There are fewer than eight weeks until the first round of the NCAA Tournament tips off, and the Duke Blue Devils are already primed for one of the highest seeds in the nation.
With a 17-1 overall record and the No. 5 spot in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll, Duke is flying toward March Madness, and fans are growing increasingly excited for both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.
However, while the Blue Devils assume their usual comfortable position in the middle of the regular season, one fellow college basketball blue blood team is struggling to even find its footing, much to the joy of Duke fans across the country.
UNC failing to find consistency in ACC play
While the Blue Devils have quite literally sailed through the start of conference play, going 6-0 against ACC opponents with just 13 regular-season matchups remaining, their biggest rivals, the North Carolina Tar Heels, have been anything but consistent.
UNC has gone 15-4 overall and 3-3 in ACC play over the first half of the season, falling to seventh in the conference standings (and don't forget that's out of just 18 teams).
Most notably, Duke is securing better and better odds at a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, including a really favorable chance at making it all the way to the Final Four. On the flip side, the Tar Heels are only seeing their likelihood of a deep run fall to the wayside.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Blue Devils currently hold +220 odds to reach the Final Four, only trailing the Michigan Wolverines (-115) and the Arizona Wildcats (-110). Meanwhile, North Carolina has dropped all the way to +2,500 odds of making it past the Elite Eight.
Not to mention, Duke is tied as the third-favorite team to win it all, with +1,100 odds for the National Championship, behind Michigan (+440) and Arizona (+500), and tied with the Houston Cougars. The Tar Heels? Oh, they currently have +10,000 to bring home another national title.
North Carolina fans are hitting the panic button as the Blue Devils continue to revel in their virtually unmatched success (compared to other ACC members, at least).
Keep in mind that the Blue Devils haven't even had the opportunity to beat the Tar Heels yet, with their first matchup of the regular season not scheduled until Saturday, Feb. 7. Simply put, Duke is having fun with this season while UNC is in misery.