It was 86-78 with 17 seconds remaining and Phil Ford had seen enough. The high school senior and Tar Heel commit, so disgusted that his future teammates and fellow alums were about to be knocked off on Senior Night by the hapless Duke Blue Devils, switched off his television set and went to go wash the family car. All he missed was the greatest moment in UNC-Duke history.
The 1974 season was one of the greatest the ACC has ever had: Top-ranked NC State, led by David Thompson, won the National Championship. To do so, they had to overcome #3 Maryland, led by Len Elmore and John Lucas, in the ACC Championship Game, arguably the best and most significant game in conference history.