Let the anticipation build.

Fans of Duke, North Carolina and four other schools that remain finalists for the services of top-ranked recruit Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa, will learn his decision Friday.

CHAPEL HILL - Duke seniors Thaddeus Lewis and Leon Wright said the Blue Devils must return to the drawing board after their 19-6 loss to North Carolina on Saturday.

Both said they knew the game against the Tar Heels would be hard-fought, but their team didn't show up when they needed to, namely late in the game. They walked off the field at Kenan Stadium under fireworks, disappointed at the outcome.

CHAPEL HILL - Duke coach David Cutcliffe expressed disappointment for Duke's nine seniors after the Devils lost to North Carolina 19-6 on Saturday.

The Tar Heels have now won 19 of the past 20 football contest against the Devils since 1989. It was a disappointing outing for the Devils, failing to run effectively or physically match the Heels.

Clemson's 40-24 win over Florida State means the Tigers have to beat N.C. State, in Raleigh, and Virginia, at home, to win the Atlantic Division.

That's it and not even Tommy Bowden could screw that up (or only Tommy Bowden could screw that up).

Even if the spirit of Bowden possesses the Tigers, 4-2 in the ACC, and they lose once, they would still hold the tiebreaker over Boston College (3-2), which finishes with Virginia, UNC and Maryland.

CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) -- C.J. Spiller had a career-high 165 yards rushing and his 20th touchdown of at least 50 yards and Clemson took its biggest step yet toward an ACC title with a 40-24 victory over Florida State on Saturday night.

Spiller, the Tigers’ star senior, caught a 58-yard TD pass from Kyle Parker and, with 312 all-purpose yards, surpassed the school record of 310 he set in Clemson’s 40-37 overtime win at Miami two weeks ago.

N.C. State’s players hadn’t won in so long that they forgot how to react when they did.

Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns and ran for another Saturday afternoon as the Wolfpack broke a four-game losing streak with a 38-31 defeat of Maryland at Carter-Finley Stadium.

CHAPEL HILL -- It's good day to be Ryan Houston, and Casey Barth, but not Duke.

Houston's career-best 164 yards, and Barth's four field goals, gave North Carolina a 19-6 win over the Blue Devils on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.

The loss ends Duke's three-game ACC winning streak and leaves them 1-19 in the Victory Bell series since 1989. The loss also derails Duke's pursuit of a bowl bidand bolster's UNC's, which has won two straight in the ACC after an 0-3 conference start.

N.C. State finally has its long-awaited, first ACC win.

Quarterback Russell Wilson passed for three touchdowns, ran for another and survived a three-interception game as the Wolfpack defeated Maryland 38-31 on Saturday afternoon at Carter-Finley Stadium.

CHAPEL HILL — After a performance last Sunday in a closed scrimmage at Vanderbilt that North Carolina coach Roy Williams dubbed "yucky," the Tar Heels had to feel better about their 107-59 exhibition victory over Belmont Abby on Friday night.

Senior forward Deon Thompson, right, led the Tar Heels with 23 points; reserve forward Tyler Zeller chipped in 17 and freshman forward John Henson posted four blocks.

The game began with spotlight introductions, a nod to the updated lighting system at the Smith Center and coach Roy Williams’ desire to add a little NBA-style sizzle to the season.

Junior Will Graves got the start at small forward, joined in the first lineup by sophomore point guard Larry Drew II, senior Marcus Ginyard at shooting guard, sophomore Ed Davis at one forward and Thompson at the other.

Henson was the first player off the bench for Carolina.

UNC opens the regular season Monday against Florida International.

Photo: ROBERT WILLETT - rwillett@newsobserver.com

The Thursday night football game UNC hosted last month went well enough that the university expects to do it again.

The Oct. 22 game against Florida State was the first Thursday night game ever held on the UNC campus. For years,  officials had opposed the idea due to fears of congestion and other campus disruption.

But this year's game was held over Fall break, and athletics director Dick Baddour and others were pleased with how things went.

For the story, check out our higher education blog.