For teams whose NCAA fates are pretty well set, conference tournaments represent a bit of a strange situation.
They mean a lot for the weekend and make for good conversation in the future, but are soon forgotten late Sunday, when attention quickly shifts to the NCAA tournament.
Such is the case for Duke, who certainly covets its first ACC tournament title since 1992 but recognizes what is just around the corner. The Blue Devils are likely a lock for a No. 1 NCAA seed and pretty well positioned to stay in the East Region regardless of what happens this weekend. They'll inevitably be remembered for what takes place in the last week of March, not the first.
So what will they be playing for in Charlotte?
"It wasn't a goal of ours to go 16-0," Chris Carrawell said. "It is a goal to win the ACC Championship. We can improve still. That's what we're using this ACC tournament to do."
And obviously a team with a school-record 24-game winning streak isn't too anxious to see its run come to an end.
"The motivation is to keep getting better," Will Avery said. "We want to win every game we play.... I don't think this team will get satisfied easily. We won't say we peaked until it's all over."
Likely Duke's biggest dilemma this weekend is how hard to push Shane Battier, who missed Saturday's game against North Carolina with a high ankle sprain. Battier has undergone a constant process of icing, electrical stimulation and massages the past few days and feels his ankle has improved greatly since last week. He was ready to shoot again and ride the bike during practice yesterday but has yet to put any pressure on the ankle by running.
Thus the question of how hard to push him arises, particularly Thursday against an opponent like Virginia, whom Duke has beaten by 46 points both times during the regular season.
"There's a danger," Battier said about the chances of making his ankle worse. "The NCAA tournament is more important than the ACC tournament. But one of our goals this year was to win the ACC tournament.
"I think [losing it would] be a hole for this team."
After routing the Tar Heels to close out the regular season undefeated in conference play, the Blue Devils know what to expect this weekend. They will have to beat every team they play for the third time because, well, they already beat the entire conference twice.
Then again, Duke won its 16 ACC games by an average of 24 points and didn't make too many friends along the way.
"I know the other teams in the ACC hate us," Carrawell joked. "That's good, we hate them too."
The Blue Devils also hate any talk that they still don't have plenty to improve on. Three weeks ago, Mike Krzyzewski stressed the importance of rebounding and free-throw shooting to his team.
Duke's strides in rebounding were on display in Chapel Hill, as UNC surrendered more boards than it had in any one game in six years. With free-throw shooting, on the other hand, the Blue Devils were just seventh in the ACC during conference play. It is just one area in which Duke still intends to improve.
"I'm sure Coach will find something for us to work on," Elton Brand said. "I'm sure he's analyzing our team and finding something."
And if history is any reminder, the first tournament can be a good predictor of the second. After all, the last time Duke won the national championship was also when the Blue Devils last cut the nets for an ACC title.
"All I can remember is two years ago playing N.C. State in the first round," said Carrawell of Duke's first-round upset loss to the Wolfpack in '97. "We had beaten them twice [in the regular season]. That's how I'm thinking of going into this game against Virginia. Any game if you don't bring 100 percent, the other team can beat you."
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