Losses left Duke and North Carolina looking for something to square their attention on the task at hand this week.So they have each other.The neighboring rivals meet Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C., playing for the Victory Bell, which goes to the winner of this annual matchup.”The great thing about sports is redemption is always a week away,” Duke coach Manny Diaz said. “… There will be no shortage of people who want to win the game on Saturday.”The Blue Devils (5-5, 4-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) pretty much had their aspirations of reaching the ACC championship game dashed with last week’s 34-17 loss to Virginia.”(We need) the focus and fortitude to put it behind us and focus on what is a really, really important week for the program,” Diaz said. ” … All of our attention goes forward to getting a win on the road this weekend down in Chapel Hill.”The Tar Heels (4-6, 2-4) had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 28-12 loss at Wake Forest. The Tar Heels were held without a touchdown in a game for the first time since October 2016.North Carolina coach Bill Belichick said he’s aware of the importance of the game regionally.”Everybody knows each other pretty well, and (I’m) looking forward to being a participant in this event,” Belichick said.If the Tar Heels want to participate in the postseason, they will need victories this week and next to reach 6-6 for the regular season. Up next is NC State (5-5).North Carolina is averaging 18.7 points per game (16th out of 17 ACC teams), but has managed to stay within striking range in several games.
