Well, the 2011 ACC Tournament title game has shaken out to Tobacco Road's satisfaction, with Duke and North Carolina meeting in the championship for the first time since 2001 at the Georgia Dome. Duke handled Virginia Tech 77-63 Saturday afternoon in Greensboro to force a third round against the Tar Heels.
Unlike UNC's path to the title game, Duke's has never really been all that in doubt, despite an injury to Nolan Smith (which did not prevent him from putting up 26 points in this one). The Blue Devils beat Maryland by 16 in the quarterfinals, while Carolina has had to put together a 19-point comeback and an overtime win just to reach the final.
The teams split their regular-season meetings, with UNC losing by six in Durham and winning by 14 in Chapel Hill. This will be the 11th time they've played for the conference crown, with the Heels winning six of the previous 10.
For more on this game, Duke fans should visit Duke Basketball Report, and Virginia Tech fans should rally at Gobbler Country.
Updated ACC tournament bracket (all times EST):
Thursday, March 10 - First Round
No. 9 Miami def. No. 8 Virginia Cavaliers, 69-62
No. 5 Boston College def. No. 12 Wake Forest, 81-67
No. 7 Maryland def. No. 10 NC State, 75-67
No. 6 Virginia Tech def. No. 11 Georgia Tech, 59-43
Friday, March 11 - Quarterfinals
No. 1 North Carolina def. Miami, 61-59
No. 4 Clemson def. Boston College, 70-47
No. 2 Duke def. Maryland, 87-71
Virginia Tech def. No. 3 Florida State, 52-51
Saturday, March 12 - Semifinals
UNC def. Clemson, 92-87 (OT)
Duke vs. Virginia Tech, 77-63
Sunday, March 13 - Championship
UNC vs. Duke, 1 p.m., ACC Network/ESPN
For more on other college basketball tournaments, visit SB Nation's NCAA Basketball hub.