Breaking down the teams that could threaten UNC's ACC title hopes

North Carolina met the expectations laid upon it as it finished with a 12-1 record in the nonconference slate.

It wasn’t easy, either, as the Tar Heels defeated potential tournament teams such as Georgetown, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio State and St. Bonaventure, and their only loss was to the current No. 9 team in the country, Michigan State. However, the true litmus test for Carolina is how well it plays in the ACC portion of its schedule.

The conference has greatly improved since last season as many teams have reloaded, with some having surprising starts to the season. The ACC has always been a tough league, and North Carolina will have to get through a juggernaut.

Here are the toughest teams Carolina will play in conference play.

Duke

Well, of course.

Duke enters ACC play as the No. 6 team in the country, with its only loss of the season coming against a nationally ranked Texas Tech team by one point. Duke also has one of the most stifling defenses in the country, as it is third in defensive field goal percentage (36.2%), ninth in scoring defense (62.6 points per game) and 12th in three-point defense (27.4%).

The Blue Devils are also led by freshman power forward Cameron Boozer, who leads the team in points (23.2 per game), rebounds (10.0 per game), assists (4.0 per game) and steals (1.7). Boozer’s matchup vs. Caleb Wilson will be the talk of the nation, let alone the Triangle, when the two teams match up at the Dean Dome and Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Louisville

The 16th-ranked Cardinals come into ACC play with a 10-2 record and are looking to finish atop the ACC standings when its all said and done. Led by Ryan Conwell and future lottery pick Mikel Brown, Louisville has one of the best backcourts in college basketball that’s full of depth. The Cardinals are not afraid to shoot the three-ball as it swishes 12.6 attempts per game, the third most in the country. 

Virginia

First-year head coach Ryan Odom has done a nice job in his first season, bringing Virginia back to the forefront of the conference after it suffered its first losing record since 2009-10 last year. The Cavaliers are the No. 21 team in the country and are currently 11-1.

Virginia is disciplined and efficient in everything it does on offense and defense, similar to the Tony Bennett squads but with a higher scoring output. Virginia has one of the most dynamic players in the ACC in Belgian national Thijs De Ridder (16.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game). It also has a brick wall in 7-footer Johann Grunloh, who is averaging 9.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game — second in the ACC and 11th nationally.

Given that Carolina has had trouble winning in Charlottesville in recent memory, this might be their toughest road game outside of the Triangle.

Others to Watch Out For:

California: The Golden Bears have gotten off to a surprising 12-1 start and have four players shooting at a 40% from beyond the arc.

Miami: The Hurricanes have a solid team led by Malik Rineau that is underrated and could make noise throughout conference play, and this will be a tough road game for the Tar Heels.

NC State: While the Wolfpack are not having the best start to the season, they host UNC this year, and it will be a dogfight at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, knowing that Will Wade circled this game on his schedule.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: The most dangerous opponents in ACC play