The blue bloods down on Tobacco Road have combined to win the past seven ACC Tournaments. It probably won’t change this year.

NORTH CAROLINA

The Tar Heels’ athleticism and scoring ability across the board is untouchable by any team in the ACC. Harrison Barnes is one of the NCAA’s purest scorers and a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft. Not only does he drive into the paint very effectively, he has also showcased a tremendous fadeaway jumper. At 6-foot-8, he can step outside and hit the 3, shooting nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc.

Inside, the Heels feature two trees in 7-foot senior leader Tyler Zeller and 6-foot-11 sophomore John Henson (pictured). Zeller is averaging 16.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, while Henson is averaging a double-double with 14.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Henson is a force inside defensively because of his enormous armspan — he averages more than a block a game — and has demonstrated improved range on his mid-range jumper.

That core would be enough talent for a team to be successful in the ACC, but the Tar Heels also have Kendall Marshall. Marshall averages 9.6 assists per game, good for second in the NCAA and 1.6 assists more per game than the third-ranked player.

His sublime vision only accentuates the ridiculous scoring abilities of Zeller, Henson and Barnes. There are very few point guards who have the passing ability of Marshall, and if his jump shot is falling, he’s just about unstoppable.

With this amount of talent on the floor, no ACC team will be able to compete with the Tar Heels during the ACC Tournament. Duke has beaten them once this season, but in the teams’ most recent bout, North Carolina won in dominant fashion. The Blue Devils simply do not have a swingman with the necessary size and athleticism to contain Barnes, who went for 25 points in the teams’ first meeting.

While Florida State also beat North Carolina by more than 30 points, that game came early in the season. This Tar Heels team is playing at a completely different level now. Coming off its rout of Duke, North Carolina will be hot and ready to go. If they play with the same intensity and fluidity of Saturday’s game against Duke, no one will be able to stop these Tar Heels in their tournament run.

DUKE

If rankings and recent history are to be believed, one of two blue-blood, blue-clad teams from North Carolina will be crowned ACC Tournament champion this weekend. Duke and North Carolina split their season series, each winning in the other’s house.

But the Blue Devils have their one shining moment that will lead them to ACC glory.

It came in the Dean Dome one month ago today, when guard Austin Rivers permanently etched his name into ACC lore with an improbable, ice-water-in-his-veins game winner over the outstretched arm of the Tar Heels’ Tyler Zeller. The shot completed a frantic, double-digit comeback by the Blue Devils in Chapel Hill, N.C.

The Tar Heels exacted their revenge Saturday, with a comfortable win thanks to an exhibition of depth and talent that few in the country can withstand.

But Duke’s win will resonate more during tournament play. Winning in dramatic fashion in a hostile environment showed the Blue Devils’ nerves of steel. They notched another road win against a ranked team in a Feb. 23 victory over Florida State that served as revenge for their heartbreaking, last-second loss to the Seminoles in January.

Experience is no small factor in games like these, and the three-time defending tournament champs have a steady hand who has guided their ship for 32 years. Coach Mike Krzyzewski has won four national titles.

Rivers, a freshman, is a scoring machine who has increased his output and efficiency by the game, just as the Tar Heels’ Harrison Barnes did a year ago. No ACC team has the ability to completely shut him out.

Should an excellent defensive team like the Seminoles slow Rivers down, sharpshooters Seth Curry and Andre Dawkins are more than adequate replacements. Duke’s perimeter shooting has long been a hallmark of its success in March, and the Blue Devils will ride it again this year.

The most glaring question comes down low, where the Blue Devils need Mason and Miles Plumlee (pictured) to show up.

The ACC Tournament will likely come down to a rubber match between the Blue Devils and Tar Heels, just as it did last season. When it does, Duke will ride the memory of Austin Rivers’ cold-blooded buzzer-beater to its fourth straight ACC title.

If there’s any team that you can expect to upset the ACC Tournament applecart, look no further than the hoops squad down in Tallahassee, Fla.

FLORIDA STATE … OR ANYONE ELSE, REALLY

Toppling Duke or North Carolina in Atlanta isn’t going to be easy, but Florida State has already beaten both. The Seminoles annihilated the Tar Heels, 90-57, and beat the Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium a week later.

If they did it then, why can’t they do it again?

Not only do they have the track record to make a run, they also have the right style of play.

You can’t sleep on any team that plays defense like Florida State. It thrives when it doesn’t have the ball, suffocating opposition enough to make up for a lackluster offense. When you have two players on the conference’s All-Defensive Team (Bernard James and Michael Snaer), you know you’re doing something right.

Teams that rely on offense can be undone by a night of bad shooting. Teams that play defense like the ‘Noles don’t have that problem. They’re going to play solid defense regardless, and it’s going to keep them in games they wouldn’t normally have a chance in.

Just like nearly every ACC team, Florida State does have some unsettling losses. A 20-point defeat against Clemson comes to mind, as does a loss to Boston College. Still, it’s lost only three games since Jan. 10.

If the Seminoles’ offense finds any semblance of consistency down in Atlanta, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with.

Who else besides the usual suspects could make some noise? Virginia finished fourth in the conference and lost only once in its first 15 games. Forward Mike Scott is a great player, one capable of leading a tournament run. Generally, though, the Cavaliers beat and lose to the teams they’re supposed to. A deep run? Maybe. But it’s hard to see them beating one of the big dogs. N.C. State isn’t doing it, either. Miami is a very interesting and competitive team, but the Hurricanes have laid a few clunkers of their own.

Chances are, one of the Tobacco Road powers will take home the trophy. North Carolina and Duke are far better than everyone else in the ACC.

If anyone is going to make some noise outside of the two, the smart money is on the Seminoles.