Jon Scheyer addresses the possibility of earning double-bye in ACC Tournament

All you have to do is win. That’s the mantra Duke head coach Jon Scheyer is repeating to his team at this point of the season.

If Duke beats North Carolina Saturday evening, the Blue Devils don’t just earn bragging rights over their bitter rivals and sweep the season series, they’ll earn a bye into the quarterfinals of next week’s ACC Tournament. That means an entire extra day of rest for the Blue Devils.

“Do you want a double-bye? Of course, you do. If not, that’s a great opportunity also,” Scheyer said after defeating NC State 71-67. “We’re going to be in a good spot, it’s just a matter of where and who we’re playing against.

“I told our guys for every game moving forward, there’s a lot on the line. You’re playing somebody that believes they should win and it’s going to be a tough game.”

One matchup to take into account heading into Saturday’s matchup is the one between big men Armando Bacot and Derrick Lively II. Lively blocked eight shots in Duke’s win over Carolina last month, so Bacot has to find a way around the Blue Devils’ length and try and beat Duke at the free throw line.

For Carolina, the Tar Heels’ season is potentially on the line as they continue to hover around the bubble as the regular season expires. They find themselves on Joe Lunardi’s ‘First Four Out’ line in the latest edition of Bracketology.

Duke is on the six-seed line, and would trend downward with a loss to Carolina on the road as the Tar Heels are looking for their second Quad 1 win of the regular season. Tip-off between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels is set for 6:30 p.m. ET live on ESPN. The Tar Heels are 4.5-point favorites at home.