Mason Plumlee shrugged off his struggles from the line to sink the game-winning free throw at Boston College. Credit: MARY SCHWALM/AP

Every Saturday, the News & Observer takes a look around the ACC. That also provides an opportunity to check in with the Blue Devils and look for any emerging trends.

Regardless of the lineup, there has been one constant for the Blue Devils this season: They finish well.

With Sunday’s 62-61 win at Boston College, Duke improved to 5-0 in games that are within one possession with under three minutes remaining. Against the Eagles, Duke actually trailed by five with 2:30 left in the game, but a 6-0 run, with three free throws by Mason Plumlee were enough for the comeback win.

James Michael McAdoo got up close and personal with the Cameron Crazies as he threw an inbounds pass. Credit: ROBERT WILLETT

Over the past 48 hours, lots of ink has been spilled and cyberspace filled with coverage and analysis of Duke's 73-68 win over UNC. In case you missed any of it, here's a rundown...

James Michael McAdoo was able to limit Mason Plumlee offensively. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

There’s no sugarcoating it: Mason Plumlee played awful—a-w-f-u-l—in the first half of Duke's 73-68 win over UNC. To his credit, though, he was much more efficient down the stretch in the second as he stopped turning the ball over and made four key free throws in the final 2:30 of the game. By the end of the game, he had recorded a double-double, with 18 points (tied for the team-high) and 11 rebounds. But let’s take a closer look:

There’s no sugarcoating it: Mason Plumlee played awful—a-w-f-u-l—in the first half. To his credit, though, he was much more efficient down the stretch in the second as he stopped turning the ball over and made four key free throws in the final 2:30 of the game. Let’s take a closer look:

A few big plays from Tyler Thornton were key in Duke's comeback win over North Carolina. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

DURHAM—It wasn’t pretty. But it was a win over an archrival, and it came in the midst of perhaps Duke’s most hectic week of the year (snow-delayed travel to BC, UNC Wed. and then a trip to a sure-to-be hostile Maryland arena on Sat.). A look back at Duke’s 73-68 win, with a breakdown of several key segments of the game.

The opening

***No matter what the coaches say, the Duke-Carolina game is more than just a game (Jeff Capel also agreed with that, as stated in the preview). Add Mason Plumlee to the list of people willing to publicly agree to that thought, too

“This game is so different than any other game,” he said. You have chills before the game. It’s crazy, so you almost have to catch your breath after that first wind and just kind of settle in to the game.”

Much has changed for both Mason Plumlee and James Michael McAdoo since last year's matchup. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Duke vs. North Carolina
When: 9 p.m.
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
TV/Radio: ESPN/WKIX-102.9 FM

Plenty of pregame reading...

***It's not every year that there is such a clear mismatch on paper. But one of those years, 1995, produced one heck of a game, 102-100 in 2 OT, and one heck of a shot from Jeff Capel. A look back at that here.

***And speaking of memories, here are a whole bunch of current and former Duke and UNC players sharing some.

***Today is Mike Krzyzewski's 66th birthday. Here's a look at how he has historically faired on his big day.

Enough reminiscing, though.

So why is UNC unranked? < href="http://bit.ly/WYP2ZA">Our Tar Heels beat reporter, Andrew Carter, breaks it down here. But it's not all bad for Carolina. Yesterday at his press conference, Mike Krzyzewski highlighted two things that UNC does well: transition offense and offensive rebounding.

Duke-Carolina is a classic rivalry, but would you rather see a potential top-3 matchup with Miami? Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

It's been a strange year for college basketball. There's about a dozen teams that could win the national title. Scoring is down, on track to be the lowest its been in 60 years. And in the ACC, the best team isn't Duke or North Carolina. It's not N.C. State either.

It's the Miami Hurricanes.

By beating UNC 87-61, the Hurricanes became the first ACC team to ever beat both Duke and the Tar Heels by at least 25 points in the same season. And Monday, the AP voters ranked Miami No. 3, an all-time high for the program. If both the Hurricanes and the No. 2 Blue Devils win all their games between now and March 2—certainly not impossible—then it will be top-three matchup in Durham. And if Indiana loses in the interim (road games at No. 8 Michigan State and Minnesota loom), than it could be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 affair.

That got me thinking: If you could have you tickets to Duke vs. UNC Wednesday or Duke vs. Miami on March 2, which would you choose? The Duke-Carolina rivalry is, obviously, legendary, but it's a down year for the Tar Heels. And, besides the Hurricanes' high ranking, there is the floor-slapping incident from the last game that didn't sit well with the Blue Devils.

Former Duke coach Pete Gaudet, seen here in 1996, now teaches at Ohio State. Credit: CHUCK LIDDY

Occasionally, former Duke coach Pete Gaudet will hear a comment that causes him to pause.

“Someone will say to you, ‘hey, I saw you on TV last night,’ and then I say, ‘No, no I was home with my wife last night,” Gaudet said. “And they say, ‘Oh no, no they were replaying a game.’”

Mason Plumlee scored three of Duke's final four points in a 62-61 win at Boston College. Credit: MARY SCHWALM/AP

Monday morning update: A few people have asked me why Duke stayed on the court so long after the game. The Blue Devils were headed toward their locker room, but when the Boston College band started playing the school's alma mater, they paused, right behind the line of Eagles. Once the band was done, Duke left the court.

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.—With 2:30 left in the game, Duke was down by three, and Mike Krzyzewski gathered his team in the huddle.

“We had a timeout and told our guys don’t panic,” he said. “Don’t do crazy things and take crazy shots and that.”

The Blue Devils didn’t panic, and they ended the game with 4 straight defensive stops to seal a 62-61 victory. More on that in the game story.

A few more thoughts:

***When Seth Curry hit a 3-pointer to open the scoring for Duke in the second half, he moved into first place on a particular all-time scoring list.

Seth Curry started strong for Duke, scoring 11 of the team's first 30 points. Credit: MARY SCHWALM/AP

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass.—To have a great season, Mike Krzyzewski said, a team has to fight human nature. The Blue Devils were coming off a big win against N.C. State, a blizzard delayed their arrival to Boston, and games against Carolina and Maryland loom next week. In simplest terms, Duke’s game at Boston College was a trap game.

And the Blue Devils came oh-so-close to being trapped.

But thanks to a last-second defensive stand that drew from the pregame scouting report, the Blue Devils escaped a hostile Conte Forum with a 62-61 victory.

“It just shows that we’re tough and together,” Seth Curry said. “Last year’s team definitely would not have won this type of game. We fought hard. Nobody really got down, nobody really panicked when we were down five toward the end of the game. We just made plays and shared the ball and got shots.”