At Least One Person Thinks Duke Will Topple North Carolina in ACC

North Carolina has been the unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today Coaches polls. Needless to say, they were named by media members as the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC regular season title.

Well, one person doesn't see that happening. Caulton Tudor of the News & Observer doesn't think the Tar Heels will even win the ACC.

It's supposed to be North Carolina's year. Maybe so, but don't forget about Duke. On this list, the Blue Devils are No. 1. Mike Krzyzewski's team is just too big and physical to ignore. If Ish Smith is healthy, it will be worth watching Wake Forest, too. None of this is to say UNC will fall short. The Heels just might go all the way to the NCAA Tournament final -- against the Blue Devils.

Let me say this: just because everyone else thinks the Heels are the favorite doesn't mean they will win the whole thing. Remember that this Heels team needed a win at Duke on the final day of the season just to win the ACC title last year. That UNC team was also ranked preseason No. 1 and was the heavy favorite in the ACC.

Still, going against the grain on this seems to be for shock value more than anything. If Duke does topple UNC, he can gloat that he was the smartest man in the room for seeing it. If UNC does what many expect and win the ACC, he can just say he was taking a chance and wanted to buck the trend.

The thing is: he may be right. Everyone talks about UNC's experience and depth, but the Blue Devils have the same thing. The difference is that Duke did lose DeMarcus Nelson while Carolina lost nothing noteworthy. Still, many people (including me) are expecting a breakout season from Gerald Henderson, which could replace the loss of Nelson. They also return the shooting prowess of Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer, and they are still a tough defensive team.

Duke is also expecting a huge leap in Kyle Singler's game. He wore down last year because he had to defend in the paint. They will be able to give him some freedom with a healthy Brian Zoubek, decent Lance Thomas as well as freshmen Olek Czyz and Miles Plumlee dealing with the bigs.

Duke will be improved but still aren't as talented as North Carolina. So why is Mr. Tudor so sour on the Heels?

It has nothing to do with the coaching or the talent level or motivation. But I do have just a few reservations about the chemistry and the injuries. Until Marcus Ginyard returns in 100 percent health, the Heels don't have a bona fide defensive stopper. This team is going to be very good, of course. If I had to pick an NCAA championship matchup right now, I'd go with Carolina vs. Duke.

That would be quite a game, eh?