The replay: No. 1 Duke falls, All-ACC teams revealed, No. 2 NC State takes down No. 6
It was a revelatory week for Triangle men’s college basketball teams. Duke revealed its vulnerabilities. North Carolina proved it belonged. While N.C. State showed it had heart — not to mention endurance. In college football, the Wolfpack shined on defense with three players from that unit named first-team All-ACC. And the Carolina Hurricanes have watched their offense shut down.
Here’s a look back at the week that was:
College hoops roundup
The week began with Duke ascending to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. It marked the 21st season during Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career that he’s led the Blue Devils to the top spot.
Good thing they got that out of the way, because the Blue Devils were promptly knocked from their perch with a 71-66 road loss at Ohio State Tuesday. Duke was held scoreless in the final four-plus minutes of the game and lost a 15-point lead.
Carolina erased some questions about its defense and effort with its 72-51 win over No. 24 Michigan. The Tar Heels had dropped their previous two games against ranked teams.
N.C. State outlasted Nebraska 104-100 in a four-overtime marathon. The Wolfpack got a career-high 39 points from Dereon Seabron and watched the team mature in showing the grit to win shorthanded. That wasn’t even the best news of the week for the Pack. Robert Dillingham, considered the top point guard in the class of 2023, committed Tuesday.
In women’s college basketball, Duke posted the biggest win of the Kara Lawson era by defeating No. 9 Iowa. The No. 2-ranked Wolfpack traveled to No. 6 Indiana and returned with an impressive road win.
Carolina remained unbeaten after an 82-76 win at Minnesota.
Pigskin matters
N.C. State had six players named first team All-ACC when the league released its honors Tuesday. That list included three from its defense in linebacker Drake Thomas, safety Tanner Ingle and defensive tackle Corey Durden.
Duke’s coaching search to replace David Cutcliffe begins in earnest with names of candidates already being circulated.
Slumping Canes
The Carolina Hurricanes are starting to see warning signs after its loss to the lowly Ottawa Senators. The Canes left the week trying to solve their scoring slump.
