With just a couple weeks until postseason time, here’s a look at the Atlantic Coast Conference slate for this weekend.

No. 20 Duke (20-6, 9-4) at No. 18 Louisville (20-6, 9-4) — Saturday at noon, ESPN

Duke is coming off a thrilling victory on the road after it beat arch nemesis North Carolina Wednesday night. While postseason play isn’t in question for the Blue Devils, the win significantly helped Duke’s resume as it pushes for a high seed. Grayson Allen, who is averaging 20.7 points and shooting 48.4 percent from the field, leads Duke. On the other side, Louisville is on the heels of beating a previously streaking Syracuse team. Though the Cardinals will not play in the postseason following its self-imposed ban, they are 16-1 at home and pose a tough challenge for the Blue Devils. It lines up to be one of the premier matchups of the weekend.

No. 11 Miami (21-4, 10-3) at No. 5 North Carolina (21-5, 10-3) — Saturday at 1 p.m., CBS

While Miami surges, having won its last five games, North Carolina is reeling with three losses in its last five. The Hurricanes’ combination of Sheldon McClellan (averaging 16.1 points) and Tonye Jekiri (averaging 9.6 rebounds) has posed problems for oppositions. The Tar Heels, meanwhile, most recently suffered a heartbreaking loss to Duke. UNC has one of the best frontcourts in the nation featuring Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks. This matchup also shapes up to be a fun one to watch.

Florida State (16-10, 6-8) at Virginia Tech (13-13, 5-8) — Saturday at 3 p.m., ESPN3

This is the type of game that Florida State has to win. Virginia Tech sits near the bottom of the conference while the Seminoles are projected just outside the NCAA Tournament field according to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi. If FSU was to keep its Tournament hopes alive, it needs to take care of business against teams like the Hokies. Look for freshmen Malik Beasley and Dwayne Bacon to continue leading the Seminoles like they have for most of the season.

Clemson (16-10, 9-5) at N.C. State (13-13, 3-10) — Saturday at 3 p.m., ESPN3

Clemson is listed among Lunardi’s “first four out,” making each of its four remaining regular-season games even more significant. As their season hangs in the balance, the Tigers must travel on the road to Raleigh. Though the Wolfpack hasn’t posed much of a threat to other ACC teams, Anthony “Cat” Barber is one of the best players in the conference. He’s averaging a league-high 23.7 points to go along with 4.5 assists in 38.8 minutes.

No. 19 Notre Dame (18-7, 9-4) at Georgia Tech (14-12, 4-9) — Saturday at 8 p.m., ESPN2

After a rocky three-game stretch losing to Syracuse and Miami, Notre Dame has righted the ship and won its last three against UNC, Clemson and Louisville. The diverse Fighting Irish attack is led by Demetrius Jackson who is back to form after an injury sidelined him earlier in the season. He averages five assists per game, which ranks second in the conference behind only Pittsburgh’s James Robinson. Georgia Tech, a team Lunardi doesn’t project to make the Tournament, is paced by 16.5 points per game by Marcus Georges-Hunt and 10.4 rebounds per game from Charles Mitchell.

Boston College (7-19, 0-13) at Wake Forest (10-16, 1-13) — Sunday at 6:30 p.m., ESPNU

At best, this matchup between the two worst teams in the conference provides a close one as their talent levels equal out. But at worst, this will simply be a display of two terrible teams. Boston College has yet to win an ACC game this season. Wake Forest has only won one. The last time either of these two teams won a game was on Jan. 10, back when Jim Boeheim was only just returning from his suspension and the Orange was mired in a four-game losing streak.

Published on February 19, 2016 at 12:29 am

Contact Paul: pmschwed@syr.edu | @pschweds