Duke might be ranked fourth in the country, but that lofty national ranking hasn’t made conference play a walk in the park.
The No. 4 Blue Devils (11-4) begin postseason play today as the fourth seed in the ACC tournament, a testament to the elite level of play required to compete in the conference. North Carolina, Maryland and Virginia are ranked first, third and fifth in the nation, respectively, and three of Duke’s four losses came to those teams.
The Blue Devils’ lone loss outside of the ACC? That came to Northwestern, No. 2 in the country and a championship contender every season.
Despite Duke’s inability to get over the hump against top competition, the Blue Devils can take heart from the fact that the team has improved as the season has progressed. Duke suffered a comprehensive 17-4 loss to the Terrapins in late February, but has done better against its toughest rivals since then: The Blue Devils were beaten by Virginia by a single goal, and they led the No. 1 Tar Heels at halftime before a second-half blitz by North Carolina gave it a 9-6 win.
Duke’s opponent Thursday in the ACC tournament quarterfinals, fifth seed Boston College (10-4), doesn’t have the same pedigree, but if the Blue Devils aren’t careful, they could be primed for an upset. The Eagles led Duke 8-4 at halftime in Koskinen Stadium just two weeks ago, and it took an 8-3 second half by the Blue Devils to eke out the win.
Duke and Boston College square off today at 2:30 p.m. in College Park, Md., and the winner will face top seed North Carolina Friday afternoon.
—from staff reports
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