Beat UNC and Duke and you're in*

If Maryland beats Duke tonight, the Terps can pack their bags for the NCAA Tournament.

Since 1981, 35 of the 36 ACC teams (eligible for the tournament) that beat a Duke team, coached by Mike Krzyzewski, and a UNC team, with a winning record, in the same season made the NCAA Tournament (see gigantic chart below).

That's good news for the NCAA Tournament hopes of Boston College and Wake Forest, who have already beaten both UNC and Duke this season.

The only team that was left out was N.C. State in 2006-07. That Wolfpack team finished 5-11 in the ACC (and beat Duke in the ACC Tournament). Maryland's 6-6 in the ACC, after Saturday's overtime win over UNC.

Three ACC teams, since 1981, beat UNC and Duke in the same season and were left out of the NCAA Tournament but they either beat Duke in 1994-95, aka "The Pete Gaudet Year" or UNC in 2001-02, aka "The 8-20 Year."

N.C. State went 4-12 in 1994-95 with two wins over Duke and one over UNC. Virginia (7-9) and Florida State (4-12) both beat UNC and Duke in 2001-02.

In 1989-90, N.C. State (6-8) beat both Triangle neighbors but was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.

You have to go back to 1979-80 to find a team with a .500 conference record with wins over UNC and Duke that did not make the NCAA Tournament. Virginia went 7-7, and beat UNC and Duke (coached by Bill Foster) but had to settle for the NIT (and went on to win that tournament).

The NCAA Tournament didn't allow more than one team per conference until 1975. From 1976 to 1979, only two teams per conference could make the field. In 1980, the field expanded to 48 and there were no conference restrictions.

ACC teams, since 1981, who beat UNC and Duke in the same season:

Notes: !-beat UNC in the ACC Tournament; #-ineligible for postseason; $-Pete Gaudet was Duke's interim coach; %-UNC finished 8-20 (its only losing season since 1962).