Recently, however, the pendulum has swung toward Virginia, which has won back-to-back-to-back ACC crowns and is favored to four-peat this weekend in College Park, Md.
But as the Tar Heels left Tuesday for the ACC championships, little was said about the Cavaliers.
"If any team can beat Virginia, we can," said junior Judd Glasco. "But we're going up there to get some guys their NCAA times and focus on ourselves."
Senior Kevin Erndl said UNC's recent shortened practices have it rested and ready for this weekend.
"This year we've had some of the best structured tapered sessions in the four years I've been here," Erndl said. "Everyone seems to have their head on straight right now."
Coach Frank Comfort said his team is in great position for a strong showing at Maryland and should qualify several individuals and relay teams for the NCAA championships, held March 28-30 in Athens, Ga.
"We're in a position where we haven't been before," he said. "We're rested, and our tapered sessions have us where we want to be. We're really excited about this opportunity."
The Sports Editor can be reached at sports@unc.edu.
