JOEY BAKER

Exactly 10 years after a bunch of one-and-done phenoms for Kentucky cut down the nets in the Big Easy, there is a much more old-school feel to this year’s Final Four.

The famed rivalry between No. 9 Duke and North Carolina is changing.

Mark Williams had 19 points, 11 rebounds and eight blocks to lead eighth-ranked Duke’s dominant effort inside as the Blue Devils beat North Carolina State 88-73.

Virginia Tech Duke Basketball Virginia Tech's Darius Maddox (13) battles Duke's Theo John, left, and Duke's Joey Baker, right, for a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown) (Ben McKeown)DURHAM, N.C. — (AP) — Paolo Banchero had 23 points and second-ranked Duke shot 62% after halftime to beat Virginia Tech 76-65 on Wednesday night in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Banchero scored 17 points in that dominant second half, fueled by the move to a smaller lineup around the versatile 6-foot-10 star freshman. That helped Duke (11-1, 1-0 ACC) erase an eight-point deficit early in the second half while slowing Keve Aluma after his big first-half performance. Virginia Tech, which joined the ACC for the 2004-05 season, has still won only once (January 2007) at the Blue Devils' famously hostile Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Paolo Banchero had 23 points and second-ranked Duke shot 62% after halftime to beat Virginia Tech 76-65 in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener.

The Atlantic Coast Conference is facing a changing landscape in men's basketball amid coaching retirements, roster upheaval and a bumpy showing in last year's NCAA Tournament.