“We want to be the hunters,” Jon Scheyer said after Duke knocked off North Carolina on Saturday. That mentality has carried Duke all season long, and it most certainly showed. Behind a 28-3 record, including a 19-1 slate in ACC play, the Blue Devils with Cooper Flagg have proven they’re the team. And dismantling of North Carolina made that perfectly clear. The win clinched the ACC and sent a clear message again to everyone: this team isn’t backing down. But it’s not quite over for North Carolina yet. The Tar Heels saw their last bid to get in the tournament fade away after the loss. Which means they now almost have to win the ACC Tournament just to make it. That tournament starts on Tuesday in Brooklyn, New York, and sets up a potential third matchup with their rival in the semifinals — which would likely be a must-win matchup for the Tar Heels in order to make the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina’s case is certainly a difficult one. The Tar Heels have won 18 ACC titles, the most out of any other program in the storied conference. A staple of college basketball for decades, the Tar Heels have already had a down year with a 13-7 mark in conference play. Should UNC not make the tournament, it would be its second time missing the tournament in three years. Now, the Tar Heels are put in a position they hate: needing to win the conference tournament to be able to make the big dance.

But there’s reason to think there’s still a sliver of hope, at least according to The Field of 68: After Dark’s Rob Dauster. Who argued North Carolina’s future remains in its own hands. “North Carolina has played like an NCAA tournament team for about the last month in the season,” Dauster said. It certainly was heating up, winning six straight games before falling to Duke. And while the Tar Heels arguably didn’t do enough to take advantage of opportunities that lay before them, they’re not necessarily done quite yet.

Dauster continued, “If they want to dance, it’s all right there in front of them. Beat the winner of Notre Dame vs. Pitt, you beat Wake Forest, and then Duke. Doesn’t matter what happens in the ACC title game, you win your next three games, and you are heading to the NCAA tournament”. Predictably, such a path would be fraught with difficulties. With the likes of SMU and Wake Forest also making strong arguments for the NCAA, North Carolina is not in a situation with a high likelihood of success.

But the pressure is still on. They know they have to perform in the ACC Tournament to keep their March Madness hopes alive. And facing Duke with a freshman sensation in Cooper Flagg on the court? Well, that might be one of their toughest challenges yet.

How can the Tar Heels beat Cooper Flagg and Duke?

How do you beat Duke, especially when a player like Cooper Flagg is at their disposal? The reality was simple: beating Duke is no easy task. Flagg’s presence on the court was felt in all facets of nearly every game. He is a menace offensively, defensively. And his basketball IQ made him a walking mismatch for any team, including North Carolina. His leadership was a main contributor to Duke’s dominance throughout the season. With Flagg’s guidance, Duke swept the North Carolina in both regular-season meetings.

North Carolina has historically been poor against top-ranked Duke teams. The last time that the Tar Heels beat a No. 1 or No. 2 Duke team came back in 2019. And Duke’s been even stronger this season with Flagg in the mix. UNC will have a lot of work to do to try and turn things around and try and upset the Blue Devils.

Duke, for the most part, has been impressive all season long. They’ve shown incredible balance all season long with a number of guys who can fill it up. In their last game against North Carolina Duke had four Blue Devils in double figures. Kon Knueppel (17 points), Sion James (16 points), Tyrese Proctor (16 points) and, of course, Cooper Flagg (15 points). Duke has their eyes set on the top spot of the AP Top 25 as well. With Auburn losing two games as of late, Duke has a shot at jumping both Auburn to nab the top spot.

If the Blue Devils do reach the top, it will be the first time they did so under the leadership of HC Jon Scheyer. As well as the first time it’s happened since the 2021-22 season for the Blue Devils. This would be yet another feather in the cap of Scheyer as he continues to make headway at Duke in the wake of Mike Krzyzewski.

Between all that, “how do you stop Duke” seems like a very difficult question to answer. And that is purely because there is no one answer. Like Jon Scheyer says, “We want to be the hunters,” Duke is hunting for a national championship. So, Hubert Davis and his North Carolina squad have a tall challenge ahead of them. They will need more than talent to beat Duke. They will need heart, grit, and a little bit of luck. But with Coopar Flagg on the opposite end of the court, odds are not in their favor. Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels have a very tough schedule ahead if they want to make the NCAA Tournament.