Ken Davis

Remember those final 2.6 seconds Wednesday night in Winston-Salem, N.C. Remember James Johnson slipping inside three Duke defenders and hitting the layup that gave Wake Forest a 70-68 victory in this, the latest version of Armageddon in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Remember everything the Demon Deacons did in the first 35 minutes to seize control of the game, but don’t forget the way Duke scratched to come back, putting together a 20-7 rally that could only be accomplished by poised and experienced players.

Remember it all because, despite the outcome Wednesday night at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, a three-way battle still exists in the ACC. Wake Forest may have the slightest edge right now, but Duke and North Carolina aren’t going away.

And there are lessons to be learned from everything we have witnessed so far.

Within the last month, all three have held the No. 1 ranking in the nation. Duke (18-2) climbed to the top on Monday and managed to enjoy the honor for two days. Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu and the rest of the Demon Deacons (17-1) had fallen from No. 1 to No. 6 in The Associated Press poll after losing to Virginia Tech last week. And at one point, not that long ago, many experts were predicting North Carolina would go through the season undefeated. The Tar Heels (18-2) needed a Ty Lawson 3-pointer at the buzzer to escape Tallahassee Wednesday night with an 80-77 victory.

What’s it all mean? We really won’t know until March rolls around.

Connecticut, 19-1 after crushing DePaul Wednesday night, may rise to No. 1 in next week’s poll. Or perhaps the voters were so impressed by Wake Forest’s last second victory that they will lift the Demon Deacons to the top again.

“We’re not worried about [No. 1 rankings],” Teague said in an interview with ESPN immediately after the game. “I’m just glad we won the game.”

Teague, who had an off night shooting but still played a huge role in Wake’s victory, has the proper perspective. In college basketball, the history of recent No. 1 rankings becomes irrelevant by March. What matters most in March is grabbing one of the few advantages that could create a clearer path to the Final Four. In the ACC, everyone knows what that means.

In the ACC, the goal is to win the regular season title in order to grab the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. That top seed should increase the chances of winning the ACC tournament. And winning the ACC tournament usually results in a pretty sweet reward from the NCAA selection committee.

This year that NCAA reward will likely be a No. 1 seed with first- and second-round games at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. No plane rides. Just a short drive for the team and fans means an opportunity to maintain a more normal schedule. It means more time sleeping in your own bed and more of a home court atmosphere for those first two games.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: That’s a big advantage for the ACC because there are so many buildings in North Carolina capable of hosting the opening rounds of the tournament. It’s a goal that’s definitely worth pursuing.

You can already see the NCAA bracket starting to take shape. Six teams appear to be battling for the four No. 1 seeds. In addition to Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina, UConn, Pittsburgh and Oklahoma are building resumes that are worthy of that distinction. Right now, only one other team seems capable of entering the discussion. Louisville is 16-3 and extended its winning streak to eight games with an 80-54 thrashing of South Florida Wednesday night. If the Cardinals keep improving — and winning — they could play themselves onto that top line.

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After Wednesday, no one can question the credentials of Wake Forest or Duke. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see both in the Final Four.

On a night when Duke was 4-for-22 from 3-point range, the Blue Devils can thank Kyle Singler (22 points) and Gerald Henderson (20 points) for keeping them in the game. Duke shot just 33 percent overall and Wake’s deep bench outscored the Blue Devil reserves 18-7. But the Blue Devils play with that chip on their shoulder. They believe in themselves to the point that they really never are out of any game.

In defeating Duke and North Carolina, the Demon Deacons have shown they are deep enough and athletic enough to be considered a national championship contender. Wake exposed Duke’s weakness inside. Center Brian Zoubek played only 13 minutes and was held scoreless. When the game was on the line, coach Mike Krzyzewski kept Zoubek on the bench.

Wake’s guards were too much for Duke. They set the tone of the game by getting the ball inside, either with crisp passes or dribble penetration. That’s the key to beating Duke and the Demon Deacons clearly understood that. Wake’s offense efficiency was outstanding. The Deacons became the first ACC team to score more than 58 points against Duke.

While Duke and North Carolina still must meet twice, Wake Forest is done with North Carolina. Wake must travel to Duke on Feb. 22 and about the only negative is that Wake has six road games remaining. Since freshmen and sophomores are leading the Demon Deacons, the pressure of the road could become a factor.

Remember that as the season plays out. But also remember that last second layup by Johnson. It might loom pretty big come March.

“That was a great play Coach [Dino] Gaudio drew up,” Teague said.

Indeed it was.

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