 10-4) won't participate in the conference or NCAA tournaments due to a self-imposed ban stemming from the investigation surrounding major recruiting violations from 2010-14. Continue to Article

February 23, 2016 10:06:pm EST

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski says he expects injured guards Matt Jones and Derryck Thornton to play Thursday night against Florida State. Continue to Article

February 22, 2016 1:58:pm EST

At the end of the first half of North Carolina's 96-71 rout of Miami, Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson sank a length-of-the-floor heave just after the buzzer sounded.  The shot may not have counted, but it was a precursor to a staggering shooting display still to come. North Carolina sank 16 of its first 21 field goal attempts to open the second half, transforming a showdown between the ACC's two co-leaders into a one-sided blowout. Forwards Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks combined for 43 points as the Tar Heels extended a nine-point halftime lead to as many as 38 points late in the second half. Exploiting its interior advantage was North Carolina's game plan against Miami, but the Tar Heels broke the game open because their guards sank jump shots when the Hurricanes doubled off them to help protect the paint. Two 3-pointers from Joel Berry and one apiece from Jackson and Nate Britt and helped enable North Carolina to put the game away. North Carolina's victory was an impressive show of strength after the Tar Heels had their mettle questioned for the previous 72 hours. It was only three nights ago that North Carolina led rival Duke until the final three minutes only to let a victory slip through its fingers in a hail of ill-advised jump shots and costly defensive breakdowns.  The majority of the blame fell on Roy Williams for not calling timeout to set up a play on North Carolina's final possession, for not making a concerted effort to get the ball inside down the stretch and for not getting the most out arguably the nation's most talented roster. The remainder rested on the shoulders of guards Berry and Marcus Paige for calling their own number too often even when they were 4-for-22 from the field and Johnson was tearing up the Blue Devils in the paint. There were no such issues for North Carolina on Saturday, which is why the Tar Heels (21-5, 11-3) are once again alone in first place in the ACC. They hold a one-game lead over Miami, Virginia and Louisville, but their remaining regular season schedule includes challenging road games at NC State, Virginia and Duke. The North Carolina that staggered down the stretch against Duke has little chance of surviving that gauntlet without a loss. The North Carolina that pulverized Miami is fully capable of winning those games on the road, capturing the ACC title and reemerging as one of the favorites in the national title chase. - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

February 20, 2016 3:35:pm EST