ACC Results That Impact North Carolina Basketball

With North Carolina not playing until Sunday, here are a couple of monumental results pertaining to top competitors in the ACC from Saturday's action.

Dec 2, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis calls out a play during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The North Carolina Tar Heels do not play until Sunday evening, which means they were allowed to sit back and watch two of their top competitors play on Saturday.

Those two teams are the Duke Blue Devils and the Louisville Cardinals. While Louisville is ranked No. 6 in the country, Duke entered this week as the No. 4 team in the nation. Both teams had formidable teams on tap on Saturday, allowing each team to make a statement.

The Blue Devils faced the undefeated Michigan State Spartans on the road while the Cardinals faced No.22 Indiana Hoosiers in a neutral-site contest. Both teams left their respective matchup on the winning end, cementing themselves as legitimate national title contenders at this point of the season.

Let's take a look at how each game played out, and what it means for North Carolina with conference play on the horizon later this month.

Duke Ends Michigan State's Undefeated Run

From left, Michigan State players guard Kur Teng (2), guard Divine Ugochukwu (99), forward Cameron Ward (3) and guard Trey Fort (9) watch the last seconds of the second half against Duke at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This was the ultimate statement win, as the Blue Devils walked into Breslin Center and knocked off the Spartans, while improving their record to 10-0 in the process.

Cameron Boozer continued his recent dominant run, leading Duke with 18 points and 15 rebounds. In the last four games, the star freshman is averaging 27 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. That lofty production has come against Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan State.

LUka Boagavac attemtping a free tjrow; Nov. 4 | Jackson McCurdy, North Carolina Tar Heels On SI

As for what this means for the Tar Heels, Duke is always a team to take seriously, but this year's group could be steamrolling to a top-overall seed in the NCAA tournament in March. North Carolina will have to keep pace with the Blue Devils in ACC play. The two teams meet in early February.

Louisville Coasts to Win Over Indiana with Star Player Struggling

Indiana Hoosiers forward Tucker DeVries (12) attempts to get past Louisville Cardinals guard J'Vonne Hadley (1) during a game Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Louisville defeated Indiana 87-78. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Cardinals improved their record to 8-1 after comfortably defeating Indiana 87-74 in what was basically a road game, although it was on a neutral site.

Mikel Brown Jr. is the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 17.6 points before Saturday's game. However, the star freshman struggled, scoring nine points while shooting 2-of-8 from the field. Despite Brown Jr. being held scoreless in the first half, Louisville led 41-27 at halftime, displaying the depth and the multitude of scorers at their disposal.

Dec 3, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard Mikel Brown Jr prior to a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

North Carolina is a contender in the ACC, but at the moment, Duke and Louisville are in another tier. The Tar Heels could enter that atmosphere at some point this season, but there is a lot of work to do in that department.

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