Duke and North Carolina have dominated the Atlantic Coast Conference ever since its creation in 1953.

In 46 of 58 seasons in the ACC’s existence, and each of the past eight, the Blue Devils or Tar Heels have finished the season with at least a share of the regular-season crown.

Each entering the stretch run of their respective conference schedules at the top of the ACC standings, the two perennial powerhouses are not alone. Florida State is right there with them.

‘Well, all three teams are extremely gifted,’ Miami (Fla.) head coach Jim Larranaga said Monday on the ACC coaches’ teleconference. ‘All three teams have different ways of hurting you. Carolina has got the biggest team. And size in basketball can really be a factor if the size has athletic ability and skill; and Carolina has both.

‘So they are a very, very talented team, and so is Florida State and so is Duke.’

The 20th-ranked Seminoles made it clear from the start of the season this year’s ACC competition would be a race between the three teams. FSU won seven straight conference matchups after falling to Clemson on Jan. 7. Though no player averages more than 14 points per game, eight Florida State players record at least seven points per contest.

The Seminoles are tied with two of the most explosive teams in the country and have had the upper hand against the two historical powerhouses. Florida State’s winning streak included a 90-57 rout of No. 8 UNC and a buzzer-beating 76-73 victory over No. 5 Duke on Jan. 21.

The Blue Devils slid a bit after that game, allowing 76 points to an inexperienced St. John’s squad and falling in overtime to Miami.

But Duke came out of that slump to hand North Carolina its second conference loss Feb. 8, courtesy of a 10-point comeback in the final two minutes. It was capped off by an Austin Rivers’ 3-pointer from the right wing as time expired at the Dean E. Smith Center.

The improved play of junior guard Seth Curry — who is averaging 17 points on 48 percent shooting over the Blue Devils’ last two games — factored into the turnaround, head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

‘He’s playing very well,’ Krzyzewski said Monday on the ACC coaches’ teleconference. ‘The other thing with Seth, we’ve used him in multiple roles. Sometimes when you switch him like that, there’s a little bit that can hurt a kid. Again, what the team needs sometimes puts that young man in a position where he’s not as comfortable.

‘So we’ve had a little bit more stability with the perimeter and offense really playing outstanding basketball. Tyler (Thornton) has given us good leadership. So the people around him have been stable and that helps him.’

Duke has four players averaging double digits in scoring. Led by freshman Rivers, who averages 15 points per game and 41 percent from deep, the Blue Devils have potent scorers at each position.

Though he wishes the production would be more consistent on a game-by-game basis, Krzyzewski is pleased with his team’s performance thus far in the season.

‘Really, overall, I think these kids have done an unbelievable job, coming from the base that they had,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘None of them were star players for us last year.’

For the Tar Heels and Blue Devils, who close out their seasons with a March 3 rematch, there would be no better momentum-builder than a win over their respective arch-nemesis.

After UNC senior forward Tyler Zeller almost single-handedly fumbled the game away in the closing minute of the teams’ first game this season, the 7-foot, 250-pound big man will be relied on to dominate the paint.

Larranaga said the Tar Heels are able to counterbalance a poor shooting performance with strength inside.

‘I think Carolina is so big and they can miss shots and that can still be good offense for them,’ Larranaga said. ‘Just like the other day, they can crash the offensive boards and turn a miss into a make in a split second.’

Luckily for the Seminoles, the Tar Heels’ schedule does not give them a chance to avenge their blowout loss to FSU earlier this season.

But FSU will likely have to hand the Blue Devils another loss Feb. 23 if it wants to become the first team other than Duke or UNC since Wake Forest in 2003 to earn the sole distinction of ACC regular-season champion.

Matchups against North Carolina State and Miami also provide challenges at the tail end of the Seminoles’ conference slate.

But before those highly anticipated contests, and the looming conference tournament, Florida State must avoid falling in to what could be a trap game against Virginia Tech on Thursday.

The Hokies, which FSU beat 63-59 earlier this year, are 14-11 overall and are led by junior guard Erick Green, who paces VT with 15.5 points per game.

‘Obviously, everybody has tremendous respect for Green,’ FSU head coach Leonard Hamilton said Monday on the ACC coaches’ teleconference. ‘Like most teams they have guys who are stepping in and out of those led roles from game to game.

‘They have some talented players, and you never really know who’s going to have a good night from night to night. That’s why you have to be prepared to go out and defend them, and everybody has to be on the defensive focus.’

sebail01@syr.edu 

Published on February 15, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Stephen: sebail01@syr.edu | @Stephen_Bailey1