CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) – North Carolina sits atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, right where the Tar Heels were expected to be when they were the preseason No. 1 pick. Now, though, they’ve got plenty of company.
The league is set for quite a finishing leg to the regular season.
With less than two weeks left, seven teams have at least nine ACC wins. And they’re dotting one another’s closing schedules in what amounts to a playoff before the ACC Tournament begins in Washington, D.C.
“It definitely feels different for me,” UNC coach Roy Williams said Tuesday. “This time at the end of the year you hope you’re involved and look to see who’s playing who and which location. But you’re doing for two or three. Now you’re doing it for seven, eight or nine teams.”
The seventh-ranked Tar Heels (22-5, 11-3) were picked to win the league ahead of Virginia and rival Duke. They hold the league lead behind player of the year candidate Brice Johnson, who has an ACC-best 16 double-doubles entering Wednesday’s trip to nearby rival North Carolina State.