The Cavaliers, quickly running out of roster and entering the tournament with an ugly nine-game losing streak, finally got back to .500 (15-15) with a 68-62 win that buys them a ticket to nowhere Friday.
Tony Bennett's ninth-seeded team will have to face top-seeded Duke, thoroughly rested since ruining North Carolina's life last Saturday night in Durham.
• Summer Hoops Preview: The Picks
• Part II: Duke, Georgia Tech, Clemson
• Part III: Wake Forest, Maryland, Virginia
• Part IV: N.C. State, Virginia Tech, Miami
2008-09 record: 34-4 overall, 13-3 ACC (first)
Postseason: 6-0, beat Michigan State in national championship game
Projected starting lineup: PG Larry Drew II, SG Dexter Strickland, G/F Marcus Ginyard, F Ed Davis (left), F Deon Thompson
Plus
• Size. Here's a brutal reality check for the rest of the ACC — UNC lost the leading scorer in ACC history (Tyler Hansbrough), and will still have one of the best frontcourts in the country.
